Helena Bonham Carter

Warning: May contain fangirl. Will contain photos. Many many of them. 

From the day I started a blog, I knew that this post was going to be coming, it was just a question of when. 

Helena Bonham Carter, for those that don't know, is my absolute idol. In the same way that the Little Monsters go crazy for Gaga and the Beiberites (what are they called? Something ridiculous at any rate) for mental for J-beebz, I simply adore Helena. Well, maybe it's not in the same way because there isn't a hand gesture for Helena fans, and I certainly wouldn't slice my wrists open if I found out she was smoking weed, but you get the general idea. 

I am a Helenaist. 

The first time I remember becoming aware of Helena was when I saw this photo of her in a magazine and I remember thinking "who the hell is that? She is all sorts of fabulous" 

And so a couple years later when my friend absolutely forced me to watch Sweeney Todd, the mad woman with the crazy hair turned up again and boom. It began. 

Now, Helena gets a lot of flack for the way the things that she wears on the street and the way she does her hair and the dresses she wears to award shows. But the thing is, she doesn't give a damn. She wears mismatching shoes. She doesn't brush her hair if she's going to the shop and gasp! She gets papped without her make-up on. To me, that is someone that is pretty damn impressive. Maybe not for your average woman, but when you happen to be followed by paps everywhere you go and then have those photos slammed in mags and rags, yet you still don't feel the need to dress up just to leave your house - that's a strong woman. 

Speaking of what she wears, I personally simply love the way that she dresses. Who can every call Helena Bonham Carter boring?

And really, in a world where "boring" is the most common personality type and being a hipster is considered different, then isn't someone that dresses exactly how they want to refreshing? I think so. 

In recent years, I have noticed that Helena has gone from being the woman that is seen as an absolute wreck to someone that is appreciated for her carefree attitude to fashion and I think it's because of a mix of both people craving someone that doesn't look perfect all the time, and her ever increasing profile. With the likes of the Kings Speech and Harry Potter making her more and more known, I've found that it's no longer "cool" to absolutely slam Helena for wearing ensembles such as this.... 

But rather more acceptable to talk about her with the loving tone that you would use about your crazy Aunty. You can practically hear journalists rolling their eyes when the latest candids of Helena land on their desk, but nowadays, you can also hear the smile. 

Then of course there is the fact that she isn't loved for nothing. There's a reason that films that Helena stars in pull in viewers. Why? Because she's a bloody amazing actress. Many people look down on her, thinking she only gets  jobs because of her "husband", but that is entirely untrue. She was a well established and respected actress long before she even met Tim and although being in many of his films since, she is a star in her own right. The Kings Speech and the Harry Potter movies are some of the top grossing British films of all time - no Tim Burton. Jobs roll in for her not because she's the father of Burtons kids, but because she's Helena Bonham Carter. 

With a range that literally goes from one end of the spectrum to the other, she's one of Englands most diverse actresses, playing anything from a character named simply "Woman" in Conversations With Other Women about the relationship between a man and woman over 12 hours or so, to a pie maker that bakes the victims of her murderous partner in crime in Sweeney Todd, she comes across as real and convincing. When people say that the only character she can play is the "crazy bitch", they're wrong. Yes, some of her high profile parts have fallen under the "crazy ass woman" umbrella - Bellatrix Lestrange, Marla Singer, the Red Queen to name a few - she's also played women that are emotional, real and as sane as they come. Sinful sister, Dinah, in The Heart of Me. Mother of four autistic boys, Maggi Jackson in Magnificent 7. The upcoming TV film Burton and Taylor will see her starring as Elizabeth Taylor and although there has been no end of arguments about her "not looking like Liz" or "not being good enough", the fact that she was cast shows that the BBC think she is good enough and I, for one, agree. 

Then of course there is the fact that she is absolutely bloody gorgeous. I know a lot of people that seem to think she's not simply because they have only seen her in films where she is usually in full make up and looking crazy, but for a 46 year old mother of two, she's not bloody bad. 

So there we are. Helena Bonham Carter. Not only an actress and individual, but a wonderful mother and a bloody amazing person. 

What do you think? Are you in the Helenaist camp or do think that she's overrated? Lemme know! 

M x