Dwayne Johnson is the ultimate partner. He’s handsome, caring, funny and helpful. And we know all this because he’s happy to tell us all about it with photographic evidence. The latest round of What I Do for Love got posted to his Instagram on Sunday. Dwayne’s girlfriend, Lauren Hashian, gave birth to their second daughter, Tianna Gia, in April. While breastfeeding little Tia, Dwayne dutifully fed Lauren what looks to be a hearty ragu with thick noodles (yum!) to keep up her strength. Dwayne turned the moment into an opportunity to praise Lauren and mothers everywhere. No, seriously:
I appreciate his technique here. He’s got the bowl positioned between Lauren’s mouth and Tia’s head so if anything drops, it’ll fall back in the bowl. Not that Dwayne wouldn’t have perfect balance with his food to fork ration, he is The Rock after all. But notice how he maintains a safe distance from Lauren’s mouth so as not to lose his hand, because a breastfeeding mama is a hungry mama and whatever is within reach is getting bit.
Now, this is very sweet and I don’t doubt for a minute that Dwayne respects and adores Lauren. Hell, I don’t even doubt that he respects “all mamas out there.” But are we really setting the bar so low now that a man who forks over some food to the mother of his child is Husband of the Year? I’m not finding fault with the photo or the caption, mind you. But I’m having a hard time getting too worked up over it. Dwayne’s original Instagram post is currently almost at 5 million likes and The Badass Breastfeeder repost on Facebook is upwards of 40,000 likes, with almost as many effusive comments. I dunno, I’m starting to feel like the “thank you” I gave The Mister for bringing me a cup of coffee maybe wasn’t enough?
Photo credit: Instagram and WENN Photos
I have a friend who is currently formula feeding because her husband let it be known her breasts were for his enjoyment and nothing else. So this, here, with the Rock? Seeing a man encourage and support his nursing lady, going so far as to get on the floor and feed her? Heck yeah, I’ll give him all the props.
I think your friend needs a new man…she actually listened to him? I would have told him to go find a new pair of tits
That is actually legit horrifying. She needs to get rid of him. Any man who claims ownership of ANY part of your body for his “enjoyment” is the ultimate red flag.
That’s horrible and I’d like to think that this kind of man is an exception and that men still shouldn’t be praised if they respect women feeding children with what is inteded for them to feed with just because this type of men you described exist. And the wife in this story should take self respect classes.
Your friend perhaps has made a poor choice when it comes to her man there. He sounds like a moron.
Why is she listening to her husband? Seems like she picked the wrong partner. I’m sure this won’t be the last thing he’s controlling about.
This makes me sad, the right and choice to breastfeed is between mom and baby and dad should have no say.
This picture hits close to home for me, I had to have several surgeries after the birth of our daughter due to complications, and was pretty much stuck in bed for the first few months, my husband used to feed me in bed while I nursed our baby all the time.
Horrible. That child requires that nourishment to become a strong adult; he is directly affecting the child’s ability to grow and fight infection. Of course this is no dig on formula but just reacting directly to this comment about a husband “owning” her body to the extent that he is compromising the health of baby.
Is your friend a door mat? Why do so many women allow men to dictate what they can and can’t do. That’s bullsh*t ! My sister is married to a piece of sh*t who tells her what she can and can’t do…yet SHE makes all the money in the house and even supports HIS family ! I just don’t get it.
So was your friend allowed a “natural birth” or did she have to get a C-section because her vagina belongs to her husband too right? Gross.
She’s being abused. That’s not a normal or ok relationship. He’s abusive and controlling. Coercion is not consent. She’s not consenting but she doesn’t feel safe emotionally or physically or psychological to argue. Which is huge red flag abuse. I feel so badly for this poor woman. Men like this need to be stopped.
It’s definitely abuse. The problem is so many women get used to this and believe it’s “normal”. They get brainwashed and lose all touch with reality. The men want to keep them this way…obedient and subservient. Some women would rather put up with a jackass husband than get a divorce. Nope, not me. I’d be OUTTTTT.
Ugh! That is horrible. What a pig.
Waiting for the follow up – he’s just playing. He is kidding right? If not, you friend needs to run right now. Fast and not look back.
… it does not take two hands to breastfeed, especially when you use a pillow like she is. I can tell you that from experience. She could easily feed herself so that is a big, big eyeroll from me.
The Rock just rubs me the wrong way. All of his nice guy persona seems so performative.
Thank you!! Glad I’m not the only one. All of his “Look at me, aren’t I just the NICEST guy in the world?!!?” cheesy social-media posts just seem fake & attention-getting to me. I don’t find him appealing at all.
Me too! Nice guys don’t need to broadcast about how nice they are …. too much self promotion.
