I have a problem with Pantene’s new commercials. Pantene has presented their ‘Strong is Beautiful’ campaign for a while now. I fully supported this campaign, until I saw their newest commercials. The commercials featured NFL dads and their daughters. The dads wore their jerseys while they attempted to do simple hairstyles for their daughters. The styles were easy and cute: pigtails, braids, twists and they added cute bows and colorful bands also. The commercials were seemingly innocent and cute. But, I shuttered when these words popped up on the screen: “Girls who spend quality time with their dads grow up to be stronger women.” At first, this quote seems encouraging; it is promoting daughters having healthy relationships with their dads and shows dads in a good light compared to the messages that are typically sent about fatherhood. The problem I have is the quote suggests girls cannot grow up to be strong women without their fathers.
Good parenting is what determines the strength of a child; there are plenty of children who are raised in single parent homes, sometimes with their mothers and sometimes with their fathers. They still grow up to be successful and strong. I argue that a child’s environment can shape a child more than the parents themselves. Environment does not always mean neighborhood; it could be the child’s school, the friends they hang around, the sibling’s friends, or the family they visit. There are a lot of factors that can affect the way a child turns out.
I also wonder what Pantene’s definition of strength is? Is it survival? Does persistence make you strong? Resistance? Those are all qualities parents sometimes have when life gets especially challenging. It’s not about gender, it’s about the way you handle the situation in front of your child.
Pantene should have focused more on fatherhood than the effect it has on the daughters; something like: “Dads are great too” or “Dads love their daughters.” These quotes I created send a different message than the one Pantene chose to send. Mine say to viewers that dads are great, as well as moms; they can love the same.
Fathers and mothers have been taught to offer certain characteristics to the development of their children so they have a good balance. Mothers are supposed to be ‘nurturing’ and fathers ‘strong.’ Yet, when parents are raising children alone, they must provide the child with both characteristics to get them through life. This means strength and nurturing, although they may come easily to certain genders, are not exclusive. A mother can be strong, a father can be nurturing, and a single parent can be both. I did ask myself if I was being too harsh; baby steps, right? But, I wrote this article anyway because it is the truth; it may seem nitpicky, but the truth is parents can be great parents with patience, persistence, care, and strength. There are a lot of characteristics that make a good parent a great one. I understand Pantene needed to stick with their theme; their products make your hair stronger, and more importantly, you’re stronger when you are simply you.
