Gregg Wallace: why it’s so hard to challenge ‘cheeky chaps’ and ‘loveable rogues’ (even for middle-class women of a certain age)

Food critic Grace Dent is to replace Gregg Wallace as host of Celebrity MasterChef after he “stepped back” in the wake of allegations over his conduct. Wallace stands accused of historical misconduct – of making inappropriate comments and of sexually harassing behaviour. Wallace’s lawyers say the allegations are false.

There’s a common refrain when people discuss cases of this nature – that sexualised comments are just “harmless fun”. They are jokes – a bit of banter. “Jokes” and “banter” are central to “lad cultures”, which have been a focus of my research for over 20 years, including books on lad cultures in universities and schools.

My research in secondary schools showed how boys who cultivated a “cheeky chappie” image – arguably, like Wallace – were often seen as “loveable rogues” and were given considerable leeway to “joke around” in class in ways that girls simply were not. Girls were never seen as loveable rogues. Thus, gendered cultures become embedded early on.

Of course, jokes are not in and of themselves a problem. However, research in a variety of contexts has shown that what is referred to as disparagement humour – “jokes” that are sexist, racist, homophobic, transphobic and so on – are used to construct and reinforce hierarchies of power within and between groups. Those who don’t laugh at the “jokes” are dismissed as “woke” or as killjoys who are not only devoid of a sense of humour themselves, but also want to ruin everyone else’s fun.

In this way, legitimate responses to sexually harassing comments – discomfort, embarrassment, anger – are trivialised and the victims are cast as the problem. One of the interviewees in our higher education research summed up this typical defence from laddish students: “I don’t really mean it, I’m not really racist, I’m not really sexist, I’m just having a laugh, I’m just having a joke. Why are you taking it so seriously?”

In the Wallace case, his comments in a video on Instagram suggesting that the complaints came from “a handful of middle-class women of a certain age” seem to epitomise this. He implied these women were humourless killjoys out of kilter with everyone else with whom he has worked. He has subsequently apologised for these remarks.

It’s likely that some celebrity “middle-class women of a certain age” do feel more able to speak out about sexual harassment. But this is related to power rather than sense of humour. They are typically more established in their careers so it’s less risky for them to speak up on behalf of others.

As culture secretary Lisa Nandy has pointed out, in an industry that relies heavily on freelancers, those on casual employment contracts – who are more likely to be young and not yet well known in the celebrity world – are usually more fearful of speaking out. But speaking out is always risky.

Despite high-profile movements such as #MeToo and Everyone’s Invited, disclosing sexual harassment and sexual violence is very difficult for a host of reasons, including fears about not being believed, career implications, reliving trauma and becoming the target of further sexual violence through online trolling (such as rape threats, death threats and sexually degrading comments).

Ways forward

High-profile cases of sexual harassment and sexual violence are so frequently being exposed that it is increasingly difficult to sustain the pernicious myth that they are perpetrated by a “few bad apples”. Presenting perpetrators in this way means that organisational cultures and structures may be left unexamined and unchallenged. Yet such change is essential.

Changing organisational cultures means not only that complaints should be heard and taken seriously but, even more importantly, that cultures that normalise and sustain sexual harassment should be transformed. This includes challenging what some might see as “low level” sexism or racism that is presented as “joking” or “just having a laugh”.

Research on sexual violence suggests that “everyday” sexism and harassment – sexist comments, “rape jokes” – can provide fertile ground for, and scaffold, more extreme forms of gender-related violence such as rape and murder.

There is evidence to suggest that such cultures are more likely to be established and sustained in sectors that are male dominated, as we have witnessed in several recent cases related to the Metropolitan Police.

They are also more likely to be sustained in organisations characterised by large and rigid power hierarchies and high levels of inequality. So we need multi-faceted and radical approaches to change.

The first step is to recognise that this is a deep-rooted and pervasive problem rather than something perpetrated by a few “sex pests”. Second, it’s crucial to understand that sexual harassment is about gender and power – it is overwhelmingly perpetrated by men against women.

As noted earlier, other inequalities related to age, social class, race and sexuality among others are also important. Those in marginalised and relatively powerless groups are more likely to be subject to harassment and least likely to speak out, or to be heard and believed when they do. So challenging gender norms that sustain male entitlement and reducing all inequalities is crucial to bring about meaningful change.

Ultimately, we need cultural and structural change at all levels – from the micro-level of interactions, through to institutional structures, organisation and leadership.

Carolyn Jackson received funding from the Economic and Social Research Council (ESRC) and Society for Research into Higher Education (SRHE) for her research referred to in this article.