Father's Day? Really?

As I’m sitting at my computer this morning scanning the news and waiting for window washers to arrive, I came across an image on the local CBS website. At first, the only thing I noticed was “Father’s Day,” since in the back of my mind I’m trying to make sure my kids get their Father’s Day projects done in time to celebrate with the family.

The next time I see the image, I notice the hip, but assume I must be mistaken. After all, it’s something for Father’s Day and as I scroll through sites, it’s very easy for multiple images to blend together.

Finally, I stop to take a look at the image. This is what I see.

Seriously?

Okay, I get that it’s an ad for a casino. I get that it’s targeting men. But why is it so stereotypical?

Sure, I know there are men who like that and I’m not judging. I’m not even going to focus on the objectification of women, or the sexualization of women as depicted in the ad. What really struck me was how unfair this ad is to men.

There have been so many articles this past year regarding why fathers get a bad rap, and how they are automatically thought of as less than mothers when it comes to raising children. Obviously, the creators of the ads either haven’t read those articles or don’t care. They assume that since fathers are men, and “men like sexy women,” this ad works for Father’s Day.

While the “hot chick” might catch their eye, the fathers I know value their time with their families and use Father’s Day as a chance to spend more time playing with their kids and honoring their dads. While attracted to a variety of types of women, I think they’d find the stereotyping offensive and inappropriate for the holiday. Although several of them like to gamble, not one of them would think of going there rather than spending time with their family. And while each one of them is attracted to women and has their own views on what’s sexy or not, they all, every single one of them, think their wives, the mothers of their children, are sexy BECAUSE THEY MADE THEM FATHERS.