Most of our dads grew up in an even more intense culture of masculinity than our friends and brothers, and it was a culture that didn’t exactly allow for a dude to learn about putting up a ponytail unless he had long hair himself. That’s why Denver salon owner Calli Heubl-Bodilis’s “Beer and Braids” nights are such an awesome idea.
Heubl-Bodilis discovered the need for a workshop like this when she realized how many more fathers are one-on-one with their kids than they used to be. “Dads today are so much more hands-on. Many of my [female clients] are the breadwinners, the CEOs, and the dads stay at home,” she told Women in the World.
The idea is simple, fun, and rewarding for dads and daughters alike. “Up to six dads can register for the $55 class and bring as many daughters as he likes. Dad gets one-on-one training in pony tail, braid, and bun basics,” writes Genevieve Shaw Brown for ABC News. But it’s also a competition for the fathers. They get to display their new skills in a fashion show for their daughters. “The dad who wins gets a six-pack of beer and all the girls get goody bags of hair products to take home.”
I could totally imagine my own dad being into this when I was little. When I was in elementary school, my dad was my soccer coach. He was a great coach, and I loved having him there (despite the fact that I sort of hated soccer). But one weekend, my mom couldn’t make it to my Sunday morning game. As my dad and I lugged the bag of soccer balls out of the car, I realized we had forgotten something. “You need you to put my hair in a ponytail!” I exclaimed.
“Don’t you do that?” my dad asked desperately. I was probably about seven, which meant I could assemble a weak ponytail, but not one good enough to hold up for an hour-long game. We sat in the trunk of the minivan until he had sort of figured something out—that immediately fell out as soon as I started running. Even though I totally did not want some strange lady’s hands in my hair, my dad convinced me to ask another girl’s mom to fix the ponytail for me instead. With something like this, he could have gained the skills to do it himself—and even win some beer in the process!
Images via Envogue Salon
Read more on Bust.com
Getty Images’ New #LeanInTogether Series Redefines Fatherhood
We Love Women In The Workforce, But Should We Celebrate Stay-At-Home Dads?
Stay-at-Home Dad Wants Huggies to Know he’s no Dummy
