Finally, after all the times that I’ve moaned about the lack of recognition that Dads get in the whole parenting process, including this infamous piece, it seems like Dove for Men have understood that there’s more than one person doing the parenting in many families.
Or maybe they just wanted to appeal to their target market, he thought, cynically.
Either way…
Recognising the Mums, there’s society, helpfully and regularly propped up by stuff like the 2012 P&G ad, (they did one for the Sochi games too) and belittling the Dads, there are things like this baby outfit:
How utterly condescending.
It’s not, as I have pointed out before, that I am suggesting that Mums aren’t valuable, hardworking, wonderful people when it comes to being a parent.
And I’m not even claiming that Dads should expect to be celebrated for their role in bringing up kids. All I’m saying is that fairly regularly, there are two doing the parental tango. And it seems awfully unjust that one of them is routinely overlooked.
Anyway, here’s that heart-warming, worm-has-turned, just-in-time-for-Father’s-Day Dove for Men ad:
Lovely. The monkey bars and bottom wiping scenes seem particularly familiar.
As the ad people say:
Three quarters of dads say they are responsible for their child’s emotional well-being, while only 20% of dads see this role reflected in media. It’s time to acknowledge the caring moments of fatherhood that often go overlooked.
Christ alone knows where those 20% have been looking.
Look, I think that it’s going to take more than 61 seconds of Youtube video to even things up, but I’m glad that someone has at least made a start.