Ironic Greg Wallace items have flooded online shops in response to the judge’s complaints about “middle-class women of a certain age”.
At least 13 women have accused the BBC presenter of inappropriate sexual behaviour while filming MasterChef, including making “uncomfortable” comments, groping victims, and pressing his crotch against them.
Wallace stepped down from his presenting duties while allegations of historical misconduct are investigated, but took to Instagram to dismiss the complaints as the product of over-entitled women.
He fumed: “In the newspaper I can see the complaints coming from a handful of middle-class women of a certain age just from Celebrity MasterChef. This isn’t right.”
The outburst provoked instant criticism from high-profile figures ranging from model Ulrika Jonsson to Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer. But angry women across the UK have got the last laugh as they turn Wallace’s jibe into a defiant celebration of their age and background.
His comments have been printed on a plethora of items ranging from t-shirts, mugs, and wall-art – all of which are being snapped up on Etsy. Women like British artist Megan Fatharly seized on the opportunity to call out Wallace’s misogynistic attitude through their work.
Megan explained that when she embossed a piece of gold-plated tin with the offending phrase on an impulse, she had no idea that there would be such high demand for the item.
“This was made to elevate and on ongoing discussion [sic]! I didn’t think anyone would actually purchase one ha!” Megan wrote on Instagram, adding: “I shared it and it took on a life of its own.”
In fact, the feminist statement took the internet by storm and sold out within hours. An image of the cheeky product received over 11,000 likes on Instagram, including from comedian Joe Lycett.
Compliments for the merchandise flooded in too, with one user exclaiming: “What a (deliciously) brilliant idea!” Another added: “This is justice sensitive, feminist, dopamine GOLD!”, while many more simply wrote: “Love it!”
Megan thanked her customers for supporting the “reactive marketing” campaign, and revealed that 50 percent of the proceeds from the merchandise would be donated to Refuge – the UK’s largest domestic abuse charity for women.
Countless other vendors have since joined the backlash to call out what they see as Wallace’s thinly veiled misogyny.
ALTillustration describes their ceramic Christmas bauble as a “Perfect f**k you to Greg Wallace”, while MothballStudios declares that their sweatshirt “isn’t just a piece of clothing; it’s a statement.” Promoting a pin badge, SpellCraftStationery encourages buyers to “Wear it as a badge of honour!” before clarifying “not officially associated with Greg Wallace. Obviously.”
Wallace has since retracted his comments about his accusers, publishing a new and contrite video on his Instagram.
The presenter said: “I want to apologise for any offence that I caused with my post yesterday and any upset I have caused to a lot of people. I wasn’t in a good headspace when I posted it. I’ve been under a huge amount of stress, a lot of emotion.”
He added: “I felt very alone [and] under siege yesterday when I posted it. It’s obvious to me I need to take some time out now while this investigation is underway.”
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