THE DAD MOM (2011)
In this ad, we see a dad folding laundry describe himself as a “dad mom.” His explanation for this is because unlike other dads or “mom moms,” he is “nurturing” able to fold “the frilliest of little girl dresses” while also maintaining his masculinity. The ad challenges gender norms by placing the father in the role of stay-at-home parent, a position almost always seen as female, and having him do household chores.
But is this really an progressive message?
​
Simply put, no. Tide went out of their way to explicitly show that while he may be a man doing the laundry, he's not just a regular dad, he’s also a mom. While that may seem like an absurd notion and could be easily overlooked to see the message they are attempting to share, the choice to have him be a “dad mom” versus a stay-at-home dad or even just dad, is the key to how ineffective the ad really is. The addition of “mom” only because he is at home, doing laundry, is a reminder that even though a dad can be shown doing household chores, it is still considered women’s work in today’s society. It also implies the idea that if she were home, it would be the mom doing the laundry. The dad also makes multiple sarcastic digs at women for doubting his ability to be both highly masculine while also feminine enough to do laundry. His self-congratulatory attitude glorifies the idea of a man staying home, as though for him it is much more of an achievement than any woman doing it. At the end of the ad he says he’s going to go do “pull ups and crunches” to maintain his masculinity after folding the laundry, another reminder of the fact that doing laundry is not considered to be men’s work and he now has to overcompensate for the fact that he did it. Overall, the ad is a ridiculous and ineffective attempt at appealing to the demographic dads who do laundry.