Brenda Babes(2002)
Although the Brenda Babes did not form until the fall of 2002, the journey
actually began on July 2002 when it was announced that the charismatic and
stunningly beautiful Ms. Vanessa Marcil would be reprising her role as Brenda
Barrett on General Hospital. GH, at the time, was a shell of its former self,
suffering from abysmal ratings and faltering in key viewer demographics. Brenda
Barrett, as portrayed by the talented Ms. Marcil, represented for many a once
glorious time in a now dying genre, when romance, adventure, friendship and
great storytelling provided daytime viewers with an escape from the day-to-day
rhythm of their lives. It was Ms. Marcil’s unique ability to layer the character
of Brenda with such warmth, passion for life, and vulnerability that made Brenda
accessible to the audience. Young women and men who were fans of Ms. Marcil in
the early to mid- 1990s now tuned in to GH in anticipation of the return of Port
Charles’ favorite daughter. Fans began searching out GH websites in the hopes of
getting some idea of Brenda’s upcoming storyline, and what the recent history of
GH was. Unfortunately, GH online communities were hostile environments that
appeared to mirror the darkness and negativity of the show itself. Nowhere was
this negative tone more palpable than at the center of the GH internet universe,
Soapzone (formerly portcharles online). This online community was made up of
dramatically polarized fanbases, in a hostile competition for supremacy. If this
was representative of GH fans, it was little wonder that the show itself, once a
beacon in the ABC daytime lineup, had fallen on such hard times. When many of us
decided to join the fray, the show appeared to be held hostage by the
coordinated campaigning of certain fanbases and the reappearance of “Brenda
Barrett” meant, “everything would change”.
There was initial panic by certain established internet fan groups that were
comfortable with the status quo even if it played to a decreasing audience. This
panic eventually turned into subtle bashing of the character and the actress
that became more aggressive as Ms. Marcil airdate approached. Once Brenda
Barrett stepped back onto the GH canvas and the ratings and demographics soared
to record highs, this bashing became intense in an attempt to create a
perception of negative viewer response to Ms. Marcil, even though the reality of
the ratings surge proved otherwise. Not to be dissuaded by this open hostility
on Soapzone, many of Ms. Marcil’s fans emerged from “lurkdom”, to counteract
this warped negative perception creatively fostered by certain fanbases. As a
result of the smaller community of pro-VM/Brenda voices moving to the forefront
of Soapzone, pro-VM/Brenda threads (Consolidated Posts, hereinafter "CPs") began
to appear to celebrate VM/Brenda’s return and to provide a safe haven for her
fans to discuss Brenda’s storyline free from insults and harassment. These CPs
were the genesis of the “Brenda Babes”…
Vanessa Marcil Connection (2005)
In 2005 with the permission of the Kathy, Vanessa Marcil Fan Club President....