Michael McGregor: Beta Dads
You can always find the zeitgeist of America in Super Bowl commercials. This year, we were greeted with a crisis in masculinity that could only be solved by the glory of “caring fathers.”
In two separate ads—one for Toyota and the other for Dove—we got an image of fatherhood that didn't connote an authority figure but a supporting role for their all-important daughters. The Toyota commercial culminated in a dad crying as he watches his daughter enlist in the military—probably to do the dangerous jobs of failing physical fitness tests and monitoring social media. Before that, a montage plays of the father rushing to the aid of his daughter every time she has a difficulty in life to soothe her pain. He does all this to let his child “make their own choices someday.” The implication here is that the dad will always be supportive of her choices—no matter what.
The Dove ad forgoes a narrative and just shows a bunch of spliced clips of fathers playing “Mr. Mom.” No authority is bestowed here and dads seem to only exist to play dress up and ineptly change diapers. It’s even entitled “Real Strength.” "What makes a man stronger?” the soap ad asks us. “Showing that he cares.”
Someone else noticed this link to changing trends in American society, and it means the “involved dad” is replacing the “responsible dad.” This coincides with a radical transformation of masculinity where normal men believe they've “evolved” since their fathers’ and grandfathers’ generations and can’t relate to traditional definitions.
Thus, I present to you the “beta dad.”
These are dads who act only as providers to their families and play second fiddle to their wives and children, particularly their daughters. They do not display authority and they don’t receive the respect bestowed by it. ...
Posts
