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Dads Doing Their Daughters' Hair Gets Us Every Time
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shorty63136
07/15/09

In reply to Dads Doing Their Daughters' Hair Gets Us Every Time
I remember my dad trying to do my hair for school when my mom was sick with the flu - I was probably about 6 years old and still tender-headed. He kept running up the steps to get instructions on what to do next. Came back down, pulled my hair back into a ponytail, carefully wrapped the click-clack ball around the hair (it took like 30 seconds to do that part), and then stood back in triumph.

Then the click-clack ball slid right out of my hair and onto the floor. Mom was none too happy that she had to peel her sickly self out of bed and do my hair - but she did find it amusing later.
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prettycool
07/15/09

In reply to Dads Doing Their Daughters' Hair Gets Us Every Time
My step-dad was one of the top wigmakers for hollywood studios, but the first time I let him cut my hair it was completely crooked. Coincidentally it was also the last time he cut my hair.
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rednrowdy
07/15/09

In reply to Dads Doing Their Daughters' Hair Gets Us Every Time
i have fond memories of my dad monitoring my baths as a kid, washing my hair, and blowing it dry. he used the old school hair dryer that was shaped like a comb. remember those? they were awesome.
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GirlyQ is a manta ray
07/15/09

In reply to Dads Doing Their Daughters' Hair Gets Us Every Time
I think we get all melty because when a woman can throw a baseball, it implies strength to society, since stereotypically male activities are held in higher regard. She loses no status. When a man braids hair, he is taking a hit to his masculine status out of love for his daughter, and that's admirable. Or, I've been reading my gender textbook too much.
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Grim Reaper of the Forest
07/15/09

In reply to Dads Doing Their Daughters' Hair Gets Us Every Time
It's not just that dad's aren't expected to do this aspect of child rearing, it is that they have never had to brush and style long hair. When we first got our long-haired, easily matted puppy, I would cringe when my husband brushed her because he would rip through the knots without trying to be gentle or hold the hair at the roots. He's getting better, but it is not like he has been doing it all his life, like me.
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Diziet_Sma
07/15/09

In reply to Dads Doing Their Daughters' Hair Gets Us Every Time
I think they get more kudos because it's more of a big deal, socially, for a man to do 'feminine' things than it is for a woman to do 'masculine' ones - ie. when we see a woman, say, being an aircraft mechanic, we all consider it kick-ass and cool; a man doing his daughter's hair is more likely to be mocked by his male friends. We appreciate that level of selflessness in a man, because they are usually brought-up to be more selfish than women are.
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J.D.Regent
07/15/09

@Diziet_Sma: right, it's because of misogyny that it takes a bigger leap for men to do traditionally feminine things.
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daradoodle
07/15/09

In reply to Dads Doing Their Daughters' Hair Gets Us Every Time
My dad stayed at home with me for most of my childhood (ages 3-9, approximately) so he always did these kinds of things for me and my sisters. I think at some point I started to refusing to let my mother do my hair for me because I decided that his hairstyles were fancier and cooler. We also used to have these awesome parties on rainy days, when there was nothing better to do- we would go to the drug store, and each of us would get to choose a 99c nail polish (including any friends we had over) and then we would proceed to do the most ridiculous manicures. Sometimes on my dad. Neon and sparkles were particularly popular colors.
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LolaQuinn is full of beans
07/15/09

@daradoodle: If my sister or I left any nail polish laying around, we would inevitably realize that my father had taken it and painted a single nail. "I wanted to see what the color looked like!"

I love my dad :)
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The Queen of No
07/15/09

In reply to Dads Doing Their Daughters' Hair Gets Us Every Time
My dad used to "do" my hair. It was a tangled mess and he'd insist on brushing it. It was so fucking traumatizing. I'd scream and cry.

He's easily distracted and easily reminded. So, whenever a shampoo commercial would come on I'd distract him somehow. It usually worked. :X
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Flackette Goes Retro
07/15/09

In reply to Dads Doing Their Daughters' Hair Gets Us Every Time
I am freaking out that a woman my age had terminal cervical cancer. Exams, ladies!
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Edited by Flackette Goes Retro at 07/15/09 1:42 PM

LaComtesse
07/15/09

In reply to Dads Doing Their Daughters' Hair Gets Us Every Time
While women do get the shit end of the equality stick I do think over the past several decades, women's roles and the expectations of what women do have been more plastic than men's, which I would argue are still more stringently structured. Women wear pants, they are CEOs, they are aggressive--we have seen women overturning or at the very least stereotypes for a while now. (This isn't to say we don't have a long ways to go.)

It's like the discussion about Mad Men the other night--when Peggy asks for an office, Sterling describes this perfectly assertive go-getting behavior as "cute," because he is not used to seeing it from a woman. I think that is what we are looking at here.
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morninggloria
07/15/09

In reply to Dads Doing Their Daughters' Hair Gets Us Every Time
Whenever I want a laugh, I ask Boyfriend to try to put my hair in a ponytail. The end result always makes me laugh because it looks like it was done with salad tongs handled by badgers.
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SharonTaint
07/15/09

@morninggloria: I just died in your arms tonight.
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meg9
07/15/09

In reply to Dads Doing Their Daughters' Hair Gets Us Every Time
This is so sweet. The idea of a mom leaving birthday cards for each birthday just choked me up :(
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formergr
07/15/09

@meg9: Can you imagine having to write those??
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bellejay
07/15/09

In reply to Dads Doing Their Daughters' Hair Gets Us Every Time
Last week's Modern Love nearly killed me. Nothing melts my heart like dads caring for their children. And I don't think its a matter of lowered expectations, but rather seeing men willing to ignore gender stereotypes and so-called "norms" of parental labour divisions for the love of their children.
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Flackette Goes Retro
07/15/09

@bellejay: I arrived at my boyfriend's house one evening to find that he was playing "beauty shop" with his 4 year old daughter. He was the subject, and she was the stylist, poking 20-some barrettes and bobby pins into his short hair while he wore a towel-cape. It was, admittedly, quite funny and cute.
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bellejay
07/15/09

@Flackette Goes Retro: My grandpa used to let me play with his hair for hours on end! We have a ton of pics of him sitting, reading a newspaper, with me combing his hair into a troll-like ‘do!
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Edited by bellejay at 07/15/09 1:49 PM bellejay was starred bellejay was unstarred

pear.shaped.Sara
07/15/09

In reply to Dads Doing Their Daughters' Hair Gets Us Every Time
I can sum it up.

Daddy's Little Girl=precious, adorable, and sweet. Momma's Boy=weak and needy
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VirginiaDentata
07/16/09

@pear.shaped.Sara: Dammit. I think you're exactly right. How depressing.
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jdawgg297
07/15/09

In reply to Dads Doing Their Daughters' Hair Gets Us Every Time
in 5th grade my mom had to go take care of my grandfather, and my dad was in charge of my waist length hair. we had the cutest braiding system where i would hold the two side sections out on either side, and he would hold the middle, and we'd keep switching hair....it worked great until my grandfather died and we went out to oregon - when my mother saw my hair she almost fainted. apparently you have to get out tangles and knots or something (who knew?) and it took like 6 hours to fix. there were talks of a fancy new (bald) hair cut!!
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Zombie Ms. Skittles
07/15/09

@jdawgg297: That is really, really cute.
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