The GuardianThe Guardian

Why are so many young Americans adopting fake British accents?

By Alaina Demopoulos

15 May 2023 · 4 min read

Editor's Note

Americans have long been called out for their fake British accents – Madonna in her Guy Richie era, or the friend who just came home from studying abroad in London. The Guardian explores the trend.

Kyra Green lives with anxiety, and when she misplaced her boarding pass at the airport gate just before her flight was due to leave, the 26-year-old’s nerves started acting up. As she looked around for it, the native New Yorker began speaking in a British accent.

“I was throwing shit all over the place, and I was like, ‘No, I cannot do this. This is terrible,’” Green said, with the posh inflection of someone who went to a British boarding school. “I was literally scrounging through the trash looking for my boarding pass, but that voice added a little bit of confidence and pizazz when I didn’t feel it internally.”

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