The Male Image.

My BF and I were having an argument about the "Male Image". The argument was sparked by the Orville Redenbacher commercial, where the little girl having a pretend tea party with her dolls and stuffed animals, gets popcorn from her mother as a snack for the party. The little girl's brother and father walk in, lead by the smell of the popcorn, try to grab some, and the little girl, in her own bossy little way (absolutely cute though!) tells them the only way they're getting any popcorn is by attending the tea party. The next scene has the little girl, her father and brother sitting at the table, eating popcorn and the commercial ends. Now,  the problem my BF had was the brother and father had frilly hats on and material wrapped around their waists for skirts while they were sitting at the table with the little girl - he feels this degrades the male image. "No real man would do that. I don't know any men that do that. It gives us a bad image," he said. Well, I had to chime in and ask, "What about that is a bad image for men?"

Of course, he can't really explain it. So I ask him, "Are you being a homophobe right now?" (He says that he's not, but sometimes, I don't know..) This gets him going - "No, its about men being men." Long story, short, I end the argument by letting him know that when it comes to bonding with your children, especially young ones, your image and pride should be thrown out the window, b/c you want that child to know you're there for them and nothing will stop you from loving them. When you're young, the littlest things can make an imprint, and you have no idea what that's going to be...so its very important, at least to me, that you do what you can to play "tea party" with your little girl. I know if I had a little boy and he asked me to play GI Joe, and asked me to wear a bandanna on my head and that black paint on my face, I would do it! That's my son...its playtime and we're going all out! We may not be able to do this all the time, but as much as possible. I mean, at least negotiate!

There's another commercial (I don't remember what it was for) with the father practicing cheerleading routines with his daughter - and my BF had something to say about that as well. We don't have any children now, but we both agreed that one day, if we stay together long enough where our finances and lives are in order, we will get married and have kids. But lately, I'm not sure if I want a man who'll allow pride to win over things like this all the time, to be a father to my children.

Men, is there really an "image" to uphold when it comes to tea parties and cheerleader practice? What if the mother is absent? What if this is the only time you have to spend with your daughter?

Women, have you ever come across this argument before? Is this kind of dynamic in a relationship a dealbreaker for anyone?