German Dad Wears Dress In Solidarity With Dress-Wearing Son
by | Aug. 29, 2012 at 2:04 p.m.

Nils Pickert’s 5-year-old son likes to wear dresses and skirts. In show of solidarity, Pickert started wearing them too. “Yes, I am one of those fathers who are trying to raise his children with gender equality. I’m not one of those pseudo-intellectual daddies that rambles on about studying gender justice, and then, as soon as the child is born, falls back into the comfortable and clichéd gender roles.”

That’s pretty badass.

It all started back when he lived in West Berlin. The skirts were certainly a conversation-starter, but not much more than that. Now, Pickert and his son live in a “very traditional” South German village where his son’s flare for dresses is the talk of the town.

Bryan’s 15-month-old daughter (at the time of photo), rocking a Back To The Future “boys shirt”.

Dresses are such a culturally gender-defining article of clothing. It’s so easy for a girl to dress in boy-centric clothing, no problem. My wife and I have done that occasionally with my daughter. Most notably back when she fit into her Back To The Future “boy shirt”. Does she look like a boy? Who cares! No one thinks any different and it’s no one’s business how we dress her.

Related 8BD Article: Dad Blogger Gets Slammed By Moms For Happy Picture

And what’s Pickert’s little dude doing by now? He’s painting his fingernails. He thinks it looks pretty on his dad’s nails too. He simply owns it and smiles when other boys (and it’s always boys) make fun of him and say, “You don’t dare to wear skirts and dresses because your dad doesn’t dare to either.”

He’s stronger, more confident and it’s all thanks to his dad in a skirt.

EMMA

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Author: Bryan Ferguson View all posts by
Bryan is married and has one daughter and 2 cats. He has been playing music since he was 3 years old. He spends his days surrounded by scientists in Malibu when he's not creating music.
  • http://www.facebook.com/sharon.casey.37 Sharon Casey

    The wonderful psychologist Dave Richo talks about the essential five A’s that we all need to feel loved. Attention, Affection, Appreciation, Acceptance (just as we are), and Allowing (not being controlled -but allowed to make our own decisions etc). Most parents find the attention and affection part pretty easy, but depending on your culture, social norms etc ….struggle fuly with the other three. THIS amazing dad really is working hard on those last three – appreciation, acceptance and allowing – and has gone a long long way in making sure that his son feels empowered, supported and able to be exactly who he really is – with Dad prepared to back him up and walk the walk beside him. That’s love.

    • http://8bitdad.com Bryan Ferguson

      Definitely! A mother backing the 5yo up would be awesome as well but there’s a special bond between father and son. To have this type of emotional security from a male role model this young will do wonders for this kid later in life. The world needs more dudes like Nils.

  • Charles

    Notions of sex differences in clothes is the singular area of thought in which more people are confused than any other! No garment can be a sex difference unless by its configuration it only interfaces either with male (athletic supporters) or female (bras, very narrow underwear) anatomy. Yes, all else is concocted. Theodosius I exiled men in pants from Roman culture in AD 393. In 1876 the New York Times called for women in pants to be “treated with the usual remedies in use at the best conducted hospitals for the insane” (May 27, 1876, page 6 editorial “A Curious Disease.”) Horseback riding for transportation and warfare over many long centuries finally put men into pants—a garment devised for equestrianism. not something that came about “because male chromosomes determine it.” Women would certainly not be free to “dress like men” by wearing pants today except that an overriding social force—17 million USA women in WW2 factory work—were introduced to pants, which originally were borrowed from male relatives! We could have the same system if we raised males with choices and females without, and called females who wanted choices ” mentally ill,” it would only be placing the shoe on the other foot, so to speak! Denying choice in the name of alleged sex differences is wrong, especially when the denial is targeted selectively at one sex only! And these are style differences—not sex differences! Women are raised to dress as individuals with choices, men are forced into a collective in which it’s irrationally demanded we all be cookie cutter replicas of each other. The ancient Romans would have had an issue with men in blue jeans and suits—not with that boy in his dress!