Two days ago the Super Bowl aired. One of my favorite parts of Super Bowl Sunday, and arguably the best, is the flood of new commercials that ultimately set the tone for the year & often times integrate themselves into our everyday lives.
*I’m still saying “You son of a biscuit eating dog!”
This Year a commercial released a few days before game day has stirred up quite a bit of Buzz.
Pantene’s Dad-Do commercials were a hit among most and a silent jab to others. The display of Daddy-daughter bonding was definitely heart-warming. What hurt was the tag line at the end.
“Girls who spend quality time with their Dads grow up to be stronger women.”
It automatically took me back to my birthday in December where I overheard a pre-teen girl tell someone her father is and has been incarcerated for most of her life, but she tries not to let it get to her, because she knows it will make her stronger in the end.
WHO IS CONDUCTING THIS RESEARCH?!
My focus for February has been Foundations of Love: Examining the Foundations of Love my “Daddies” have laid for me. But this commercial incited a need for me to conduct my own research.
I polled my Facebook friends both personal & strangers in various special interest groups I belong to.
I grew up with my dad and have been viewed as a very strong woman. However, since his passing, I’ve found a strength that I didn’t know I had. It’s both. -Natalie Adams Bolden
The consensus seemed to be “Stronger is Circumstantial” Most of us agreed that stronger was both vague and an unnecessary comparison.
The strength of a woman is not solely based on the absence or presence of her father, but on how she chooses to let those circumstances shape her.
All in all, for me strength developed my ability to forgive, which I can share wherever I go. -A. Sherrae Mooring
I heard from women who agreed with the ad, because they had very present Dads who died; and they had experienced life both with and without a father’s influence. They actually felt lost, or foundationally shaken after the loss. Some said that relying on what little their Dads were able to instill in them is what they use now even in adulthood to guide them.
One commenter, a friend of mine, said her father’s absence in early years taught her a lesson in forgiveness in her teens when he began to re-enter.
This situation is based on individual experiences. Strength in a person is determined by their experiences and with what that person does with their experiences. -LC. Hutchinson
Very few women seemed to feel growing up without a Dad would make one a stronger woman. Those that did argue the point that girls who grow up with their Dads had to learn to be more self-reliant and some Daddy’s girls are pretty much crippled by overprotective fathers that never allow them to navigate the world on their own and learn their own strength.
Nature vs nurture in this case because u have some women who grew up in a two parent home but a weak minded when they become adults -Victoria Nabual
I think the statement that stuck out to me most among the comments was “Dealing with the absence of the man who created you and is supposed to nurture and protect you like only a man can is just that, dealing.”
“Dealing with the absence of the man who created you and is supposed to nurture and protect you like only a man can is just that, dealing.” -SML Rivers
This blog was born from me writing as a method of “Dealing” with my Daddy Issues. Now, I’m just wondering how strong is my foundation?