Child’s Junior MasterChef win overshadowed by his sexist remark
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Version 0 of 1. As she tuned in to the latest episode of Spain’s edition of Junior MasterChef last week, Felicidad Beltrán was expecting to see her 12-year-old son show off his cooking skills and perhaps pick up a few more. Instead she watched horrified as her son Victor told the show’s 3.2 million viewers across the country that women instinctively know how to clean, thanks to genetics. “My mouth dropped open when I heard it,” she said. “It’s not at all what we live in our house. My husband and I share the chores 100% and we’ve always stressed equality to our children.” The comments put the reality cooking show, in which contestants from eight to twelve-years-old face off in culinary challenges, in the spotlight and left many on social media wondering if the comments were a broader reflection of sexist attitudes in society or simply the musings of a child. Victor made the remarks after one of the show’s judges, Pepe Rodríguez, advised contestants to begin cleaning their stoves after the team challenges. As the only boy on his team, Victor exclaimed: “My goodness, I’m surrounded by girls, and girls already know how to clean because of genetics.” He was quickly chided by Rocío, a 12-year old. “Eh, eh, eh, watch what you say,” she told him. Rodríguez then stepped in, ordering him to clean the whole kitchen on his own, a punishment that evoked jeers from his team-mates. Speaking to the camera afterwards, Victor explained that he hadn’t meant what he had said. “I wanted to say that girls know better how to clean than boys,” he said. “In my point of view, that’s just how it is.” His comments lit up social media. “I would like to know what he’s learning at home,” wrote one user on Twitter, while another pointed out that while Victor was being scolded for making the comments on national television “his behaviour is normal among children. More education in equality, please”. Others defended Victor. “Keep in mind that he’s just a child,” tweeted one. “Let’s not condemn a 12-year-old boy who became a ‘spokesperson’ for an ingrained stereotype and a reflection of inequality,” wrote another. As media across Spain reported on her son’s “machista” comments, Beltrán sat down with her son to talk about the remarks. “It was a complete anomaly,” she said over email so as not to violate the show’s confidentiality clause. “I’ve never heard Victor make a sexist comment.” She pointed to the high-pressure atmosphere of the reality show. “The comments are unfortunate, but he’s a 12-year-old child who was in the middle of a challenge, under a lot of pressure and not aware of what he was saying.” Days after the episode aired, Victor echoed her explanation. “It’s true that I made a mistake, but I was really nervous at that moment. I used the word ‘genetics’ without really knowing what it meant,” he said over email. The strong reaction to his comments, which overshadowed his win of the night’s top honours with a mozzarella-stuffed pepperoni pizza, surprised him. “Everyone took it as if I were an adult, but I’m just a kid.” |