Not a bro Dad

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I'm from Southern California (Orange County area) and there's definitely a type of Bro Dad here. Basically, they dress like high school surfer boys but they are in their late 30s and have two kids.

Typical SoCal Bro Dad:
-Drives a lifted 4x4 pick-up truck with a Monster Energy sticker on the back window, blasting Sublime or System of a Down
-Always sporting a Hurley baseball cap with a flat rim
-A plaid Billabong button up shirt and dark colored pants are what he wears to "dress up" for holiday cards
-Vans sneakers
-Owns a few pairs of Dickies shorts
-"Vacations" consist of going to Glamis for off-roading, camping at Pismo Beach, or heading to Big Bear to snowboard on 6 inches of man-made snow in the freestyle park
-Constantly bitches about "how crowded SoCal has become" and un-ironically throws out a bit of casual racism by blaming "the Mexicans"

I've yet to find similar Bro Dads anywhere else in the U.S. It's a bizarre combination of privilege, Peter Pan syndrome, being culturally stuck in the late 1990s.

I lived in L.A. for a few years after college and met thousands of these dudes. They run the family restaurant or work for the old man's insurance agency or construction business. They have attractive wives and cute kids.

They tend to be incredibly kind because a) they have a pretty good life and they know it and b) they're laid back and not trying to jockey for status. Very much a "the more the merrier" type guy for welcoming new people.

[Anonymous]

Are “bro dads” the dads man children, dads of lax bros, or dads that still think and act as if they were in college?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I'm from Southern California (Orange County area) and there's definitely a type of Bro Dad here. Basically, they dress like high school surfer boys but they are in their late 30s and have two kids.

Typical SoCal Bro Dad:
-Drives a lifted 4x4 pick-up truck with a Monster Energy sticker on the back window, blasting Sublime or System of a Down
-Always sporting a Hurley baseball cap with a flat rim
-A plaid Billabong button up shirt and dark colored pants are what he wears to "dress up" for holiday cards
-Vans sneakers
-Owns a few pairs of Dickies shorts
-"Vacations" consist of going to Glamis for off-roading, camping at Pismo Beach, or heading to Big Bear to snowboard on 6 inches of man-made snow in the freestyle park
-Constantly bitches about "how crowded SoCal has become" and un-ironically throws out a bit of casual racism by blaming "the Mexicans"

I've yet to find similar Bro Dads anywhere else in the U.S. It's a bizarre combination of privilege, Peter Pan syndrome, being culturally stuck in the late 1990s.

Fascinating. What do these people do for a living? What are their wives and houses like?

Married their high school girlfriend or post-HS equivalent. A typical trajectory is to get accidentally pregnant in her early 20s, they co-parent for a couple years, and dad eventually marries her. Then add a couple more kids. Mom usually SAH and becomes an extreme couponer - it's a social media point of pride.

Houses in SoCal are usually stucco, post-WW2 ramblers. Lots of HGTV-inspired, "on trend" interior designs. They are really into barn doors right now.

[Anonymous]

I can see why the typical overweight (or sunken-chested) DC dad would be bothered by someone like this.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I'm from Southern California (Orange County area) and there's definitely a type of Bro Dad here. Basically, they dress like high school surfer boys but they are in their late 30s and have two kids.

Typical SoCal Bro Dad:
-Drives a lifted 4x4 pick-up truck with a Monster Energy sticker on the back window, blasting Sublime or System of a Down
-Always sporting a Hurley baseball cap with a flat rim
-A plaid Billabong button up shirt and dark colored pants are what he wears to "dress up" for holiday cards
-Vans sneakers
-Owns a few pairs of Dickies shorts
-"Vacations" consist of going to Glamis for off-roading, camping at Pismo Beach, or heading to Big Bear to snowboard on 6 inches of man-made snow in the freestyle park
-Constantly bitches about "how crowded SoCal has become" and un-ironically throws out a bit of casual racism by blaming "the Mexicans"

I've yet to find similar Bro Dads anywhere else in the U.S. It's a bizarre combination of privilege, Peter Pan syndrome, being culturally stuck in the late 1990s.

I'm also in OC and I'm hysterically laughing! Yes all this exactly! It's crazy how many of them there are. So many in Huntington Beach especially

OP here:
I'm originally from Long Beach and live in DC now. SO MANY of my former high school classmates fit this profile. And yes, I spent a lot of time in Huntington Beach.