I feel bad for saying this, but sometimes he rubs me the wrong way too. I don’t know why. He’s never done anything bad publicly. I guess after learning about Bill Cosby (who people thought was a Saint) I have become really skeptical of people that put on a “good person act” ALLLL the time.
Also, WHOOOO took that pic of him feeding her????
Same here, I thought I was the only one.
I guess insulting Canada was taken this week so he just went with being nice to his wife as an alternative.
I can’t stand him anymore. He’s a low-level douchbag.
Thank you so much. I’m glad I’m not the only one who thinks he’s a bit much.
On come on, it really depends on the bahy, at first you need to hold his head, cup your boob. Not every one have a perfect latching baby, and yeah it can take two hands.
And breastfeeding can be a shitty experience, so yeah for formula.
But thanks for being judgy, and because you bf handfree, everyone does it. You are getting the eyeroll.
Thank you!! I was going to say apparently I’m a big loser because 11weeks and I still have to use two hands and pillows.
Thank you ShinyGrenade for standing up for us less “perfect” breastfeeding mothers.
I’ve nursed three babies by now and I’m one of those who keep doing it for as long as it’s working for both me and my child which means my 4-yearold stopped just this past winter. Despite all the experience I’ve had with breastfeeding, even for the third one in the first few months my husband often cut my food for me to make sure I got to eat while the food was still warm and he also made sure I always had lots of water to drink next to me any time of day or night because nursing is exhausting and thirsty and hungry work. Without the support of your partner it can be virtually impossible to breastfeed an infant full-time.
And yes, thank God for formula too. It saved me and my first baby when we couldn’t get the breastfeeding to work as intended.
Oh my gosh! I needed help itching my eyebrows and getting a drink when I was nursing, sure it got easier later, and faster with my second, but if the foods got and she’s hungry….
But it does take two hands to eat a bowl of pasta. One for the bowl and one for the fork. And you need to be able to get up to retrieve your food. I sure as hell couldn’t walk around with a baby latched to me.
Wow, judgement much? My baby is 3 months old and I still need to use two hands to help her latch. When will we be past judging moms for getting the job done by any means necessary?
Props to The Rock because for a lot of people, yes, the bar IS set that low when it comes to men being associated with breastfeeding.
I’m not at eyeroll, but close. Why not just wait the 15 minutes to eat? This does scream staged photo.
Maybe she’s really hungry, breastfeeding makes you very hungry, after all, you are producing food to feed a human. Maybe the baby takes awhile to eat, maybe she will fall asleep and they won’t want to move. Who gives a crap anyway? Of course it’s staged, he’s an actor. Most pics you see on social media are staged
Was going to say something similar. Baby first. Even though he is holding the bowl so none gets on the baby, if for some reason he was startled, a bowl of potentially hot food could still spill on both of them. I like the Rock, but this screams of publicity stunt.
The baby is probably cluster feeding. When my daughter was a newborn she would nurse for 2 hours sometimes and I was always starving, no judgement from me, whatever makes the mom’s life easier!
I think it’s a cheesy post too, and very self-congratulatory BUT I think the message is important and wish more men would be supportive of their wives (always), especially during these early months when a baby takes up your own resources. I take the Rock’s posts like this as public service announcements with self-promotion.
Two words: cluster feeding.
This!
“It did not take ME two hands to breastfeed MY baby.”
FTFY
Depends on the boobs, and the baby. I needed two hands for both of mine until they were close to a year, and so did a couple of other women I know – and yes, I did have professional help learning how. Small ribcage, large boobs, and tongue-tied babies (whose mouths remained small after the snip for quite some time), meant you really needed to control angle and latch, or you were in a world of pain.
Always best not to judge other women, just because they choose to or have to do something differently to you, IMO and IME.
And if it isn’t even enough to breastfeed now; you have to DO IT THE RIGHT WAY, then the Mommy Wars have reached new depths.
Sometimes you need 2 hands. One hand to support head the other to massage the hind milk out or keep interest in a snoozy baby. Plus pasta is not a granola bar you need help. You’re hungry. My house never has food because i eat it all as soon as i shop.
Is this a staged photo, yes, because he’d probably be next to her feeding not on one knee. But they thought it was cute moment to share (like all social media posts) and modified positions to not expose the mama and get the babys face in it.
Wow so cynical. I like that The Rock does stuff like this, he is breaking down stereotypes about being a tough guy.
If he turns out to be the worst guy in the world, fine we can judge him later. But I’m not going to judge his choice to post on his instagram about what he does because of how he feels about his partner and child’s mother. This feels like a harmless, if somewhat cheesy, post, though honestly, anyone who’s ever watched wrestling, especially when he was on it, would think the tone strikes perfectly for the persona he’s crafted. Again, if it all falls apart in a few weeks like a straw home, so be it, but right now, it’s still a sweet sentiment.
