Content warning: this article contains discussion of self-harm and suicide.
Since its premiere on 23rd of June 2022 The Bear has received widespread popular and critical acclaim. The Hulu TV series has accrued a 100% score on Rotten Tomatoes and an 88/100 on Metacritic indicating “universal acclaim” as well as The Guardian naming it number one on its list of 100 best TV shows of 2022. Readers would then probably not be surprised to learn that the show has received a total of 12 Primetime Emmy nominations for the upcoming awards. Amidst all of this success, the show has brought questions regarding media portrayal of the culinary profession: does the show glamourise unhealthy behaviour within the industry?
For those unfamiliar with the recent phenomenon, The Bear follows the story of Carmen “Carmy” Berzatto, an award winning Chef in New York City, who returns to his hometown of Chicago Illinois to take charge of the family restaurant “The Beef” in the wake of his brother’s suicide. At the restaurant, he meets a colourful cast of characters and works to ensure the restaurant can survive and eventually thrive. The protagonist Carmy and his progression through the show’s first two seasons deals with themes of grief, trauma, mental illness and healing through the support of others: a positive portrayal of those who have struggled with those very issues.
However, one aspect which the show may be doing more harm than good is its portrayal of Carmy’s distorted work-life balance. Throughout the two seasons, Carmy’s life seems to revolve completely around the restaurant and his work there, with him combating the various problems posed by the failing establishment. The show does make an effort to show the detrimental effect of Carmy’s hyperfocus on the restaurant, but it is difficult to deny the allure of a character who is so passionately and selflessly fixated on a family establishment to the point of self-destruction.
“These characters are modelled on the same archetype of self-destructive masculine ambition which drives them to be exceptional.”
“These characters are modelled on the same archetype of self-destructive masculine ambition which drives them to be exceptional.”
One could nearly draw a parallel between the portrayal of Carmy in The Bear to that of Thomas Shelby in Peaky Blinders. Both shows feature two men from working-class backgrounds who have suffered past traumatic experiences in their lives and have devoted themselves to leading a family enterprise to new heights. These characters are modelled on the same archetype of self-destructive masculine ambition which drives them to be exceptional. Both shows do highlight the deteriorating mental health of the protagonists, which serves as the reason for and the harmful consequence of their obsessive ambition. Carmy is shown attending Al-Anon meetings and Thomas Shelby frequently flirts with and eventually attempts suicide.
Nonetheless, characters like Carmy are the ideal for those enthralled with the sigma-male online subculture. The scene of Carmy’s 7-minute long monologue to his Al-Anon therapy group where he describes the decline of his relationship with his deceased brother and how it drove him to become obsessed with work has become a popular sound on TikTok. Particularly the part where Carmy tells the group: “And I think that just flipped a switch in me, where I was like, OK. Fuck you. Watch this.” This soundbite has become popular in the online manosphere and is frequently used as part of Andrew Tate edits and before and after gym comparisons.
“It is difficult to discern exactly why fictional male characters who throw themselves into unhealthy working enterprises have become so popular in recent years.”
“It is difficult to discern exactly why fictional male characters who throw themselves into unhealthy working enterprises have become so popular in recent years.”
This scene in the show is meant to convey how Carmy’s obsession with his work was the result of a traumatic relationship with his brother; ironically, the soundbite is frequently used online to completely contradict the original intention of the scene. This demonstrates that there is something missing in the show’s presentation of detrimental work-life balance. It is difficult to discern exactly why fictional male characters who throw themselves into unhealthy working enterprises have become so popular in recent years.
One reason that these characters are so attractive is that the actors are themselves attractive men who do not bear any physical scars from the mental anguish that they experience from their self-destructive habits. Unlike people who self-harm, these attractive actors like Jeremy Allen White as Carmy or Cillian Murphy as Thomas Shelby do not bear any physical scars, which may make us pause and reconsider whether their extreme dedication is truly worth the cost. Although the physical effects of intense cooking are described to us, they are not shown to us. We don’t see Carmy suffer acne outbreaks due to oil and grease while cooking, or severely dehydrated skin due to excruciating heat, or bloody calluses on his hands from knives. The lack of representation of these physical effects obscure the gravity of the problem with over-working, and glorify it. Television is ultimately a visual medium and by conveying in brutal detail the cost that these men pay in pursuit of perfection, it could help to end the dangerous romanticisation of self-harming work behaviour.
