Big props to GMP contributor Andy Hinds for an honest, funny, and insightful look into the ways in which parenting magazines, including Parenting itself, treat the issue of fathering.
Andy says:
Although the magazine title was gender-neutral, the content was directed 100% toward moms. The only article about dads was one that offered advice to moms about how to whip us recalcitrant layabouts into shape. There were a handful of images of males; but instead of parenting, they were shown watching TV, being pediatricians, or preparing to service Mommy in one of the salacious sex-after-children articles.
The good news is, it seems Parenting is taking notice of all the awesome Dad Bloggers in the world (check out all our awesome dads over at DadsGood), like Andy himself who writes the awesome BetaDad blog, and has made this year’s Father’s Day issue dedicated to actual fathers, edited by Dad Blogger Shawn Bean. Andy credits this, in part, to the work Dad Bloggers have done on the Internet:
In the first step, independent bloggers — usually working with no budget and little time — get on their soapboxes. Then more popular and profitable websites pick up the story, sometimes placing it in a larger context. And before you know it, mainstream media outlets have incorporated the issue into “bigger-picture” stories, using their considerable resources to flesh them out with research.
Don’t like ads? Become a supporter and enjoy The Good Men Project ad free
It seems the blogosphere is now the most powerful tool in grassroots movements, and we at GMP hope to continue to be a big part of these movements in the future alongside our awesome team of Dad Bloggers.
And definitely give Andy’s HLN feature a read, and then tell us what you think about the changing roles of fathers in mainstream media.
Photo of father helping daughter with homework courtesy of Shutterstock