Meet Deliciously Stella, Instagram’s Anti Hero

Meet Deliciously Stella, Instagram’s Anti Hero

For the most part, Bella is just riding the wave of a health-obsessed generation, with a character that “basically thinks she is being super healthy, but has just got it completely wrong”. Here she shares how Deliciously Stella was born.



What
does an afternoon with Deliciously Stella, the Crunchie-scoffing,
Irn-Bru gulping, gym-phobic anti hero of Instagram look like? Well,
it begins with three massive bloody Marys and ends with a carafe of red and a few pizzas. With a bottle of gin and a
chocolate avocado thrown in somewhere in the middle.

Of course, we made the same mistake as most people in expecting
Bella Younger, Stella’s creator, to be as messy and self
destructive as her alter ego. We half expected her to turn up
gnawing on a roll of liquorice with a couple of Lucky Charm
marshmallows stuck to her fringe. In fact, this young comedienne is
full of wisdom. She built the Stella character as an antidote to
the influx of (often “smug” and “malnourished”) wellness icons
plastered across Instagram at the moment. But the point is not to
make fun of them. For the most part, Bella is just riding the wave
of a health-obsessed generation, with a character that “basically
thinks she is being super healthy, but has just got it completely
wrong”.


Bella says: “At first, the character was essentially just me.
Someone who eats and drinks too much and rarely visits the gym. Now
she is definitely a parody of a wellness blogger.” And exactly how
similar is the stand up comic to the character? “She’s a
caricature. I think being healthy is great,” she tells us. “I have
no quarrel with anyone who wants to eat more vegetables. But what
young girls don’t realise is that somebody beaming at you on a book
is not beautiful, thin and rich because she eats organically farmed
seeds. She’s beautiful, thin and rich because her parents are
beautiful, thin and rich. It’s called genetics, and the class
system.”

We nod in agreement, our hands wrapped around our third gin
cocktail of the afternoon. “I’ve definitely been surprised by the
response,” Bella continues. “I definitely think people were ready
to see a lot less of the hashtag ‘blessed’. It can be awfully
off-putting to see someone smugly downing a green juice when you’ve
got a hangover at work and had hula-hoops for breakfast.”

Tell us how Deliciously Stella was born

Stella was born when I was working in food TV and I was meeting
A LOT of women who were spiralizing vegetables. I spent a whole
Sunday afternoon on Instagram staring at headstands, cherry
blossoms and pastel houses and I couldn’t believe that these were
the only type of women who use social media. I thought that
Instagram should start reflecting more of the people I know, who
are essentially all rotters.

Did you have an aim to make a point with this character, or was
it purely a comedy outlet?

At the time I just thought that my friends and I would be able
to have a laugh at the reality of our abs (non existent) juice
cleanses (booze) and gym selfies (red as a tomato and sweating so
much you are about to drown). Then I started to see it getting
shared around a bit and I was like, ‘wait!’ maybe this is a better
way to be a comedian than stand up. Maybe I’ll never have to gig
again! I still have to gig. But a bit less.

How similar are you to Stella?

Now that Stella is a real life stand up character I would say
that we are very different. We are both middle class white women
because I am bad at accents and minstreling is frowned upon, but
Stella believes that science is just a theory like evolution so the
similarities end pretty quickly. I also do love eating unhealthy
food, I’m not confused between Ferrero Rochers and energy balls. As
much as I would like that to be the case.

What do you really think of the ‘wellness’ trend at the moment?
Has it gone too far?

I think that being healthy is great. I have no quarrel with
anyone who wants you to eat more vegetables. What does annoy me is
that it’s very exclusive and sets unrealistic standards for people.
The market has become saturated with people all too ready to peddle
you a ‘lifestyle’ that’s backed up by little to no scientific fact.
The calorie content in a ball of dates is very similar to that of a
mars bar. Why has nobody looked into this?!

What’s been the best moment on stage for you so far? And the
worst.

My best moment on stage was my first preview. It was full of
wonderful women wearing Breton tops whom I have decided are
definitely my target audience. If like me you have a spiralizer,
but can also laugh at the fact you have a spiralizer you are
definitely one of my own. My worst was actually last night, where I
headlined for a group of rowdy Clapham estate agents and some
unimpressed food bloggers. At one point somebody in the crowd said
“I’m actually friends with Deliciously Ella and this is
really offensive.” My 30-minute set became a 15-minute set pretty
swiftly.


Deliciously Stella’s Guide to London

Where do you go for a really nutritious breakfast?

Everybody knows that the best breakfast in London is from
McDonald’s. I am so thrilled that they’ve started selling it all
day. My local branch has just had an amazing refurb so I’ll be
nipping in for a hash brown all day long. Did you know hash browns
are gluten free?!

If you’re cooking it at home, what do you usually go for?

I love trying out different flavor combinations. I’m always
thinking out loud like “would WKD be good in a cake batter?” or
“how many peperamis can I roll in a sheet of puff pastry?” I’m
definitely experimental.

Tell us a street food vendor that you love, any healthy ones
out there we should know about?

Although I wouldn’t normally condone eating food off the street,
sometimes I will go and hang around Domino’s at the end of an
evening and see if any pizzas fall off the back of a moped. You
have to be quick so they don’t catch you, but it’s worth it for the
adrenaline kick.

Favourite lunch spot at the moment?

I’m unemployed right now because I think that paid work gets in
the way of my lifestyle so after a few hours of yoga every morning
I’ll just go and hang out on a park bench with some green juice.
Gordon’s is one of my favourites. Or apple Sourz.

Where is your go to place for a dinner date?

Nothing says romance for me like Nando’s. I’ve been trying to
get a black card for months now so any chance to remind them I
exist is a win for me.

What’s your favourite food market in the city right now?

My favourite food market is the Odeon cinema in Leicester
square. The produce is rare so it can be expensive but they
definitely have the best pic ‘n’ mix in the city.

What shop do you always turn to when looking for health
foods?

I only like to buy locally sourced produce, so I buy all of my
ingredients from the corner shop nearest to my house. The closer to
the kitchen your food is, the better it is for your body.

You always look so well. Where do you work out?

I love spinning. It’s a great way to exercise. You can do it by
getting really drunk and then lying down.

What’s your favourite area in the city right now, and why?

My favourite area of the city is the Wandsworth Bridge
roundabout because there’s a McDonalds drive thru. I love the
thrill of eating without having to walk anywhere.

Where do you go to clear your head?

My head is usually pretty clear because there’s not that much in
it but if something is troubling me I might go to Hackney city
farm. I love being at one with nature.

What’s your number one beauty tip for someone living in
London?

Natural is always best so use whatever’s around you if you can.
Soot can make for a wonderful eye shadow and red wine is a gorgeous
lip stain.

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