Matt Austin, anchor of News 6 in Orlando, Florida, went viral on TikTok after posting a video of himself clapping back at internet trolls who disparaged a photo of his daughters.
Screengrab by Matt Austin on Facebook
A news anchor from Florida posted a photo on Facebook of himself with his two daughters dressed for homecoming.
“My daughters look a bit too good on homecoming night“, says the caption to the photo on October 8. “Believe it or not, they’re even prettier on the inside.”
But soon after the photo appeared online, comments from Facebook users started pouring in. Matt Austin, an anchor who works for News 6 in Orlando, said in TikTok, which has since been viewed over 5 million times.
“Sorry (,) my daughters will never leave the house looking for a sale,” wrote one user, Robin Caufield-Diaz. “…Not cool dad.”
“Honestly, I wouldn’t let them go anywhere dressed like that!” Diane Cafarella Falabella wrote.
“I don’t understand how a father can feel comfortable showing his daughter’s crotch when they’re bent over or sitting,” wrote another user, Jane Gannon.
Austin decided to clap back.
“One thing that has always annoyed me as a parent of girls is when people say, ‘Oh, these girls need to dress up so they don’t distract the boys,’ or even worse, ‘They dress the way they’re asked to.’ , he said on TikTok on October 11.
“Let’s make something crystal clear,” he says in the video. “It is not my daughters job to keep your son focused in school. Nor is it her responsibility to dress so hideously that your son doesn’t attack her. Your task is not to raise a pervert without self-control.’
Austin could not be reached for comment on Oct. 27.
“Thank you for being a great dad”
Many netizens expressed their support for Austin.
“We need more (dads) like you,” commented one TikTok user @panicpixie1105.
“Thank you for being a great dad raising fierce women who are confident in their own skin,” commented another user, @bpawsmom.
Austin said on his TikTok that if he could choose what his daughters wear, “it would be 24/7.”
But dictating their clothing would push them away from him, rob them of their independence and, worse, he said, potentially teach them that a man can tell them what to wear.
“There’s nothing wrong with that”
In an interview with his news channel, Austin said he was “furious” about the comments “innocent” photo of his daughtersone a freshman and the other a senior in high school, on their homecoming night.
“I tried not to post anything that would put them in the light where people could shoot at them, and unfortunately… At first I felt a little bit responsible and guilty, and then I said, ‘There’s nothing wrong with that.’ “, he told the station.
When he saw the negative comments, he felt he had to do something, he told the station. But before posting his video, he made sure to ask permission from his daughters.
“I said, ‘What do you think about that? I don’t know what will happen with it, but I don’t want to confuse you,” he told the TV channel. “The response I got was, ‘It might be a bit embarrassing, but you’re right, go ahead and do it.’
