At a pub in London, two dozen young fathers sit around a table in near silence, their brows furrowed in concentration as they interlace strands of hair on a mannequin head in front of them into careful fishtail braids. The gathering is part of Pints and Ponytails, a workshop where dads learn how to braid, pigtail and Elsa-fy their daughters’ hair — all in the hope of making hectic morning routines easier and deepening their bond with their children.
Clips from the events have gone viral online, celebrating the wholesomeness of the occasion and the dad’s eagerness to learn something new for their daughters. But it wasn’t long before the manosphere weighed in. Misogynistic influencer Andrew Tate mocked the men as “cucks”, posting: “White men will never have nations again … Simply a cucked race.” The backlash was bizarre, but entirely characteristic of Tate’s brand of masculinity.
