To Do a Gwyneth
Hacer el oso
(Special acknowledgements are due to: Renata Buenfil, Karla Molina, Rodolfo Gómez and Armando Barreto, students of the Higher Studies 2 group at The Anglo Coapa whose contribution was essential to the realization of this contribution.)
Meaning:
To give a speech in a really sensitive and emotional way, in which the speaker tends to exaggerate and put him or herself to shame.
Origin:
In the Academy Awards of 1999, Gwyneth Paltrow won the prize for best actress, she gave a lengthy and overemotional speech in which she broke in tears. Those who were present could not believe what they were seeing and they just turned their faces around as if asking each other, “What is happening here?” After the ceremony the media bitterly critisized her recipient´s speech.
Example:
The father of the girl who was celebrating her sweet sixteen, was under the influence of alcohol and when he gave a speech for his daughter, he started to cry and speaking non-sense while sobbing. Everybody around felt outraged and finally realized he had just done a Gwyneth.