What's so funny about Bro Dads is that they have zero intellectual curiosity, yet seem to be pretty content living The Life. It's such a 180 from the East Coast mindset. For example, if I mentioned the words 'Brooks Brothers' they'd look at me funny and say "Who are the Brooks Brothers?"

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I'm from Southern California (Orange County area) and there's definitely a type of Bro Dad here. Basically, they dress like high school surfer boys but they are in their late 30s and have two kids.

Typical SoCal Bro Dad:
-Drives a lifted 4x4 pick-up truck with a Monster Energy sticker on the back window, blasting Sublime or System of a Down
-Always sporting a Hurley baseball cap with a flat rim
-A plaid Billabong button up shirt and dark colored pants are what he wears to "dress up" for holiday cards
-Vans sneakers
-Owns a few pairs of Dickies shorts
-"Vacations" consist of going to Glamis for off-roading, camping at Pismo Beach, or heading to Big Bear to snowboard on 6 inches of man-made snow in the freestyle park
-Constantly bitches about "how crowded SoCal has become" and un-ironically throws out a bit of casual racism by blaming "the Mexicans"

I've yet to find similar Bro Dads anywhere else in the U.S. It's a bizarre combination of privilege, Peter Pan syndrome, being culturally stuck in the late 1990s.

I lived in L.A. for a few years after college and met thousands of these dudes. They run the family restaurant or work for the old man's insurance agency or construction business. They have attractive wives and cute kids.

They tend to be incredibly kind because a) they have a pretty good life and they know it and b) they're laid back and not trying to jockey for status. Very much a "the more the merrier" type guy for welcoming new people.

This is true. Their wives work out a ton, but also have too much fake sh#t going on (subtle boob jobs, too much make up, nails done every week, etc). Not my scene.

Their kids are dressed to basically be mini Instagram models.

[Anonymous]

What’s the Dc version? I don’t know anyone like this. At all.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I'm a woman and I call my toddler DS Buddy sometimes, along with Nugget, Tiny, Lovebug, Munchkin, Sweetheart, Baby, Bunny, and his actual name and variations thereon, and probably a bunch of other names I'm forgetting. I am definitely not a bro. What's up with the antipathy to buddy, out of curiosity?

Get back to us when he’s 13.

NP. My DD is almost 15. I call her all variations of her name including one that ends in doodle, plus Puppy, Schmoopsie, Sweetness, and when I need to make her laugh, my little kumquat. Any time she tells me she's done something a 3 yr old should be able to do, I very enthusiastically say, "Good job, little buddy!" and we laugh.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I'm from Southern California (Orange County area) and there's definitely a type of Bro Dad here. Basically, they dress like high school surfer boys but they are in their late 30s and have two kids.

Typical SoCal Bro Dad:
-Drives a lifted 4x4 pick-up truck with a Monster Energy sticker on the back window, blasting Sublime or System of a Down
-Always sporting a Hurley baseball cap with a flat rim
-A plaid Billabong button up shirt and dark colored pants are what he wears to "dress up" for holiday cards
-Vans sneakers
-Owns a few pairs of Dickies shorts
-"Vacations" consist of going to Glamis for off-roading, camping at Pismo Beach, or heading to Big Bear to snowboard on 6 inches of man-made snow in the freestyle park
-Constantly bitches about "how crowded SoCal has become" and un-ironically throws out a bit of casual racism by blaming "the Mexicans"

I've yet to find similar Bro Dads anywhere else in the U.S. It's a bizarre combination of privilege, Peter Pan syndrome, being culturally stuck in the late 1990s.

I'm also in OC and I'm hysterically laughing! Yes all this exactly! It's crazy how many of them there are. So many in Huntington Beach especially

YEP. I have family in Socal, and when I visit it is like a BUBBLE of these dads (and moms). They don’t realize that I can see right through it, or that 95% of the country is unlike them.

And speaking of real estate ^, whatshisface from Flip or Flop is a perfect example, but him in a more specific subset perhaps?

Now, for those of us in the other 95% of the county, these dads exist but they have a different local flavor.

Here’s my experience:
-we already have a California bro dad described
-Florida: sports, working out, muscles. Clothing: super slick, good grooming
-nova: nfl, beer, making fun of people. Clothing: not fashionable. Mostly polos? Subset: golf
-Utah: uggghh among the worst bro dads. So many. VERY similar to California bro dads
-Oklahoma: grilling and/or barbecue, college football, straight money, huge house.

So, while there can be a local flavor, just generally take the above lists, and combine them, and you have bro dad.

Bro dad is more complete with hot wife, but not required as long as she is trendy.

