I don’t know, maybe because that’s your offspring and she asked you to? While scrolling down my timeline on Twitter the other day, I came across this gem. His problem wasn’t that he thought nail polish was toxic, or even because he thought the girl in the photo was too young to have her nails painted. He felt like he didn’t need to do it because her “mama or aunties can.”
What I heard in my head was “my masculinity is so fragile that I wouldn’t even paint my young daughter’s nails if she asked me to because I am a man, and painting nails is not manly. I also can’t let people think I’m gay. No homo.” If we use that logic, then I guess a woman shouldn’t take her young son to the bathroom. Your dad or uncle can do that! Hold it until you get home, son!
There was more:
Are you sure? Because that’s what it sounds like. Also, why is doing your daughter’s hair going above and beyond your basic job as parent? I was eager for him to finish his thought.
(Oh, thank goodness). I’m not really sure where the masculinity line is drawn in the sand between playing with dolls, doing your daughter’s hair, and…painting her nails. The fact of the matter is painting your daughter’s nails won’t kill you. It doesn’t make you any less of a “man” or any kind of “gay”. Imagine trying to explain to your young daughter why you can’t paint her nails:
“Daddy, could you paint my nails for me?”
“Sorry, no can do. Wait until your mama comes home.”
“But daddy, you’re not even busy…”
“I am busy: busy being a manly man, and manly men don’t paint fingernails. Now scoot along.”
After his mentions were filled with people exposing his fragile masculinity, he then tweeted he wouldn’t paint his daughter’s nails because he can’t stand the smell of nail polish. Life comes at you fast. In 2016, let’s leave the ridiculousness and gender roles behind.