Last night’s episode of Bake Off was overflowing with emotions for many reasons (including that double elimination), but it was Michael’s display of anxiety which seems to have resonated with viewers the most.
The 26-year-old from Stratford-upon-Avon began to unravel during the technical challenge, in which bakers were asked to create beignets souffles – a deep fried choux pastry ball filled with jam – as part of 1920s week.
Put simply: things weren’t working out for him. As the clock ticked, you could see Michael becoming more and more overwhelmed to the point where he broke down in tears.
Even the ever-jovial Noel became serious and told the fraught baker to go for a walk and take some time out, but Michael persisted, adopting the attitude that if he made anything at all, at least it would be something.After coming eighth in the challenge – it was David who came last with a disastrous batch of beignets – Michael returned for the Showstopper challenge with his head held high.
“I need to get #RealMenCry trending this year, #ManTears,” he said. And that he did.
Martin Robinson, founder and editor of The Book of Man, a media brand for modern men, told HuffPost
UK it was a “wonderful thing to see”.
“Not wonderful to see someone distressed,” he pointed out, “but to see a man let his emotions out, and then handle it with such humour and ease.”
He explained that men feeling unable to express their emotions is “a genuine problem” when it comes to their mental health, “where they often won’t admit hurt or seek support until it reaches crisis point”.
“So to have someone on a national show like Bake Off show that men do cry, and everyone is cool with that, really does contribute to breaking damaging stigmas,” he added.
The baker has received plenty of praise on social media, too – there have been hundreds of tweets using the hashtags.
One
Twitter user tweeted: “Real men cry? Absolutely they do! It’s healthy and important to de-stigmatise the act of crying, for both physical and mental wellbeing.”
Motto of the day: be more Michael. Michael crying about the technical and having the show frame it as completely normal and just as though it were a woman who cried is !!!! great!!! #GBBO#realmencry— molly raine (@mmollyraine) September 24, 2019I know I'm not the most macho of men(!), but I love GBBO's Michael for crying over struggling with the technical & not feeling ashamed! #RealMenCry#ManTears#GBBOpic.twitter.com/9U1AXQHr5f— Andrew Grundy (@acgrundy) September 24, 2019Real men cry? Absolutely they do! It’s healthy and important to destigmatise the act of crying, for both physical and mental wellbeing! Amen to @mschakraverty#RealMenCry#GBBO ❤️— Glitchcraft (@Glitchcraft1) September 24, 2019I am so here for #mantears Michael 🙌 Some of us have giant emotions & you’ve got to let those bad boys run free or they might crush all your magic. Sob that wee heart out you beautiful baker you 😭 #realmencryhttps://t.co/0qTKLdjv5U— Miss Cowley (@MissCowleyMaths) September 24, 2019I love the peer support in the tent. Michael is a good egg & he is right #realmencry— Glenn Sheard (@Ges89) September 24, 2019And once again, I'm completely in my feelings for @mschakraverty, who is a great baker, loads of fun to watch on the show, and also such a positive role model. #RealMenCrypic.twitter.com/06Pgc0Lpb2— Corey Shefman (@coreyshefman) September 25, 2019Related... ‘I Cried My Eyes Out’: Men Don’t Speak About Cancer – And We Can’t Ignore It Any Longer Men Are Reaching Burnout – Is Self-Care The Solution?
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