The Great British Bake Off’s 'Mexico Week' Ignites Social Media Frenzy Over Culture Appropriation: 'Vile & Racist'
10.10.2022 - 20:35
/ perezhilton.com
Last week’s episode of the Great British Bake Off, which aired both in the UK and the US, has left fans with a poor taste in their mouths.
In what should have been a respectful tribute for Hispanic Heritage Month, the team behind the Netflix streamer stirred up quite a bit of controversy. During what they referred to as “Mexico Week,” hosts Matt Lucas and Noel Fielding kicked things off dressed in sombreros and sarapes, joking:
See (below):
Right off the bat this was enough for social media users to criticize the show of cultural appropriation — wearing traditional Mexican garments, but in a trivial way, ultimately to just poke fun? Culture is not a costume!! AND the fact Matt and Noel acknowledged that it’s not cool to make jokes at the expense of one group of people, but still continued to do so?? Yeah, not so great. One Twitter user wrote:
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But oh no, it didn’t stop there. A clip later showed Matt and Noel discussing whether or not “Mexico is a real place,” claiming:
Guys, we literally can’t make this stuff up.
Matt was then seen shaking some maracas, for which one Twitter user wrote:
Stars of the show were also criticized for their absolute butchering of the pronunciations of “tacos,” “pico de gallo,” and “guacamole.” One TikTok user couldn’t help but point it out:
Later in the episode, Prue Leith complimented a baker’s cake, claiming “they look Mexican, there are lots of bright colors.” Riiiiight Prue, because Mexican culture can be boiled down to having “lots of bright colors.”
At one point, a contestant was even seen PEELING and avocado like a potato, with one reaction being:
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