6'5 Samoan Dad Weighing 350 Pounds Wears A Tutu To Perform With His Proud Daughter At Her Holiday Ballet Recital
He's redefining masculinity.
fizkes / Shutterstock We live in a society that still clings to traditional gender roles, which often hold people back from fully expressing themselves.
To some, being a hands-on father and embracing the life of a "girl dad" is contrary to masculinity. But one dad made sure that this fact did not stop him from fully supporting his daughter, no matter how unconventional it may appear to others.
The father joined in on his daughter’s dance recital wearing a tutu.
Recently, Tiana Paopao posted a video of her husband, Tony, participating in their daughter’s holiday ballet recital. The video, which has garnered over 22 million views, showed Paopao standing on stage behind his daughter during the recital.
He did ballet moves right alongside her, and even lifted her several times, all while she had the biggest smile on her face.
Paopao wore all black complete with a black tutu for the occasion. Overlayed on the video was the caption, “POV: You’re a 6’5 350 lb. Samoan … but you’re also a girl dad.”
This is far from the only evidence that Paopao is a great father to his daughter. On his own TikTok account, he posted a slideshow of photos from the recital, featuring him and his daughter smiling wide, tutus still on.
In a follow-up video, his wife responded to commenters questioning why she wasn't the one dancing with her daughter. “For those who wondered why I wasn’t dancing on stage with her, it’s because my husband wanted to take her on ballet,” she wrote, adding that he took her to dance every Saturday morning this year.
“I’m blessed to have an amazing, equal partner who’s also a very hands-on father,” she added.
His wife also posted other examples on TikTok of Paopao showing his daughter love. One video featured him teaching his daughter breathing tools to utilize when upset. This one was captioned, “POV: watching your husband teach your daughter breathing techniques instead of getting frustrated when she has a tantrum.”
According to Paopao’s wife, “My girls have the best daddy.”
Commenters on the videos also felt Paopao was doing a great job as a dad. “We love a dedicated girl dad!” one person wrote. “Healthy masculinity and being present with your loved ones! We love to see it,” wrote another.
Paopao’s actions are backed up by research.
The London School of Economics and Political Science performed a study to determine how raising girls affected fathers’ views on gender stereotypes. The BBC summed up the report findings, writing, “Fathers are less likely to hold traditional views about gender roles if they raise a girl.”
Men’s rejection of stereotypical gender roles when they raise a girl is fascinating to consider. As the study found that fathers’ opinions were more affected the older their daughters were, it is quite possible that many of these men enter fatherhood with more traditional views of gender roles.
The act of parenting and raising a daughter is what changes their outlook. This is something that rings true for Paopao.
While we don’t know what he was like before having a daughter, he certainly is not allowing himself to be confined by gender stereotypes now. While it may not be traditional for a father to get on stage and dance with his daughter in a tutu, or to teach breathing techniques when she throws a tantrum, Paopao showed that these acts are admirable.
Some may begrudge Paopao for his lack of “masculinity,” or feel that he is not being “man enough.” Some may even wonder why a larger man, who would likely look perfectly at home on a football field, would want to act in such a way.
But for Paopao, raising his daughter is clearly his top priority. Making her feel special is the most important thing he can do — even if it means wearing a tutu.
Mary-Faith Martinez is a writer for YourTango who covers entertainment, news and human interest topics.