Tommy Mattinson - current World Gurning Champion (male)
Every September, a peculiar event takes place at the Egremont Crab Fair. Egremont is a small town in the county of Cumberland in north-western England. The event I am thinking of involves contestants putting their heads through a horse collar and pulling the most ugly faces they can muster without using their hands or any other aids. There are events for both men and women which in fact form The World Gurning Championships. "Gurning" is simply the art of pulling a very ugly face.
The Crab Fair was established in 1267 but I am not sure when the gurning competition element began - it certainly happened in 1852 and for many years before that. By the way, the celebration of gurning is not unique to Egremont.
I think that gurning could easily take off as a form of facial exercise, toning up facial muscles and aiding blood flow which in turn would benefit people's complexions. Why buy expensive potions and lotions for your face when you can simply gurn for a few minutes every day?
Sadly, I have never been to The Egremont Crab Fair but if I went I suspect that I would be in with a shout of the gurning gold medal because in private I am capable of producing some truly horrible faces - especially when certain politicians and so-called celebrities appear on our television screen.
Claire Lister - current World Gurning Champion (female)
I have never heard of this! I'm actually gurning at this very moment because my dog just filled the room with an awful stench.
ReplyDeleteSure that wasn't your husband Kelly? Maybe he just blamed the dog.
DeleteI've never heard it called gurning but my grandma always told me not to make ugly faces, my face might freeze like that. Therefore... I tried to look pretty at all times.
ReplyDeleteAnd it worked! What a gorgeous creature you are Deb!
DeleteYou are too funny!!
DeleteI've never heard of gurning but we have the ugliest, orange, horrible face leading our country.
ReplyDeleteDon't say that Ellen! You might end up in El Salvador or Alcatraz.
DeleteI think you should go for the gold!
ReplyDeleteI feel sure you would be favourite for the women's prize.
DeleteGreat variation in the faces shown. It sounds like a fun activity. It's all good fun. Now we could have a pudding face for some kind of blogger award!
ReplyDeleteTo win the prize you would not need to pull a face when they placed the horse collar over your head Keith!
DeleteI believe my mother who always said if I kept making that face it would freeze that way!
ReplyDeleteMum always knows best.
DeleteWhat if the wind changes?
ReplyDeleteIs that what happened to you Marcie?
Delete"Gurn, Turn, Gurn". A 1965 hit by the Yorkshire band: The Peewits. Gurning is for people who have a face for radio.
ReplyDeleteNo wonder you never show your face in your blog Dave!
DeleteMy photo was on my blog for years YP. Blogger must have took it down.
DeleteThe US has a politician to provide inspiration to contestants this year.
ReplyDeleteWell it's not Brilliant Bernie Sanders so who could it be?
DeleteI could be a champion gurner. I don't really need to try hard as my face naturally seems to fall into that kind of shape.
ReplyDeleteYou need to stop sucking lemons!
DeleteI have heard of gurning but never really tried it, though I do pull a face every so often. When I was younger and pulled faces at my mother (usually when I didn't want to do somehting) she told me that if the wind changed I'd be stuck with that face forever!
ReplyDeleteHow right she was!
DeleteAll I would have to do was to bare my very crooked teeth in a pirate flag skull-like grin. A sure winner!
ReplyDeleteIf you were a wealthy American, your teeth would be perfect and OK would have to wear sunglasses to look at them - even at nighttime.
DeleteI would be a complete failure at gurning. I've never even tried to make a horrible face.
ReplyDeleteI saw your post eye surgery pictures!
DeleteYes I would not gurn in case my face stopped at its ugliness forever. But I can twitch my nose, which is no mean feat.
ReplyDeleteMost rabbits can do that too! Do you like carrots?
DeleteI've been struggling for most of my life to make a nice face.
ReplyDeletePerhaps make-up would help Tasker.
DeleteMy mother used to take her teeth out, make an ugly face and become Witchy Poo, and chase her grandchildren around.
ReplyDeleteI conduct myself with somewhat more dignity and wear my naturally ugly face with pride.
If you think you have an ugly face you could hide it behind a rubber Chris Hemsworth mask.
DeleteNever have, never will. Thank you very much.
ReplyDeleteSpoilsport!
DeleteI admit I have gurned in private, but I'm not about to gurn in public.
ReplyDeleteIn your blog you have posted several photos of yourself gurning. At least, I think you were gurning.
DeleteI'm not sure I've ever even come across the word gurning before. Your post explained it well enough, though. These days I find a look in the mirror just after getting up scary enough and am not sure I would dare try to wilfully make it worse...
ReplyDeleteYou need to speak to the mirror Monica..."Mirror mirror on the wall - who's the fairest of them all?"
Deletei'm channeling Les Dawson and some of his faces, right now!!
ReplyDeleteJust be yourself Foxy and you will win any gurning contest.
DeleteI've learned my new thing for today and I kind of wish I hadn't!
ReplyDelete