One dad knew it was important to teach his daughters to make their own decisions.

After posting a photo of him and his daughters, Matt Austin was accused of being a bad father. This is how he came back at the haters.

The evening anchor for News 6 in Orlando uploaded a photo of him and his two daughters to his Facebook page earlier this month.

In the picture, he and his children are posing for the camera before the girls leave for their high school homecoming dance.

“My daughters look a little too good on homecoming night. Believe it or not, they’re even more beautiful on the inside,” the post read.

Then, cruel comments flooded the page.

The Rude Comments Strangers Left on a Photo

close up of a phone
Photo by Pixabay

What Matt thought was an innocuous family picture became a divisive post as commenters flocked to the page to share their thoughts on his daughters’ outfit choices.

“I wouldn’t let them go anywhere dressed like that,” one person commented.

“They should have respect for themselves,” said another.

Several of the comments even attacked Matt’s parenting.

“So sad that parents think it’s okay to send young ladies out with everything showing,” someone commented.

“You ought to be ashamed of yourself, dad. That lack of coverage should be reserved for marriage-only. Your job is to be their father. If they hate you for being a responsible-loving father, then so be it. Women of all ages should dress modestly with a greater emphasis on children,” one woman wrote.

In an interview with his own news channel, Matt explained the situation.

“I posted just a picture of me with two of my daughters. It is the first time they’re both going to homecoming — because one’s a freshman, one’s a senior. I always post a picture, whether it’s homecoming or prom, and did not think twice about it,” Matt said.

How One Father Responded to the Haters

With all the hate coming to him and his daughters, Matt initially felt guilty about uploading the photo.

“I tried to not post anything that would put them in a light where people would take shots at them and unfortunately… I felt a little responsible at first and guilty and then I was like, ‘There’s nothing wrong with this,’” Matt said.

The best way to address the hate was a strong message.

The anchor took to TikTok to address all the cruel comments he was receiving, but not without getting permission from his daughters first.

“I said, ‘What do you think of this? I don’t know what will happen with this, but I don’t want to embarrass you.’ The response I got was, ‘This might be a little embarrassing, but you’re right, go ahead and do it,’” Matt said.

On his page, Matt addressed the real problem: victim-blaming.

“So one that thing has always pissed me off as a father of girls is when people say things like, ‘These girls need to dress so they don’t distract the boys.’ Or even worse, ‘They’re dressing in a way in which they’re asking for it.’ Let’s get something crystal clear now: It’s not my daughter’s job to make sure your son is focused in school, also not her job to dress hideous enough to where your son doesn’t assault her,” Matt said. “It’s your job to not raise a pervert with no self-control.”

The Important Lesson One Dad Is Teaching His Daughters

daughter kissing her dad on the cheek
Photo by Josh Willink

He even admitted that the dresses weren’t his first choice of apparel, but he knew better than to teach his daughters that someone else gets to dictate what they wear.

“Those outfits are not the ones I would choose for my daughters to leave the house. If it were up to me, it’d be 24/7 Snuggies,” Matt said. “But if I start dictating what my daughters wear, I’m going to teach them three things: A. They’ll start to hate me for arbitrary rules. B. They’ll start to lie to me, or C. Maybe even worse, that it’s okay for a man to tell them what to wear because they look too good. That ain’t happening, Karen!”

To finish up his statement, Matt really stuck it to the haters.

“You know what would really disappoint me? If my girls grew up to be the kind of adult who goes on social media and demeans a teen’s appearance on her father’s Facebook page. Now that’s what I call ‘trashy,’” Matt said.

Though he was addressing the haters, the real message Matt was sharing was for his daughters.

Despite all of the negative comments Matt was getting, he stuck up for his girls and made sure they knew what actually mattered. Nothing a woman does or wears is an excuse for someone to treat her poorly, and nothing a man says or thinks should affect how a woman views her body.

KEEP READING:

17-Year-Old Girl Sent Home in Tears for “Inappropriate” Outfit – Her Angry Dad Fights Back With Powerful Message