Today’s story comes from Memphis, Tennessee, USA. It’s about a mother who’s a business owner who talks about how our society has a bias towards fathers when they see them handling their babies while mothers don’t get the same attention or praise.
The Story
Chloe Sexton is a tremendous baker; she runs her own business aptly named BluffCakes. Apart from running her own business, she’s a wife and mother of two beautiful babies. She also has a TikTok account with over 1.4 million followers where she talks about life and baking.
In one of her videos, she spoke up about how her husband received immeasurable praises from society when he took care of the babies at a supermarket while she didn’t even get a positive nod when she did the same on the daily.
Chloe said in her video:
“I’ve got a fun little story about ‘daddy privilege.’ You all know if you’ve been following me for a while that I’m a business owner. My husband has a job. I have a business, my husband has a job. Could not make that any clearer, right? “
“Well, my bakery requires that we buy certain wholesale ingredients at this place called Restaurant Depot every week. You’ve seen me do videos of it before where I’m, like, wearing him or was massively pregnant buying 400 pounds of flour and 100 pounds of butter, and that’s a weekly thing. The list goes on and on, like, it’s a lot,”
Then she goes on about what happened:
“So, last week, on the day I usually do it, my husband had the day off and he decided to go do it for me, but he also had the baby that day. When I tell you, the way that this man was treated like a hero — A HERO. Mind you, those same people see me there every single week. I was recognized by one of the cashiers. She’s like, ‘Hey, do you have a TikTok?’ ‘Yeah, yeah I do…'”
“I’m strapped up with a baby or seven months pregnant, hauling 100-pound bags at a time of flour in the back of my Subaru. Meanwhile, I’m getting a whole lotta…NOTHING TO SEE HERE. Just a woman doing woman things, busting her ass. But my husband, my husband wears the baby and he goes to Restaurant Depot for mommy’s business and it’s, ‘Oh my god, look at you! Oh my god, you work so hard.’ He said, ‘Honestly, it was a little bit embarrassing.’ Somebody walked past him and said, ‘Oh my god, that’s a whole-a** baby!’ Yeah, it’s his… He’s literally not a hero. He’s just a father, just a parent, doing the same shit I do every week,”
Chloe Clears that She Loves Her Husband & He’s an Incredible Partner
Chloe spoke to BuzzFeed about her husband and how supportive he is, clearing out the fact that her narrative is about our social norms and not her husband. She said:
“I’m lucky to have a husband/life partner that is a self-proclaimed feminist and outright said, ‘Honestly the way they treated me was…embarrassing?’ He was in as much shock about how he was treated as I was: TOTALLY NOT SHOCKED. Being married to a man who doesn’t need to be taught just how deeply unfair the treatment of men vs. women in parenting roles is can be extremely relieving,”
“Women carry equal and, in some cases, majority breadwinner weight these days and still are deemed less worthy of parental praise somehow. I am a feminist to my core and will always fight for what is equal and just — today that means giving EVERY parent the same amount of attention. Every parent deserves to know that they are seen and appreciated.”
And Chloe has nothing against praising good dads; she just wants people to make mothers feel the same:
“By all means, cheer on that dad you see struggling to hip-hold a baby while opening the freezer door in the grocery store, but also express that same praise and helpful hand to the mother — who might take his place six days a week,”
“Mothers may not need praise, but they sure as hell deserve it.”
You can follow Chloe on TikTok, Instagram & visit her website here.
What Are Your Thoughts?
Mothers and fathers of today, what are your thoughts on Chloe’s story? Share your thoughts in the comments below!
Sources:
Chloe Sexton on TikTok
Images & Featured Image via Chloe’s Instagram
She looks and seems entitled