What’s In A Name?

‘AT last. After months of intrigue, heated pub debate and indecision the papers have reached a consensus – Coleen McLouglin spells her name with one ‘l’ and two ‘es’.

Since first capturing the press’s attention as she bathed in a bikini at World Cup 2002, Coleen has been Colleen, Coleene, Colleene and more. And none of that really mattered because Coleen was, in essence, always Wayne Rooney’s girlfriend, and we can all spell Wayne.

But now she is a woman in her own right, the papers have taken the trouble to look at one of the many cheques made out to her and noted that she is Coleen.

And Coleen receives lots of cheques. As the Star says on its front page, Coleen has earned a not inconsiderable £5million in less than a year, a figure that rises to £5.5 million inside the paper.

Looking at the payslips made out to Coleen, the Star notes that she is paid to promote Nike (£1.5m) and Asda (£1.5m), writes a column in Closer magazine, has agreed a £2m deal to write a “fashion-and-lifestyle-book” and earned £250,000 for a fitness DVD.

That’s a lot of cash. And it buys a lot of bikinis, some of which appear over a double-page feature in the Sun.

The paper notes that to go with her earnings, Coleen tucks a “reported” £100,000 spending money a month from lover Wayne into the pockets of her trademark baggy velveteen tracksuits. And that buys even more bikinis.

But can it buy style? Can any amount of cash imbue the young Scouse girl about town with savoir faire and daring? As the Mail succinctly asks, is Coleen “CHAV OR Chic?”.

Alongside a shot of Coleen in said baggy velveteen tracksuit (mauve), Liz Jones, a Mail columnist and former women’s magazine editor, says Coleen is “Chic”. Karen Clarkson, a writer and celebrity stylist agrees. That’s two nil to the chics.

But this is an article of two halves, and Mail writer Amanda Platell, writer Helen Firth Powell and comedian Jenny Eclair scream “Chav”. That’s 3-2 to the chavs. The chavs have it.

And if they want to look like Coleen, they can have it in a checked Burberry bikini…’

Posted: 21st, March 2006 | In: Tabloids Comment | TrackBack | Permalink