We know the commercialization of Pride season knows no end, but one TikTok creator is feeling specifically targeted this Pride month in a big way.
Gay chef Alex Hall runs The Bottom’s Digest TikTok page alongside his husband Mike Floeck, where they’ve been putting out “bottom-friendly” recipes for over a year. Meanwhile, Postmates introduced what they touted as “the world’s first Bottom-Friendly Menu” just a week ago.
You shouldn’t miss a good meal for a good time. That’s why this Pride, we’ve teamed up with @DrEvanGoldstein and @smartthrob to create the world’s first Bottom-Friendly Menu (yup, it’s real). #EatWithPride pic.twitter.com/03Fm8YJlAP
— @postmates (@Postmates) June 9, 2022
Not only is the concept… let’s say familiar, but Hall alleged in an interview with Mashable that Postmates used “similar colors, cadence, and copy” to the video he used to introduce his Bottom-friendly recipe series on June 3rd of last year.
@bottomsdigest Bottoms up and welcome to The Bottom’s Digest 🍑 Episode 1 dropping June 3! #recipes #foodtiktok #foodies #gay #queer #healthyrecipes #vegetarian ♬ original sound – The Bottom’s Digest
The day after Postmates announced their new campaign, Hall took to The Bottom’s Digest channel to express his disappointment about “how corporations continue to steal from queer creators and businesses — especially during Pride month.”
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When approached for comment, Postmates issued the following statement:
“Our team has been in touch with The Bottom’s Digest. We appreciate their work, and we hear their feedback loud and clear, in regards to our shared goal of addressing a more inclusive sex education.
“As a company focused on delivery to your doorstep, we don’t claim to be chefs or medical professionals. That’s why we leaned on a health expert to launch the Eat with Pride Bottom-Friendly delivery menu—and we’re happy to keep learning as part of an important, and often omitted, conversation on good meals and good times.
“We will continue to support the LGBTQIA+ community after Pride month, and we look forward to building upon our relationship with The Okra Project, a Black Trans woman-led collective that addresses barriers faced by the Black Trans community.”
To be fair, there were queer voices involved with the Postmates campaign. The brand collaborated with gay rectal surgeon Dr. Evan Goldstein and queer creator Rob Anderson for a more authentic LGBTQ+ production.
The problem, of course, comes in which queer creators were not involved with the project: the pair at The Bottom’s Digest who’ve been doing this longer than any of them.
Related: WATCH: Chef goes viral with his bottom-friendly recipes
HankHarris
So this guy owns the idea of what to eat if you’re bottoming? sure….
Sqwoah
This guy is obviously self-absorbed and has a pathological need for attention.
Fahd
They ripped off his style of presentation. He’s supposed to remain silent?
And what is Postmates doing about childhood obesity and adult literacy?
Brian
Whether or not they stole from him, it was a terrible roll-out. Some of the “bottom-friendly” suggestions were foods like pepperoni pizza. They just wanted something buzzy and attention-grabbing. They wanted to get money. They have no awareness, they put no thought into it.
OhHellNo
Don’t you love it when somebody thinks they’re the only person in the world who figured out the recipe for ice?