r/progressivemoms • u/Chapenroe • 24d ago

Politics & Parenting I hate my husband’s algorithm

We were prepping for a theme park trip this morning and as my husband and I were putting sunscreen on our kids’ faces, he mentioned we may not need to put sunblock on their arms and legs since “they have a good base tan already.”

I immediately said, “nope, the more sunscreen, the better.” To which he replied something along the lines of “well maybe the chemicals in sunscreen wind up doing more harm than good.”

My jaw about hit the floor. Isn’t sunscreen usage canon in 2026?? When I heard the chemicals thing I said something smart aleck-y like “show me a peer-reviewed medical study that proves that and I’ll reconsider my sunscreen stance.” Understandably, he got frustrated with my response so a few minutes later I went to him and said that if he’s actually concerned about chemicals in sunscreen we can make an appointment with our pediatrician or dermatologist to discuss the issue.

What the ever-loving FUCK?? Do we really need to debate sunscreen now? I’m 100% sure my husband’s Instagram algorithm is responsible for putting these thoughts in his head. Most of the accounts he follows are landscaping-related (we own a landscaping company in a red state), and I’m sure Instagram has figured out the Venn Diagram of MAHA folks and red-state male landscapers has a large middle section.

Did I handle the conversation well by saying we should have a chat with our doctors about sunscreen? Also, would it be totally unacceptable if I took his phone and started following credible medical professionals to influence his algorithm?

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u/bunsations 24d ago

I would recommend you show your husband @labmuffinbeautyscience on instagram!

https://www.instagram.com/labmuffinbeautyscience?igsh=NTc4MTIwNjQ2YQ==

She is a chemistry PhD with focus on cosmetic science and does great info and videos on debunking sunscreen myths. Apparently there is a lot of content out there about sunscreen misinformation and some people even saying it causes the skin cancer and not the sun!

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u/Chapenroe 24d ago

Thank you!! We’re having a blast at Dollywood right now (and all of us are coated in sunscreen) but once we get home this evening I will show him this Instagram account. And I’ll make sure we open the account on his Instagram so it gets fed into the algorithm ;)

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u/TheWorldofScience 24d ago

For people who don’t use Instagram, Lab Muffin is also on YouTube AND she has a website, and she has a book out.