In a viral TikTok, a father informed his daughter that she’s not allowed to have a boyfriend or kiss anyone “apart from Daddy” till she’s older.
This father and daughter had a playful combat over whether or not the lady was allowed to have a boyfriend or not at two years outdated, though it appeared like her father was taking the difficulty a bit extra severely than her. The daddy was below the impression that his daughter was “relationship” one in every of her classmates named Jack and adamantly informed her that she was not allowed to have a boyfriend till she was sixteen.
The lady’s father informed her to interrupt issues off with Jack by telling him ‘Daddy’s my boyfriend.’
Commenters on the video thought the interplay was lovely. In practically all of Kadie Johnson’s different TikTok posts, commenters joke about Jack or ask for updates about him. In a fishing video, the lady is “working towards her fishing for Jack” — when she’s taking part in dress-up, she’s “preparing for Jack.”
Whereas most viewers noticed Johnson’s authentic video as a candy, humorous second, some customers identified the way it may serve for instance of educating children patriarchal beliefs and gender norms.
One person stitched the unique video to carry up the way it may probably reinforce poisonous gender norms. She pointed out that whereas the daddy was making it clear to his daughter that “daddy tells you who you may and might’t date,” he was concurrently ignoring the love his son was attempting to precise towards him, which the person says serves for instance of reinforcing gender roles.
Her most important level was that the lady within the video was so younger that her mother and father did not must be taking her claims that she was “relationship” a boy in her class too severely and that the best way the lady’s dad dealt with the state of affairs was “creepy and bizarre.”
It’s extremely uncertain that the daddy in Johnson’s TikTok supposed to trigger any hurt, however there’s something to be mentioned for a way early gender roles are imposed on kids. The lady’s mother and father and the commenters on the video have been already assuming that this two-year-old lady will develop as much as be all in favour of romantic relationships with males.
Positive, this may seem to be a small challenge, however heteronormativity can actually have an effect on folks all through their lives. Making early assumptions about kids’s sexualities may make them really feel much less comfy being open about their relationships in a while.
Rising up well-known on social media may have an effect on children sooner or later.
The feedback on Johnson’s TikToks took these assumptions to a different stage, saying issues like “When’s the marriage?” and “Jack is fortunate.” With the rising recognition of social media accounts devoted to oldsters posting cute movies of their children, it may be regarding to see some commenters get overly invested within the children’ lives.
One commenter remarked “Can’t wait to see her when she’s grown” about Johnson’s daughter. It’s tough to foretell how social media fame will have an effect on children because it’s such a brand new phenomenon.
In the end, Johnson’s video was a lighthearted second between a father and his daughter. Whereas the dialog may have been extra targeted on age-appropriate boundaries than making the lady really feel like she was in bother for expressing curiosity in somebody, we are able to by no means get the complete story from one TikTok.
Jessica Bracken is a author residing in Davis, California. She covers leisure and information for YourTango.
