Amelia Chicken Shop Date

Amelia from Chicken Shop Date is being slammed for fuelling stereotypes about Black people

‘She has no business monetising from a culture she has nothing to do with’


Amelia Dimoldenberg has been the centre of a Twitter dispute as people have begun to call her out about her YouTube show, Chicken Shop Date. Amelia’s YouTube channel took off after she began to interview Black rappers by taking them on dates to chicken shops and her painfully awkward and unfunny personality has charmed viewers for the past eight years. Amelia’s first video was back in 2014 where she interviewed Ghetts, and following her popularity she has gone onto have the likes of Dave, Aitch and Jade Thirwall feature on the show.

Despite the show’s success and popularity, people have been criticising Amelia and her videos and the deeper meaning behind them. Her YouTube videos consist of Amelia taking guests on a date to a chicken shop in and around London and asking them awkward questions, offering humour to the situation. Speaking on Amelia’s personality in the videos, Shaznay Martin said: “Dimoldenberg cleverly uses the juxtaposition of an awkward white girl in a chicken shop as her whole gimmick, drawing in viewers because it’s something they haven’t seen before.”

But people on Twitter have not been too pleased with Amelia’s videos and have slammed it for being problematic. One user said: “People allowed a white girl to sit down with her stale personality and fuel the stereotype of Black people and their love for chicken while Black artists are sitting there grinning with her. Get me out of here. There is nothing quirky about a middle class white girl with her snooty attitude interviewing Black artists in a chicken shop when we all know what the views of Fiat 500 Twitter are.

“I’ve seen clips on here and it’s so painfully awkward. She is extremely boring and she has no business monetising from a culture she has nothing to do with.”

Another user said: “So many profit off our community and all we have to offer, this is why I never support them. Chicken shop girl being one of them also.”

A common theme between those criticising Amelia is the lack of opportunities Black creators have in comparison to her. One user said: “The only thing that separates that chicken shop show from any other Black creators is creators. No disrespect to the girl but when you have access to big names then you will get the views and audience.”

Amelia has responded to this criticism in the past. Speaking with Complex in 2018, she addressed she is aware of her privilege as a white woman in the UK. She said: “I’m also aware, part of the reason people like watching videos is because they play off the humour that naturally occurs when two different cultures collide. I take my job in the scene that I’m working in very seriously. As I’ve said before, I’m very aware of my privileged position as a white woman, however, I hope I’m using it to fully support UK artists.”

The Tab has approached Amelia for comment.

Related stories recommended by this writer:

Now Amelia and Aitch are *finally* together, here’s a timeline of their relationship so far

Ranking all your fave Chicken Shop Dates based on how awkward they are

A bespoke dress and checking out £500k venues: The details of Jamie and Sophie’s wedding