Bro dad is way more complete when kid also wears skater/cool outfits and goes along with the cool attitude and activities.
-

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:What’s the Dc version? I don’t know anyone like this. At all.

Honestly, it doesn't exist. It's a SoCal white people, upper middle-class thing where they are living off the modest blue collar (yet successful) investments of the prior generation. It's bizarre. They definitely don't have the social graces or intellectual curiosity of the well educated East Coast trust fund tribe. There isn't that kind of huge, multi-generational wealth in SoCal until only very recently.

Someone above mentioned Utah being similar to the OC Bro Dads. Orange County is actually the 2nd largest concentration of Mormons outside Utah. Some, but not all, of the bro dads I know are Mormon (or lapsed). My guess is that the Bro Dad cultural styles were picked up by Mormons visiting SoCal and brought back to Utah. This makes sense as Utah has become a huge adventure sports destination, so many of the brands also translate well for the Utah lifestyle.

[Anonymous]

I am a dad and I typically tell a bro dad right away if he

1. Is wearing Vineyard Vines

2. Is over 35 years old and mentions his fraternity in normal conversation (I was in a fraternity - I just think talking about it is stupid)

3. Is coaching a practice while talking on his cell phone or doing work

4. Talks to me like he has known me since childhood. Don't call me 'dude' for instance.

This is a partial list. I can tell you that I can decide within about 45 seconds if I want to spend any time with you - there are a LOT of complete jackasses out there in the dad world.


Its a delicate balance. I don't want to talk exclusively about your kid, but I also don't want to hear about your job. I especially don't want you level jumping and talking to me about private things I save for people I have known for 15 or 20 years.

[Anonymous]

So essentially the dad from FX Married show.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I'm from Southern California (Orange County area) and there's definitely a type of Bro Dad here. Basically, they dress like high school surfer boys but they are in their late 30s and have two kids.

Typical SoCal Bro Dad:
-Drives a lifted 4x4 pick-up truck with a Monster Energy sticker on the back window, blasting Sublime or System of a Down
-Always sporting a Hurley baseball cap with a flat rim
-A plaid Billabong button up shirt and dark colored pants are what he wears to "dress up" for holiday cards
-Vans sneakers
-Owns a few pairs of Dickies shorts
-"Vacations" consist of going to Glamis for off-roading, camping at Pismo Beach, or heading to Big Bear to snowboard on 6 inches of man-made snow in the freestyle park
-Constantly bitches about "how crowded SoCal has become" and un-ironically throws out a bit of casual racism by blaming "the Mexicans"

I've yet to find similar Bro Dads anywhere else in the U.S. It's a bizarre combination of privilege, Peter Pan syndrome, being culturally stuck in the late 1990s.

I'm also in OC and I'm hysterically laughing! Yes all this exactly! It's crazy how many of them there are. So many in Huntington Beach especially

YEP. I have family in Socal, and when I visit it is like a BUBBLE of these dads (and moms). They don’t realize that I can see right through it, or that 95% of the country is unlike them.

And speaking of real estate ^, whatshisface from Flip or Flop is a perfect example, but him in a more specific subset perhaps?

Now, for those of us in the other 95% of the county, these dads exist but they have a different local flavor.

Here’s my experience:
-we already have a California bro dad described
-Florida: sports, working out, muscles. Clothing: super slick, good grooming
-nova: nfl, beer, making fun of people. Clothing: not fashionable. Mostly polos? Subset: golf
-Utah: uggghh among the worst bro dads. So many. VERY similar to California bro dads
-Oklahoma: grilling and/or barbecue, college football, straight money, huge house.

So, while there can be a local flavor, just generally take the above lists, and combine them, and you have bro dad.

Bro dad is more complete with hot wife, but not required as long as she is trendy.

Bro dad is way more complete when kid also wears skater/cool outfits and goes along with the cool attitude and activities.
-

Great call. Bristol/Aubrey from Flip or Flop are your typical SoCal Bro Dad/Mom couple. He even has a sleeve of tattoos! Total Bro Dad

[Anonymous]

I would rather hang out with bro dad than law firm dad. Do bro dads live in Fairfax county?

[Anonymous]

To me, the east coast version of a bro dad seems to be one that was absolutely in a frat in college, is really into the athletic prowess/success of their sons (having them sign to play D1 sports in college - or better yet, at a service academy - is their dream), is really into their man cave/sports time/cracking open a beer with the guys, and probably has the physique of someone who simultaneously works out and drinks a lot of beer. They also probably drive a pick up truck or nice SUV.