If u didn’t read that line in Arnold Schwarzenegger’s voice then you’re missing out - but the point being made here is who is your father to u?
There are so many versions of a ‘dad’ and so much more than the man who may have taught u to shave and any bad dad joke pun can explain.
I stole all the fun things from my dad. I’m not just talking about the amazing Vinyl collection of Led Zeppelin, Jethro Tull or Monty Python that I physically stole from my dad when I was 16. I mean more in the sense that a lot of what makes me who I am came from my old man. My fascination of the past and trying to absorb information about the weirdest and annoyingly unnecessary things - I got that from him. My faux hipster taste in music has been thoroughly developed from road trips spent listening to Triple J radio when I was too young to know what music even really was. My passion for supporting teams that everyone else seems to hate stems from my Dad’s love of the Manly Sea Eagles, although I have my uncle to thank for my adoration of the Collingwood Magpies. Hell, even the fact that I am writing this blog is his fault, as he made a career out of writing. That’s not to say he was the sole provider of everything that is personal to me, but I’ve been repeatedly told that people see so much of my dad in me.
It wasn’t all good though. I didn’t manage to steal his fixation on attention to detail and fastidiousness, which I am sure my partner and former employers are thoroughly upset about. I also managed to inherit his horrible knees and other health conditions, but that is neither here nor there. Father’s Day is the day to look at all the amazing things our fathers have done for us. The amazing things they have given us, physical or otherwise. I feel this needs to be written down because sometimes Father’s Day is a bit of an afterthought, which it absolutely shouldn’t be.
I even feel that sometimes, in the way that we celebrate, Father’s Day has become a bit of a novelty. Father’s Day ads seem to be all about the stereotypical, one dimensional “dad”. Father’s Day shouldn’t just be about having an excuse to buy your old man a new power tool or thing for the car (unless that’s what they like, you do you builder/car dads!!). Father’s Day should be the day the day to pamper and to appreciate. To ‘wine & dine’, to let him relax or to let loose.
FATHER OR FATHER-FIGURE?
A DAD IS MORE THAN THE MERE MAN WHO’S GENETICS U INHERITED.
The nature of fatherhood has been changing throughout the generations at a fairly constant rate. No longer are fathers required to just be the male head of the house, the breadwinner and the handy-man. Dads can be the beauty tip provider, the stay-at-home, the multi-tasker. Dads can come in any shape and size; they can come as a single package or part of a double pack. Your dad could have been the one to have taught you how to mow the lawn or change a tyre, or could have been the one to teach you how to drive or sail, or could have been the one to train in dance, or song, or art! These are the men we should celebrate, the advice-givers and the absolute defenders. For me, I have never questioned that there is anything that my dad wouldn’t do to defend or support me with anything in my life.
Anyone can be a dad in the most basic sense of the word, but it takes an extra special human being to be worthy of the title of Father.
…for the Dads who deserve a pamper or the ones that like to slap on some cream on their face…
So I know I said Father’s Day isn’t just about gifts, but hey we buy Mum flowers & chocolates so what’s the daddy-o equivalent? Well every man needs some skincare; whether he’s a metro-man who’s all about the product or the one who slaps on some ‘cream’ - they need it. And we know a brand who have nailed it.
ENTER: CHARLES + LEE
Take two Melbourne locals, a dimly lit bar on Flinders Lane and a shared frustration with the current state of men’s skincare and you have the makings of Australian skincare label, Charles + Lee.
With a mission to bridge the gap between women’s spin off ranges and ridiculously priced niche brands, Charles + Lee set out to give men the tools they need to keep their skincare neat.
They won't tell you their products contain rare minerals that have been harvested by the light of a full moon. They won't tell you their products contain smoked wood chips sourced from an ultra-manly lumberjack who wears flannelette and fights bears for fun. What they will tell you is that their products are effective, affordable and they look great. Leaving the fancy marketing jargon out and putting the natural and organic ingredients in.
by Joe Maher
Joe is a young marketing professional writing from his knowledge of the business, having worked in the Australian and international hotel & spa industry and of course his true experiences. Follow Joe on Instagram @gingerbaker162