These dedicated dads are changing the game by taking responsibility for styling their daughters’ hair, which is often left up to the mothers of the children.
When Annis Waugh made the decision to teach a workshop on hair braiding for fathers, she anticipated receiving just a small number of sign-ups at most. However, she was taken aback by the rapidity with which the vacancies were filled, as scores of men swiftly added their names to the list.
As part of a drive to generate money for a nearby primary school, Annis has volunteered to teach parents how to do braids on their children’s hair. She did not want to leave the fathers out of the experience, so she came up with the idea of holding a special class only for them and naming it the “Beards and Braids” event.
She was taken aback by the fact that the class filled up more quickly than the one for moms.
Annis made the decision to organize a session limited just to fathers in order to foster an atmosphere in which “everyone is in the same boat,” and in which “they’re all learning at the same fundamental level.”
On February 23, a two-hour workshop was attended by eight fathers who were eager to master a trade that has historically been the domain of women. Annis said, “They were focused so intently on what they were doing.”
The guys, who were described as being “very engaged and incredibly passionate learners,” put the various tactics into practice on plastic heads.
The braiding session for fathers presented Annis with a challenge to her own preconceptions and demonstrated that anybody, with the right instruction, can learn how to style their hair.
Since his wife had just started working again, one of the fathers who took part in the session, John Hardern, is now in charge of getting his four long-haired girls ready for school many mornings each week.
When there is sufficient time in the morning, he often braids hair. He has completed side braids, fishtail braids, and french braids up till this point. John said that activities of this kind shouldn’t be limited to members of just one gender.