And, some people need both hands to breastfeed, that’s a not flaw FFS.
That said, who took the photo? lol!
Ugh not this shite again.
I disagree…it took my two hands and BOTH my husbands hands!!! Boob holding in the perfect position, nipple shield holding, my arm holding baby up on and my other hands on back of babies heal gently nudging him forward. Both my kids wouldn’t latch with or without the nipple shield. And my dog kept eating the nipple shields and trying to breastfeed my two was the worst experience of my life. So I like that I have that sweet memory of my husband feeding me while I breastfeed my little. My child would scream bloody murder at my boob nonstop I just had to quit for our sanity. Turns out he was screaming because he was so freaking hungry and my boobs had nothing to give. My milk never even came in with my first. So yeah it take take lots of hands sometimes. I would have eleven believed it if I didn’t live it!!!
A grown woman can’t feed herself while nursing? This does not indicate respect , to me.
but who is taking the picture?
Lol that is what I was thinking! I also thought about how much food I used to drop all over my babies when I breastfed them.
I ask the same question I always ask – who took this photo?!
Good for him for supporting his wife – I remember scoffing down huge meals in between breast feeding sessions (which for me did require 2 hands esp in the early days) and then living on fortnum & mason biscuits (which for some reason people sent us by the truckload in the early days) in between. Good times.
I find this off putting. He’s basically praising himself.
Yup.
“Look at me! I’m awesome!”
He may very well be, but posting this is just an attention grab.
But aren’t all celeb social media post praise in a way?
Look at me in this fabulous location
Look at me I’m doing charity
Look at me dressed up for award show in clothes I dont even have to buy
The point of celebrity social media is to show off, and to control their narrative. (Or make $ from sponsorships) If it teaches young boys that you can be “The Rock” by being a real man and supporting your childs mother any way you can during the breastfeeding process, that’s at least a good use of PR.
This is why I can’t stand him.
Yes! This!
It’s PR, but the right kind of PR. He promotes the right things. I like it.
right? it’s an obvious move, but I’m not mad at him.
Agreed. Now more than ever in this new age of toxic masculinity, we need big strong men modeling this kind of devotion and support to a partner and child.
yes this.
Exactly. He’s showing a man being involved with his partner and child. I think it’s great. I grew up in a family where Dad was not very involved with us kids, and Mom did 90 percent of the child rearing. That’s part of the reason I have decided not to have kids. I’ve never really had a strong desire for it and would never want to get stuck in that situation of being the main caretaker and the man not helping.
The Rock always finds a way to make it about him and I’m finding him less and less appealing. Yes breastfeeding can take two hands, especially for the first few weeks or even months for some. But ultimately you find the most clever ways to get things done while breast feeding, without the Rock.
In fairness, after the early months you don’t need to, because the gaps between nursing lengthen. Cluster nursing is the worst, but thankfully doesn’t happen for long (well, other than when a growth spurt is nigh…)
This thread is making me so, so non-broody. Those years are tough, and I am glad they’re done, for all the compensating cuteness.
I’m going to take this with a grain of salt. He seems sincere. I never got this amount of love and attention when I was breastfeeding my children.
A little staged but so what? It’s a cute picture and it’s nice to see breastfeeding normalised!!!
Also agree that it often takes 2 hands- it did with my first as she shook her head little a Great White going for the kill. I needed a pillow to lie her on and 2 hands to maintain her and protect my boobs.
Later when things were easier I still found myself frequently dropping food on baby’s head while trying to ear 1-handed.
I have natural double G breasts. My babies latched like a pro, but I needed a hand to hold my very small baby and a hand to hold my breast up so it wouldn’t suffocate my baby while nursing. But thanks for insinuating that I was doing it “wrong”.
After both deliveries my husband made me meals and brought them into bed for me, and both times gave me an impromptu speech about how thankful he was for taking such good care of a little life inside me and bringing it into the world. There was no photographer to capture it – I think sometimes men are just really overwhelmed by us women and in awe of what we can do. It’s few and far between but those men are out there. FYI – my husband also stopped watching Mad Men because he got so angry with how the men treated their wives in the show. He’s more of a feminist than I am in some ways.
Aww, your husband sounds awesome. Happy for you
My husband did the same. While only on leave for 2 wks he brought me every meal on a tray, and did breakfast/dinner after back at work until I was well enough to do stairs. I was always starving at night during feedings so he made me a snack draw. And at 3am would sometimes feed me while i nursed so i didn’t get hands dirty. And i sent him for loads of water refills. He took initiative and cleaned the house solo for awhile after too so i could heal and not worry.
