The events of the last few weeks have proven that a portion of the nation’s men are anything but okay.
We’re experiencing an epidemic among young American men, some of whom are falling deep into toxic online communities and troubling rabbit holes. That whole “your body, my choice” response to the election was deeply disturbing, but at least a few good men are still out there, and TikToker @dadandboujiee is currently at the head of the pack.
The wholesome content creator typically centers his videos around his charming family, but he changed up his approach somewhat with a late-October upload. The video establishes, from the get-go, that @dadandboujiee has only four days to tackle a monumental task. While his wife is out of town on a trip, the hero husband takes on a massive construction project — he aims to transform the boring underside of the family home’s stairs into a book-lover’s haven.
The process is anything but easy. This absolute icon must have a background in construction, because not only does he remove all the old decor, cut out a section of his wall (he had some professional input on that one) and build a brand-new nook, but he also added bookshelves, a custom-made cushion, and lighting. My man went above and beyond, and it was clearly worth it in the end. His wife’s reaction to the maximum effort he put forth is a thing to behold, and showcases the love these two clearly hold for one another.
Accompanying videos show various angles of the big reveal, along with some of the process that went into building the nook. As a book-lover myself, I can’t help but be jealous of the final product, which is steeped in love and utterly perfect for any reader. It’s tucked away, it’s private, and it’s endlessly charming — as is the bond shared by the gorgeous couple.
It’s a beautiful departure from the typical trend, which sees a bulk of heterosexual men heap any kind of home care on their spouse. While a solid 90% of married women with children report spending at least an hour on housework, only 30% of their male counterparts do the same. It’s an aggravating trend born of archaic gender roles, and its a glorious thing to see some gratitude heaped on one such homemaking hero.
As @dadandboujiee notes in his video series, his wife “constantly puts herself last” for the family’s sake, which is what urged him to make a space all her own. It’s clear she appreciates the labor involved, and the act of service convinced quite a few women in the comments that they should be asking for more. All that weaponized incompetence is a thing of the past — with Donald Trump’s victory, those “your body, our choice” men entered the era of “find out,” and we’re more than happy to educate them. Especially when there are far superior picks like @dadandboujiee out there, picking up the slack.