Dad Gets Massive Praise Online For Defending His Son Who Got Bullied At School For Painting His Nails (Video)

"He told those kids that nothing is just for boys or just for girls"

Maryjane

• Published in Interesting
• November 28, 2022

It is not unusual for individuals to face verbal bullying at some time in their lives. Many young people are subjected to insults on a daily basis - whether at school or socially.

At first, it can be difficult to determine whether the name-calling is joking or bullying. A young person going through something like this may feel intimidated or pressured not to make a fuss because others say it's all in good fun.

If it is a one-time occurrence, it could be taken as banter. However, if the name-calling becomes persistent and frequent, it is considered bullying.

A Missouri dad’s TikTok post proved that gender norms and stereotypes remain a sensitive subject that tends to spark heated discussions on social media. Doug Weaver, an art teacher, and a self-acclaimed "real cool guy," has gone viral after he opened up about an encounter between his 6-year-old son and his fellow kids in school, who criticized the boy for wearing nail polish.

As the man revealed in the video, which has garnered more than a million views at the time of writing, his son simply wanted to paint his fingernails over the weekend, so they painted him. But after he returned from school on Monday, it turned out that several kids told him that this was something only "for girls."

Doug Weaver went viral for speaking out about his son's encounter at school on TikTok

But to that, the boy responded: "Nothing is just for boys or just for girls." Doug continued to share his thoughts on the matter, sparking a broader conversation and trying to shift the narrative around gender norms.

The 34-year-old father, who has nearly 250,000 followers on TikTok, pointed out that it wasn’t the first time his son Finley, whom he described as "super creative," had painted or wanted to paint his nails.

Doug also stressed how eager he felt about speaking out about this situation on social media. Read the full story below.

We painted his nails

Here is Doug Weaver's son

What did they think of that?

He also thinks it's okay

The family with their painted nails

Doug believes that speaking out loud and sparking conversations around this topic is an important step toward dismantling gender norms and societal ideas of "what is considered masculine by many people."

"I know how much pressure I had when I was young to try to fit some kind of masculine image, and it wasn’t pressure from my family. It was just the pressure that’s there, and now, seeing my son get a lot of the same pressure that I did, but in a different scenario."

Three of them have an issue

They didn't even notice my nails

Father and son moment

There are people who like you the way you are

The Weaver Family

The video had over a million views and you can watch it right here

Doug’s video sparked a serious debate in the comment section, illustrating how many people have different opinions on the matter. But the good thing is that an amazing number of viewers appreciated his approach and even shared their own personal experiences with fellow parents.

Sending some nail polish

Great conversation

Such a great dad

An amazing father

No gender restrictions

They are all things

Learning that from their parents

Leave them to their style choices

Painting their nails

His own parents were the bully

Awesome dad first off

Let a kid be a kid

It's so much easier

Although some criticized the father for going along with his son's wishes even though he knew it would likely garner unnecessary attention

Being entitled to my opinion

Massive breakdown and destruction of morals

Guide your child from doing things

Well, this was certainly an interesting story. And so many people have different views.

It is very hard to understand why someone would want to use insults toward others on a regular basis, especially if they have been asked to stop doing. It is really difficult to grasp.

What are your thoughts on this sensitive topic? Let us know in the comments section.

Maryjane