It’s been a week since the #GirlDad went viral. It was first mentioned by ESPN Sports Anchor, Elle Ducan. She recalled a conversation she had in 2018 with the late Kobe Bryant.  During the conversation, he noticed her baby bump and asked her what she was having and she replied with a girl. Their conversation went from the game to their families. During her monologue, she asked him if he and his wife were going to try for a boy. Without skipping a beat he said  “I would have five more girls if I could. I’m a girl dad.” 

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Kobe Bryant was always proud of his girls. Especially when he spoke about his daughter Gianna who also died in the helicopter crash. During his interview with Jimmy Kimmel in 2018, you can see his excitement when he discusses an exchange he had with a fan regarding having a boy to follow in his footsteps. He lit up like a proud papa when he recalled Gianna stepping in saying: “Oh, wait, I got this.”

Since that video aired the phrase “girldad” went viral with celebrities and regular men posting pictures of them and their daughters with #girldad. My social media was flooded with photos of men and their daughters with the hashtag. 

Throughout American history, boys have always held higher favor than girls. Even in my own social networks, whenever a man would mention he had all girls, reactions ranged from cringe to “oh man that sucks”.  Oftentimes these statements were followed up with “so are you going to shoot for a boy?” I can recall multiple men breaking down into tears when they discovered they were having a boy after multiple girls as if it was a blessing or accomplishment. This sentiment is so deeply ingrained that it goes unnoticed. There was even an episode in Paternity Court where a man accused his girlfriend of cheating because he claimed he only fathers boys. This is still a thing in 2020. In the July 2017 interview with Extra, Kobe bragged about his all-female household. “My friends say, ‘It takes a real man to make a boy,’” “I’m like, ‘Dude, it takes a king to make a princess. Get in line.’”

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Since the phrase went viral, I wonder if this is another social media fad or a movement where men are truly supporting women and girls in taking on the career fields of their fathers, often reserved by sons. Will the #girlDad evolve into a long-standing movement that will encourage more men to advocate for women’s equality in society? Will men begin to put emphasis on the healthy growth and support in the dreams, aspirations, and goals of their daughters? The biggest ally in the feminist movement are men who not only believe women have a place at the table but actively advocate and fight for the equality of women. It would be so awesome to see professional men dominating traditional male roles support their daughters to take the mantle like a military general supporting his daughter who aspires to follow in his footsteps. Despite the many strides made, there is still a long way in regard to having more female representation in major areas, especially in leadership roles. Having just one at the table is not enough. 

Kobe was an activist for the WNBA when Gianna developed passion and love for the sport and wanted to follow in his footsteps. He’s admitted his daughter’s love for the sport reignited his love for it too. Even in death Kobe Bryant began something that can evolve into a movement. Advocating for the equality and support of women through their fathers’ let’s continue this movement and make it into something tangible and more than just a hashtag social media fad.

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