Mom Straightens Her Toddler’s Hair and the Shamers Come Running
Get your pitchforks out folks. Mom Crystal Harden decided to straighten her young daughter Aiden’s curly hair for fun and shared a picture of it on her Instagram. In the post, Aiden is clearly having fun with her hair, swinging it back and forth and admiring herself. You know, like most women do when they have a fresh blowout and are feeling themselves. I mean, I know I’ll walk out of the salon swishing my head back and forth for no reason. At first, it was just friends commenting about how cute the not quite 2 year old looked, then it took a turn.
Eventually strangers found the post from back in April and of course the mommy shamers came out in abundance over the toddler’s typical curly hair being straightened(though it looks like Harden has deleted most of the negative comments.)
https://www.instagram.com/p/BTO4OG2gvAW/
“Way too young yo.”
Well, it’s nice that people are concerned about Aiden and her hair, but what happened to trusting mom’s judgment on this? From the way Aiden is swinging her hair back and forth, it’s something that is not the norm. It’s a special treat and she’s loving it. Website The Shade Room picked up the photo and shared it, asking when their fans got their first blowout. In one day the little video has gotten over 2 million views. Some of the comments express concern over the use of heat on Aiden’s hair, which is a valid concern. I’m sure her mom was smart enough to put some sort of heat protector on Aiden’s hair before she styled it. It’s clear that they are at home and not a salon.
“Why people don’t let babies be babies anymore”
It’s one thing to question the health of a child’s hair. But when are we going to stop sexualizing little girls? Having perfectly blown out and styled hair is not strictly an adult style. Straightening curly hair isn’t just for grownups and it’s perfectly fine for young girls with curly hair to experiment. It doesn’t mean they’re in a hurry to grow up. Yes, she may look more mature, but her hairstyle doesn’t change the fact that she’s two. Aiden doesn’t look like an adult, she looks like a toddler with straight hair. Crystal Harden said that Aiden likes to watch her do her own hair. Aiden likes to play dress up, so they straightened her hair. ”I just wanted to see herself in a different light and know that she is beautiful any way that she dresses up or however she does her hair.”
So put the pitchforks down. Harden admitted that if Aiden chooses to straighten her hair again she can but not until she’s “11 or 12,” the age Harden began to make her own decisions about her hair. Can we stop it with the mommy shaming now? It’s just hair.
(Image: Instagram / @i_get_in_your_head)
