Most dads struggle with this skill – so men are meeting in pubs across the UK to practice (Image: The Secret Life of Dads | SWNS)
Two dads are becoming the “antidote to the manosphere” by teaching men how to plait hair over a pint. The simple concept is getting attention from men all over the world.
Best friends Matthew Carter and Lawrence Price set up their Pints and Ponytails events in February this year to teach UK dads how to do their daughters‘ hair on mannequins. The first event, with hair specialists Braid Maidens, was with a small group of 10 at the Lucky Saint pub on Devonshire Street, Marylebone, and the founders say dads really opened up.
Now, events from the pair are selling out within ten minutes. Dads from across the world want to get involved in these sessions to learn something that will benefit their little girls.
Mat, 37, from southwest London, said: “I dropped my daughter off at school, and her hair was an absolute mess. It looked like she had been dragged through a bush backwards.”
He wanted to get a group of dads together in a pub to learn how to plait and do our daughters’ hair, and was surprised that dads not only came but started opening up and talking about their challenges with fatherhood.
“The response from it all has been quite remarkable, really. We have had responses from dads from Mumbai to LA, all asking how they can go about setting up an event like this.
“Dads are spending twice as much time with their children as previous generations and they really want to get involved and take the emotional weight off of mums at home.”
Mat and Lawrence, who have been friends for over ten years after meeting at fitness competitions, have since been drawn into a conversation about masculinity, with their events even attracting negative attention from Manosphere influencers such as Andrew Tate. Mat, a dad-of-one with another child on the way, said: “We had a message from somebody saying that Andrew Tate had left a tweet.
“His version of masculinity is a dying form of masculinity and is something that we don’t align ourselves with. It’s all ego and misogyny, and it is the complete opposite of what we have seen from the dads at the events.”
Dad-of-two Lawrence, 42, from Hampshire, added: “I think a lot of dads want to step up and re-embody what it is to be a man in modern day, in a way that contrasts the negative press men receive through things like the manosphere.
Matthew Carter and Lawrence Price hosting their Pints and Ponytails event (Image: The Secret Life of Dads | SWNS)
“People have said that we are the antidote to the manosphere. We feel like it is a huge responsibility we hold now to guide the ship in the right direction.”
After taking classes themselves, the pair are now hosting the tutorials themselves and are planning to do more across the country. Mat said: “At a time where boys are being labelled toxic before they have even entered the world, and there is this notion that men don’t talk, I think it is just completely false.
“We have found that dads can talk, they just need a safe space to do it. We are incredibly proud of the space that we are building as it gives dads more confidence and mums more breathing space.
“It is a traditionally feminine task as well, so we are breaking down old stereotypes and allowing dads to come into this space. We are still learning, and we are not perfect parents, but we are trying to be just slightly better for the next generation.”
The Pints and Ponytails classes cost £35 a ticket, which includes a free beer and the tutorial. People can sign up for the remaining events on the tour (taking place in Cardiff, Bristol and Bournemouth) here.