These are good healthy supportive husbands and fathers. And this should be normalized in society.
I ROUTINELY missed out on good meals with family while breastfeeding. If the kid was hungry, the kid was hungry. I could not comfortably breast feed and sit at a dining room table. I missed birthday meals, holiday meals. Parts of lots of meals. I would breast feed and THEN return to the table. I have seen friends and family members do the same. It’s nice to see someone as effusive as The Rock praising his child’s Mother for caring for her baby. Ragu???? Yep, would have fed the kid and THEN sat down to a lovely meal. XO To each her own. To each her own.
I once heard “a lazy parent is a busy parent.” If you put the time and effort and energy into caring for your little ones well they can often grow to be really, really neat, great humans. Props to all the caregivers who try to put the babies needs first … perhaps not all the time, but most of the time.
My husband did this exact thing for me with both our kids. It made me feel really loved/respected, and I love seeing this for them.
Awwww
I remember last summer with my newborn…he always woke up to eat just as we sat down for dinner 🙄. So I nursed him at the table-I was able to nurse with one hand free and without a pillow(not bragging, my son was tiny and my boobs didn’t get super huge), but my husband had to cut my dinner up for me multiple times. And he would have fed me if need be. I loved this pic of The Rock-sure he can be a bit extra, but a supportive husband is so important to a new mom and it’s nice to see it “normalized”
I saw this photo and it made me smile. It reminded me of my husband when my babies were small. I missed so many good meals because I couldnt eat them one-handed and babies don’t wait. More often than actually feeding me, he would get me a plate and cut up the food into bites. But help like this sometimes really does make the difference in keeping up your morale to keep feeding that baby.
To me this post was encouraging, and you know, maybe some young guy that doesn’t have a kid yet will see this–a man he respects–and realize hey, that’s a good idea. I’m going to do that for my wife someday. Maybe it’ll shape how he views breastfeeding. Maybe it will help normalize treating your wife this way.
I think it is a good thing. And I love seeing how thrilled to bits he is to have a baby.
I think it’s sweet. My ex was horrible after our son was born and it would have been amazing to have had this kind of love and support. Some might see it as cheesy or self-congratulatory but if it gets one man out there to realize that he could put in some more effort to help his wife, I think it’s a good thing.
My husband did this for me just last week when my baby was cluster feeding. There’s no waiting 15 minutes until baby is done nursing because it doesn’t stop for hours!
My husband feeds me water every single time I’m breastfeeding because it makes me really really thirsty. My baby is 2 months now but in the first month he was definitely feeding me sandwiches while I fed her. LOL to the posters saying it doesn’t take two hands and you can wait 15 mins to eat. Ummm have you ever breastfed a child? In the first month my little one required two hands and she took 20 mins each side to eat. At 2 months she’s a lot faster but still breastfeeding makes you HUNGRY.
Dwayne seems legit to me, and if he can teach one man by example, I am all for him making posts like the one in question. Most of his over the top posts have to do with his extreme love for his Mom, his fiancé, and his girls. He does a ton of charity work behind the scenes, most of which he never mentions. If his intentions were to say “look at me, I’m the greatest”, he has a lot more that he could be bragging about, but doesn’t ever mention. Yes, he is larger than life, and he is over the top. His message seems to be one of respect and love, and I am all for that message!
I like the message. The Rock comes across as cheesy and self-congratulatory but the post is about him supporting his partner because they’re not he invested in the well-being of their daughter. I’d rather see this than some of the other “look at me” posts from other celebs. At least it clues some men in what it takes to raise a baby together. Some of you are very judgmental!
Thank you! I just finished nursing my 16-week-old and still can’t feed myself while he’s nursing. I mean, I could, but the food would get all over him. My husband has fed me like this before, too, especially in those first few weeks.
I thought he cheated on his first wife – only wife, with the current girlfriend? Or was that with someone else? I always just roll my eyes at this kind of social media stuff cause I just cannot stop thinking about who took the picture? Or if perhaps there was a tripod set up. It’s all so staged.
Yes, we all know that nice guys don’t broadcast it because they don’t have to. Yes, Dwayne’s a bit performative and over the top with his “I’m with her” schtick. Yes, it’s PR and a bit cringe. But I’d rather have him hamming it up a bit too much as opposed to an empty online space where a good guy should be but isn’t.
He’s not really doing this to advocate for women – we all know that right? He’s signalling to other men. And that’s what we’ve been asking for this whole time; for men to step up and challenge toxic masculinity and establish a pro-feminist framework for other men to look up to. So let’s not be too hard on him, but let’s also reserve the right to roll our eyes a bit.