From Page 3 to Gen Z icon: Why Katie Price captured our hearts

By Charlie Sawyer

Published Sep 7, 2024 at 09:00 AM

Reading time: 5 minutes

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Images courtesy of Katie Price from Instagram

A few people who come to mind when I think about individuals who deserve the title of ‘British icon’. For example: Rachel Lester from X Factor, Billie Piper, Alison Hammond, the “what a sad little life Jane” guy and, naturally, Tracy Beaker. But there’s one other person who I think we should all keep in mind. If you know me, it will likely come as no surprise that I am of course referring to Miss Katie Price, aka, one of the first women to monetise boobs and therefore one of my own personal heroes. It’s always bothered me that Price, whose financial struggles remain a constant in tabloid headlines, is never properly recognised or applauded for her feminist accolades and impact. Today, I’m here to change that.

While some people may not consider Price a Gen Z icon, I couldn’t disagree more. Yes, her peak may have been before our own, but the feistiness, humour, and freedom of Katie couldn’t be more Gen Z girlie-coded.

 

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Just take a look at Price on tour with GK Barry or in an episode of the Not My Bagg podcast with Joe and George Baggs—Gen Z absolutely love this woman. And, as we await further details from her most recent escapade (I’m referring to the media personality’s decision to skip a court hearing relating to her bankruptcy to instead receive her sixth facelift in Turkey), let’s relive some of the most iconic chapters of the life of Miss Katie Price.

 

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For anyone who didn’t grow up in the UK, raised on a healthy dosage of British trash TV and high-key cringe pop music, you might not have known Katie Price for her creative efforts. However, if I were to show you a picture of the media personality from her old Page 3 days, your memory might be jogged.

Using the stage name Jordan, Price became a regular fixture on Page 3 of The Sun newspaper in the late 90s. This specific placement on tabloid newspapers was exclusively reserved for topless pictures of popular British glamour models. And while I completely agree that the very existence of Page 3 is both yucky and inherently gross, I also can’t deny the sheer business savviness of these girls.

The late 90s and early 2000s required women to be both sexy and desirable. However, were they ever to feel a morsel of self-confidence, the press and public would admonish them and brand them as promiscuous sluts. Not only was Price unapologetically herself, she had no issue utilising plastic surgery and lingerie as a means to propel her career forward. This isn’t to say that Price should be labelled the most important feminist of our generation. However, why is it that we’re more than happy to celebrate the progressive actions of a woman in a lab coat, but not those of a woman in a bra? Female sexual liberation was simply not respected when Price first started off in the industry, but it didn’t stop her from pursuing her dreams.

 

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And it worked. After appearing in a dozen or so magazines, including Playboy, Price became a permanent fixture in the British media. The model had book deals, a column in OK! Magazine, music opportunities—not bad for a brunette with a big rack.

 

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It wasn’t long before TV became her playground and, pretty soon, ‘Pricey’ was a hot commodity.

When Price joined the cast of I’m a Celebrity… Get Me Out of Here!, her status as a British icon was officially sealed. The glamour girl was an immediate hit and her romance with future husband Peter Andre had the entire nation hooked.

Jordan cooked zero meals in camp and spent most of her time looking sexy in the shower while flirting with Andre. Honestly, can anyone blame her? And clearly, audiences responded to her TV presence because the media personality went on to star in at least five of her own different reality TV shows including Katie & Peter, Katie, and Katie Price: My Crazy Life.

I also think it’s important to mention that while Price’s insistence on documenting her children’s lives through multiple TV shows has been criticised at times, her dedication to all of her kids is clear. Moreover, a deeply moving documentary titled Katie Price: Harvey and Me, which specifically focuses on her relationship with her disabled son Harvey, was positively received by the media.

Katie Price has never been afraid to share her relationships with the public. Some might argue she’s a bit too open. The mum of five has been married three times, to the aforementioned Peter Andre, MMA fighter Alex Reid, and fitness guru Kieran Hayler.

All three of these relationships came with their fair share of controversy and scandal. For example, her marriage to Reid—which only lasted a year—was ultimately pretty problematic. As reported by Metro, in 2019, the former MMA fighter won a court case against Price after she allegedly showed sexually explicit photos and videos of him to an audience while appearing on Big Brother’s Bit on the Side. Reid was subsequently awarded £250,000 in compensation and legal costs.

With Hayler, who renewed his vows to Price on three separate occasions, everything ended very dramatically after it came to light that Hayler had been having affairs with at least two of Price’s close friends.

Katie Price is currently dating Married at First Sight participant JJ Slater. In fact, after showing off a very large diamond ring on her finger, netizens have begun speculating that the pair might be engaged.

Officially announcing their relationship on Instagram, the media personality wrote: “They say things happen for a reason, the unexpected happened. Fate. Ticks every box. @johnjoeslater you have proved to me you are a real gentleman and complete except for me.”

 

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We simply can’t discuss Katie Price without discussing her plastic surgery journey. Known for being honest about all of the procedures she’s had, Price has recently begun encouraging young women and girls to stay away from cosmetic surgery, especially in their 20s and 30s.

Speaking on the podcast How To Fail With Elizabeth Day, Price explained: “I didn’t have Botox ‘till I was 27/28. Lips I tried when they didn’t know [how to do it] and I looked like a duck, but then I just relaxed on it. People don’t realise when you have surgery and stuff, you only see before and after, you don’t see in between—when you’ve had it, the pain and the cleaning, the stitches out and the bed rests.”

“So, I would love to educate people about it. It’s damaging to your body. I’ve had so many anaesthetics. I know I still choose to do it, but I’m older now,” she continued.

It’s evident that Price’s cosmetic surgery addiction has likely played a role in all of the financial troubles she’s had over the years. Moreover, the influencer suggested that her recent ADHD diagnosis might have also played a part: “I’ve now been diagnosed, not that I believe in labels, but it makes sense that I’ve got severe ADHD. And it would make sense now, because I’ve made the wrong choices, done the wrong things, when really I’m just innocent [and] gullible.”

Katie Price is a complex figure, and with her history of criminal convictions and scandalous moments, no one is claiming she should be the feminist voice of a generation. However, we must acknowledge the respect she deserves. All us Gen Zers ever bang on about is how we want society to stop shaming women for expressing themselves, both sexually and emotionally. One undeniable truth about Katie Price is that she has always given conformity the middle finger.