Male co-workers mocked dad for his ‘Hello Kitty’ thermos — his reply redefined masculinity
With just one response, the man showed his coworker and all the flag-bearers of 'toxic masculinity' what it actually means to be a man.
It's sad how our society mistakes aggression as masculinity and shames men who don't fear expressing their love for their family. A father held his daughter's present close to his heart and brought it to work every single day. However, not everybody at his office liked his "Hello Kitty" thermos, but the dad's response left the coworker trying to shame him red-faced. One of his coworkers (u/degtyrev) on Reddit posted a screenshot of the father's reply on December 21. Surprisingly, the post has gone viral with 63k upvotes within less than 24 hours.
The coworker sent the dad a picture of the thermos, asking if it belonged to him after finding it abandoned in the office. The father didn't shy away from admitting and proudly confessed that the adorable "Hello Kitty" thermos in the break room was indeed his. "A couple of guys on site are giving you sh*t about it," the coworker wrote to him, suggesting that the dad should put the thermos back into his truck. However, the father, with just one response, showed his coworker and all the flag-bearers of 'toxic masculinity' what it actually means to be a man. "[I] couldn't care less. My daughter picked it out for me, and gets excited knowing I bring it to work every day," he replied. The dad also confessed that the thermos works amazingly for him. He said that his wife packs soup for him in it, and the thermos keeps it warm all day. "They can make fun of it all they want. It brings me joy," he stated.
Gender stereotypes begin from the day a baby is born. For example, boys usually wear dark colors, such as blue, while girls are restricted to pink and pastel shades. In fact, a survey by LiveScience analyzing the favorite colors of males and females found that only 1% of men chose pink as compared to 7% of women. This may highlight how society raises most men to grow up hating what they think is feminine. However, in the same study, it was found that 29% of women chose blue, which is mostly associated with men.
The dad received overwhelming love on Reddit, with a majority praising him for choosing his daughter's happiness over toxic masculinity. For instance, u/xxbeatrixkiddoxx commented, "This sounds like my husband. He works in the union as an operator, and he has a pink and purple unicorn blanket my daughter gave him for his legs not to get cold. He f****** rocks it." u/toomanysteves2 said, "Award that man. [He is] showing how positive masculinity is done right. Those haters are just insecure. (PS: I rock a bright pink thermos because it's hard to lose!)" u/fazlez1 commented, "The happiness of his child fuels his engine, and that type of fuel can't be replaced or substituted for by anything. How much do you want to bet that if she asks to paint his nails, he says yes with no hesitation? As long as Daddy's girl is happy, that is all that matters. Respect."
u/fluffy__demon shared, "That's such a dad thing. I painted my dad's phone case when I was like 15 or something. Since then, he refused to get a new phone because he didn't want to change phone cases. This year, his phone completely broke, and he had to get a new one. However, he doesn't know that I made him a new one for Christmas. I am 22." Similarly, u/quietlyscheming wrote, "It's a gift of love, and he isn't afraid to display it. Good for him for communicating to anyone what it means to him."
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