There are very few things that get parents on the internet as riled up as piercing baby ears does. While some parents believe the act of piercing a baby's earlobes is part of cultural tradition, others are convinced that it is a form of child abuse.
While debate over the issue quietened for a while, a photo posted by actress Hilary Duff has restarted the conversation recently.
The entertainer shared a black-and-white photo of herself and her daughter Banks on Instagram. Captioned, "Mama and 🍓, the sweet snap showed the eight-month-old's ear with a tiny stud in it.
As soon as the photo was uploaded, people took to the comments to share their thoughts on baby Banks' pierced ears. One fan said that they've "unfollowed" Duff because of her choice to pierce her daughter's ears.
Another wrote, "I can't believe someone who seemed so screwed on pierced her babies ears, causing unnecessary pain that isn't for medical reasons done by a fully qualified medical professional is child abuse in my eyes."
"I can’t fathom why you would you think it’s okay to have your daughter's ears pierced," one mom-shammer added. "Causing her a tremendous amount of pain and discomfort."
Luckily, Duff has a strong fan base and they came to her defence.
Many pointed out that not only does Duff not need to seek other people's approval when making parenting decisions, ear piercing is a tradition in many cultures. Others pointed out that both Banks and Duff look happy and that's the only thing that matters.
This isn't the first time that Duff has been subjected to mom-shaming. A few years ago, the mom-of-two received a ton of criticism after she posted a photo of herself kissing her son, Luca, on the lips.
"Kissing your child on the lips is not necessary," wrote one Instagram user. "It may in time create a not healthy desire and it's too close to what adults do."
Duff eventually responded to the comments. She wrote, "For anyone commenting that a kiss on the lips with my four year old is 'inappropriate' go ahead and click a quick unfollow with your warped minds and judgment."
In a 2018 interview, Duff recalled the mom-shaming comments she received over the kissing photo and revealed that she was also shamed for giving Luca, whose dad is retired hockey player Mike Comrie, piggybacks.
“People can be like, ‘Oh, you’re holding that child? He’s six.’ Yeah, I swing him over my head, when his legs are tired I hold him — it’s a little hard right now — but yeah, I give piggyback rides. People just have all these crazy judgments, and I think it’s best to not listen and laugh it off," Duff told Allure.
She added, "Honestly, trying to put into perspective other people’s realities. The only thing that matters is you and your family and whatever choices you’re making, and how that choice feels for your family."
Kudos to Duff for not letting the negative comments affect her or her family.
