I've noticed this new trend of college age guys dressing like dads, calling themselves dads, requesting that I call them daddy...okay so maybe not the last one...but it is a new hip trendy thing that's happening. If you Google "dad humor" you get all these hilarious Buzzfeed articles about dads telling punny jokes and embarrassing their kids. BUT if you Google "mom humor" you get a bunch of articles and blogs of moms coming together to discuss the hellish week they've had running around after their messy babies (which apparently are such a handful that they might as well be serial killers?)
So why is there this difference? Why has it become quirky and fun to dress and act like a dad but there's no mention of young adult women wanting to dress or act like moms? I'm not saying its wrong or sexist to switch your wardrobe over to polos and hideous cargo shorts, but I want college men to maybe stop and think how they are able to do this and women aren't. Or would rather be caught dead before they start calling themselves a "mom" just for kicks and gigs.
Here are some reasons I believe might contribute to the valuation of dads and their witty humor and horrible sunglasses tans over hardworking domestic mothers:
1. In the media, dads are often portrayed as bumbling fools that just fuck up the house. Oh, you silly, funny, useless dads...
Dads have the luxury of being to be the fun parent that makes messes, plays games, and gets dirty. Why? Because mom is always there to clean up after him. Take a look at these commercials for cleaning supplies. Men you should be infuriated that the media depicts you as an absolute fool that doesn't give a rat's ass about the cleanliness of your house and allows your wife to pick up after you like you're a toddler.
Silly dads can't even do the groceries without making a mess. Good thing mom has her ULTRA POWERFUL XXX STEEL MAGNUM VACUUM to clean up the mess.
Even dads that help with child raising and domestic activities can't do it right. Silly dads caring so much about your conversations about cars so we can put a poop joke in this commercial. Guy humor, awesome!
Dads work so hard during the weekend to make all the money for the family that little sleeping beauty needs to nap all day until fucking wife Janet comes in and wakes him up. What a buzz kill.
2. From a young age, women are shamed for being mothers
There is the term "teen mom". There are shows dedicated to them by focusing on the nightmarish idea that you could have a child while in your teens, be left by your boyfriend, be publicly shamed, and be depicted as a trashy moral-less teenager by the media.
But there's no term for "teen dads"? Guys are typically completely missing from the dialogue about teen pregnancy. The show Teen Mom had to have a "special" dedicated to teen dads because they were so often missing from the scripts during the show.
In case you missed sex ed in 5th grade, it takes two to tango. Why motherhood, especially during teenage years, focuses so much on the girl and her "bad life decisions" while not attributing any responsibility to the male is sexist. Teenage girls are shamed for not protecting themselves and for bringing a child into this world that society assumes won't be raised properly while teen boys are given a gold star and cookie for the one time they buy their kid diapers or pay child support on time.
3. Society values older men and devalues older women
Old men get to be deemed as distinguished silver foxes with lots of money and freedom to sleep with Play Boy Bunny blondes. What do I get when I become an old woman? Well, if I'm not married I'm a spinster. If I don't have children, I'm considered the most tragic story of a wasted womanhood. Or, if it was my choice, I'm a career-focused bitch.
Look at advertising for senior citizens. Men get pushed cool hair dyes to cover up 50% of the grey but keep the other half cause it's sexy and debonair.
Cool old man in the work force with a sexed up secretary? Perfect depiction of equal gender roles.
Women get pushed creams and lotions to rid every known wrinkle in the history of science. And have you seen the price of that crap? A bottle of "Get Rid of Your Crow's Feet Before People Realize You're 65 and Not 27 Like You've Been Saying For the Past 38 Years" is like the equivalent of 10 bottles of wine and a bag of Cheetos. I know where my money is going.
I will literally get called "wrinkle face" if I use the wrong makeup when I'm older? Rad.
4. But moms get to be cougars!! Being sexualized and seducing younger men SO MUCH FUN!!
There is literally an entire show called Extreme Cougar Wives that mocks older women for being sexual in any way. We often consider older men dating younger women normal or just a fact of society. But the second a woman tries to do it it's super creepy. I've tried to watch this show and be like "You go girl, work those wrinkles, make that young man buy you fruity drinks!" but I was just insanely uncomfortable and creeped out. Why do I feel that way towards older women that exert their sexuality but not towards older men?
Also, there's this horrendous double standard about female versus male sexual predators. When female sexual abusers prey on teenage boys, it's often seen as every teenage boy's dream! The idea that all teenage boys are super horny and want some mind blowing sexual experience at a young age which is actually illegal and extremely traumatic needs to be destroyed. So older women are sexualized in a way that dismisses sexual assault and child abuse.
I'm not sure if this post was a stretch. But I do think that we should constantly be examining the social differences between men and women and where those differences originated from. Dads are awesome. Mine taught me how to hold a gun without crying and change the oil in my car so I don't get stranded on the 101 again. I thoroughly enjoy all these college males wearing visors and acting more mature. I'd just challenge you all to look beyond these behaviors and forms of comedy to see why society might accept them.
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