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Yes, I know how that sounds. But while majority of my generation is completely engrossed in reality television, I trawl the comment section for drama like a crack fiend. I’m so serious.
We all have our vices, don’t you judge me.
Anyway, I witnessed what I would like to call a perfect example of the “bean soup theory." Let me explain.
The baker (yes, the one whose comment section I was trawling) had posted about orders she refuses to fulfil. One of them: naked cakes - you know, those trendy half-frosted things where most of the icing is scraped off. She said the style won't die, she's completely uninspired by it, so she passes those orders to someone on her team who actually enjoys making them.
Seems reasonable, right? She's not refusing the customer. She's just delegating to someone more enthusiastic. Problem solved.
Or maybe, more like, people’s stupidity, on the internet, on a deeper level.
A woman jumped in: "I'm diabetic, so naked cakes actually cater to me and people with my disease. You're telling me my whole wedding can't enjoy your cakes because you don't like a certain style?"
Let's break down what's wrong with Little Miss Entitlement’s comment:
First: Type 2 diabetics can absolutely have frosting. They can manage it with insulin and proper preparation. This isn't a medical accommodation issue; it's a preference. And I know this because other commenters with the disease said so.
Second: Naked cakes still have sugar. Like, in the cake itself, or the frosting between the layers. The scraped-off exterior frosting isn't solving a diabetes problem… it's just an aesthetic choice.
Third, and most importantly: The baker literally said she passes these orders to someone else who enjoys making them. The customer still gets their cake. The problem is imaginary.
But none of that matters, because this isn't actually about cakes or diabetes. It's about main character syndrome. It's about whataboutmeism. It's about the bean soup theory.
The bean soup theory is a social media phenomenon where users demand that content be tailored to their personal tastes (or, in this case, problems).
It originated from a 2023 TikTok comment, where someone asked for a bean-free version of, you guessed it, a bean soup recipe. The theory highlights a major lack of self-awareness online and has become internet shorthand for users' tendencies to centre themselves in discussions not even meant for them.
But here’s the tea (or the cake, or soup, whatever you prefer really): not everything is for you. Not everything needs to cater to you. And if something isn't your preference, you have the revolutionary option of... not engaging with it. Wow. Crazy stuff, huh?
Don't like the bean soup? Don't eat it. Don't like naked cakes? Hire a different baker. Simple.
Where creators and brands are expected to cater to literally everyone or face accusations of discrimination.
We've lost the ability to say, "this isn't for me and that's okay." Everything has to be about us. Every choice someone else makes has to somehow accommodate our circumstances just because it’s shown up on our feed. And every preference that differs from ours is seen as a personal attack.
The diabetic cake comment is a perfect example.
The baker has a preference, one that she’s already solved by delegating. The customer can still get what they want. HOWEVER, instead of accepting that some people don't enjoy making certain styles, the commenter weaponises a medical condition to demand that this specific baker change her entire approach.
It's exhausting. And it's everywhere.
That some products, services, content, or communities exist for other people. And that's fine. You find the things that are for you, they find the things that are for them, and everyone coexists.
The internet has kind of killed that.
Now, if something doesn't cater to you specifically, it's "exclusionary" or problematic, or discriminatory. The creator is bad and wrong and needs to change.
But here's the thing: a wedding cake baker who doesn't enjoy making naked cakes isn't discriminating against diabetics. A brand that doesn't make products in your exact specifications isn't excluding you. A creator whose content doesn't resonate with you isn't doing anything wrong.
They're just not for you. And that's okay.
Don't like naked cakes? Hire a baker who loves making them. Don't like a brand's aesthetic? Find one that matches yours. Don't like someone's content? Scroll past it.
No one's entitled to have every single person and business cater to their exact preferences. We all are, instead, responsible for finding the people and businesses that do.
The bean soup theory should be common sense. If you don't like the bean soup, don't eat the bean soup. But somehow, we've reached a point where people would rather demand the host serve bean soup without the beans than just... eat something else.
