Stay-at-Home Dad Wants Huggies to Know he’s no Dummy

by Intern Caroline

It’s no news that advertisers have pretty outdated views on gender roles. Women are depicted in domestic roles, neurotically striving for the cleanest, best smelling home. According to them we’re all eating yogurt to lose weight, doing yoga in all white on our periods, or frantically shopping during the holidays. Men on the other hand get to drive sports cars through the desert, shave in super futuristic looking bathrooms, and shop for diamonds all calm, cool, and collected. Anytime men are depicted in a domestic scenario, they’re either being nagged by their ball-and-chain of a wife or just absolutely incompetent. Chris Routly, a stay-at-home dad, has had enough of these generalizations and he’s taking a stand. 

 Routly is leading a campaign over at Change.org against the “dummy dad” stereotype he feels is portrayed in the newest Huggies commercials. The “Dad Test”, as Huggies sees it, is the ultimate challenge.  The commercials show fathers left alone with their children, attempting to do the most basic parenting routines while the mothers are given a “well deserved break” to do the things we women folk like best. You know, get our nails done and jog around, and drink wine, and probably eat yogurt at some point. And we’re supposed to laugh.

 “If you ever wonder why, in the 21st century, so many men still feel like they are naturally incompetent in caring for their own young child, it’s because of advertising like this,” Routly said. “Men and women learn from these sorts of things that no matter how much a dad loves his kid, no matter how much he tries to be involved and get his hands dirty with feedings and diapers and anything else, he can’t and won’t do it right, because he is, after all, just a dad.”

Huggies responded to the criticism by saying the ads were simply meant to “celebrate fatherhood.” If you agree with Chris Routly that this sort of advertising is not only outdated, but also offensive, sign his petition at Change.org. 

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