In honor of Father’s Day this weekend, the Lululemon marketing team in Clarendon decided to create a recipe for the perfect “dad bod.”
Store manager Kelsey Knutson said she was inspired by a recent spate of articles on the Huffington Post, the New York Times and elsewhere describing a phenomenon where women seem to go for softer, less in-shape men.
“The dad body describes men who are a little bit toned and who work out, but are also a little bit soft,” said Knutson. “It shows they have a balanced lifestyle, that they work hard but that they can also have fun, and there are all kinds of articles suggesting that women are most attracted to this type.”
The fad has garnered some arguably well-deserved mockery for the double standard it represents between the way that women’s and men’s bodies are treated in popular culture, but the Lululemon team was less focused on the physical aspect of the dad bod. Instead, Knutson wanted to examine the dad bod as an emotional form.
Knutson, assistant store manager Brittney Avey and one other member of the team put their heads together and tried to think about what emotional components produce the perfect dad bod. Their answer? The ideal dad is:
- 2.9 percent love
- 6.1 percent passion
- 1.6 percent pride
- .04 percent sweat
- 2.4 percent adventure
- 1.2 percent grit
- 4.1 percent cojones
- 81.6 percent beer
Knutson and Avey said that their brainstorming mostly involved reflecting on what they loved about their own dads. The sign went up last Friday (June 12), and the community has taken notice.
“It’s completely gotten people stopping,” said Knutson. “People think it’s funny — one woman put it on her blog and said it made her laugh. Lots of guys have stopped in to tell us, ‘Oh yeah, I have a dad bod!’ or asked if we have any clothes for dad bods.”
Knutson doesn’t think sales have gone up because of the sign, but she also said that wasn’t the point.
“It’s meant to brighten people’s days and get them engaged,” said Knutson. “It’s been a really great conversation starter.”