Mattel’s New ‘Dads Who Play Barbie’ Campaign Defies Gender Norms

Every few months, some form of media latches on to a fairly tried-and-true set of clichés about men — in particular, dads. Whether it be a fumbling character on a popular sitcom or a new movie, a misguided trend or a lifestyle story in a major news outlet, or a fresh attempt at a heartwarming ad campaign, there seem to be constant reminders to the masses that dads who know how to be parents need to be highlighted as the exception to the norm. The norm, of course, being the “babysitter” who doesn’t know the difference between his child’s backside in the nursery and a rump roast in the kitchen.

The latest iteration of the “exceptional dad” stereotype comes by way of a new ad campaign for Barbie.

Premiering quite strategically during the NFL playoffs, Mattel’s new commercials feature reportedly real fathers together with their daughters talking about and showing how they take time out of their busy weekend schedules to play with their daughters and their Barbies.

Related: A Mom Made a Breastfeeding Barbie to Teach Kids About Parenting

Naturally, there are a few caveats involved. One dad is sure to mention that he’s a “man’s man” and football on Sundays used to be his top priority. Now his days off entail Barbie sessions with his little girl. Another father is sure to underline that he only plays with the Ken dolls in their make-believe time — and then, of course, the commercial cuts immediately to him with a Barbie in hand. It’s a humorous touch … on the surface.

The commercials taken on their own strike a chord. They are engaging, lighthearted, and occasionally funny. They’re doing what commercials are meant to do — manipulate your emotions to make you feel good about the brand. And they’re working. The coverage within the typically jaded advertising industry is impressed. The comments on YouTube (not typically known as a stomping ground for positivity) are overwhelmingly positive. “Charming,” “adorable,” and “heartwarming” are just a few of the most prevalent descriptions.

Chatter on social media is the same:

These adorable commercials work because they make you feel how awesome it is that these dads play with dolls along with their daughters. But then if you pair this emotional reaction with another example of the fatherhood beat, in this next case related to coverage of the Women’s marches this past weekend, the storyline starts to feel a little more complicated.

At the same time as the Barbie ads were released, the New York Times printed a trendy lifestyle piece about the shocking result of New Jersey women leaving for the marches and what happened when the dads at home had to — gasp — take care of their own kids. They titled it “How Vital Are Women? This Town Found Out as They Left to March.”

Related: Real ‘Barbies’ Are About to Get a New Accessory: Wheelchairs

As the Huffington Post helpfully analyzed it, the article fell flat because it “seemed to reinforce three old-fashioned tropes about gender and parenting: Men can’t handle parenting tasks; men who manage to handle the basics of parenting are exceptional and worthy of a news story; and parenting is fundamentally the work of women.”

According to these stories and commercials, it’s not only remarkable that men play with their daughters — it’s astounding that dads can handle housework and childcare without the aid of their wives for an entire day, or weekend, or any time at all.

Mr. Mom was more than 30 years ago. The bumbling dad was a funny joke in the 1980s, when two-income households weren’t necessarily as prevalent as they are today. In 2017, the idea that men can handle housework and childcare and set aside, without embarrassment or ridicule, being a “man’s man” to help their daughters grow into strong, independent women really shouldn’t be the stuff of headlines or tear-jerking commercials. As cute as it might evidently be, behind the scenes, away from the spotlights, and in real homes across the country, it’s entirely normal.

One writer, a sportswriter no less, echoes this sentiment on the Daily Dot: “Today’s dads don’t need your pat on the back for playing with dolls, because this isn’t the 1950s when we abandon the house and the family every night for beers with the buds at the bar or to throw gutters down at the bowling alley. No, we play Barbie and we make dinner and we wash dishes and we give baths and we read bedtime stories.”

It’s really only a big step for advertisers and media outlets who might be a little out of touch and keep playing into gender stereotypes. As another writer, James Zahn, puts it on the Toy Insider: “The existence of this movement is one that seemed far off just a few years ago, when Mattel was still marketing Barbie as a toy to be shared by mothers and daughters, just as their Hot Wheels brand was firmly geared toward boys and dads. Our girls love dolls and cars with equal passion. They always have.”

Related: New ‘Barbie’ for Boys Celebrates Imperfect Bodies

None of this backlash detracts from the abundant wisdom and research about how beneficial it is for little girls (and boys, of course) to have this type of quality time with their fathers. Mattel itself made sure to highlight this in its press announcement around the campaign. Quoting Linda Nielsen, a professor of educational and adolescent psychology, the press release underlines that “decades of research shows that girls who have loving, communicative, supportive relationships with their dads from early childhood on are less likely to suffer from a lack of self-confidence and self-reliance as she grows up.”

For a lot of dads, all this attention on their fair — and welcome — share of the work in raising kids may not feel so remarkable and headline-worthy. It’s just them doing their job. And they’ve been doing it for a while now.

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