Revisiting the question of what my relation to Fanny Cradock is... again. I made these notes previously and reflected upon the reasons she fascinates me as a person, but have since come to realise that it is not specifically Fanny Cradock I am interested in, but the themes and ides she represents rewarding legacy, 1950s-70s glamour, memory and forgetting.
Fanny Cradock has no control of her lasting impact on culture, or specifically, what parts are chosen to be remembered. This is at odds with the way in which she carefully curated her life story and image through works such as her autobiography, her Bon Viveur persona, or her dramatic appearance and behaviour
I previously speculated that Fanny Cradock meets the criteria generally accepted to define a cultural figure as a "gay icon" from her story of ridicule and a double life- to her flamboyant costume choices. In retrospect the concept and criteria are so vague that, with enough effort, almost anyone could meet the requirements. What Fanny Cradock ultimately lacked was a lasting legacy that could persist into generations beyond her TV and publishing presence. For whatever reason Cradock faded into murky obscurity, with only a few colourful lenses to remember her through.
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