Mom Sparks Debate After Giving Her 12-Year-Old Daughter A Nose Piercing Because She Was Bullied For Her Nose
One small nose piercing caused a world of controversy.
@cherries_87 / TikTok via Canva Every parent has their own philosophy for raising a child; however, one mother received some harsh backlash online for what some might consider an unorthodox way of parenting.
A mother was shamed online after agreeing to pierce her 12-year-old daughter’s nose.
On her TikTok account, Tink — also known as "@cherries_87" — uploaded a video stating that her 12-year-old daughter, Ruby, wanted to get her nose pierced. However, Tink would only agree under the condition that the video received 25,000 likes.
On the same day, the video had shockingly reached 27,000 likes, which earned viewers a follow-up video of Tink reluctantly giving the thumb of approval to pierce her daughter’s nose.
“Remind me to never, ever do this again on an app where she is loved so much,” she said. “I am a person of my word. She’s going to have her nose done.” The video has now reached over 100,000 likes and counting.
The following video captured Tink, a certified body piercer, in work mode as she slipped on her blue gloves and prepared Ruby’s nose for a piercing. At the end of the TikTok, viewers can see the finished result, which Ruby appeared to be very pleased with.
The video was filled with a stream of supportive comments complimenting Tink’s work, but others worried about how Ruby’s school might react. Although the school (unsurprisingly) does have a policy that prohibits face piercings, Tink says she’s been able to reach an agreement with them.
“For the next three to four weeks, Ruby will wear a little plaster over her nose to cover [the piercing] up,” she explained. “While it’s healing in the summer holidays, I will buy her a see-through bar that she can wear at school.”
Some were not sold on the idea of giving the 12-year-old a nose piercing.
Although with a little bit of compromise, Ruby’s school ultimately gave the OK to let her keep the piercing, people in the comments section were not impressed and even accused Tink of being a bad parent.
Some felt that Ruby is too young to even consider having a nose piercing; though, the same could be said about parents piercing their infant’s ears for aesthetic purposes despite the child’s inability to consent to it.
“Wow, what an amazing mum not,” read one disapproving comment that has since been deleted, to which Tink replied with a video explaining that her daughter had asked for a piercing as a result of getting bullied at school.
Photo: TikTok / @cherries_87
“In a world where schools are struggling to deal with bullies and kids are getting picked on for anything possible — their teeth, their ears, their eyes, their height — they get bullied for absolutely everything,” she said, further adding, “If my child has come to me asking to have something done that makes her feel good about herself, in a place that’s so horrible, that’s why I [did] it."
“So thanks for your comment but yeah, her nose is doing really well, and it really suits her,” Tink concluded.
The mom explained that she wants to work to raise awareness for children like her daughter who struggle in school.
After addressing criticism about piercing Ruby’s nose and, on another occasion, dyeing her hair despite the school’s strict policies, Tink shared that she wants to use her platform to raise awareness for children struggling to adjust to strict schools, bullying, mental health, and the like.
“I am not against the schools in the slightest,” she began. “All I want to do is to be able to help and change the way, and that’s [by] working with the school; I want to work with them, not against them.
“I’m not about hatred. I’m not about spreading negativity,” Tink continued. “I want to give children a voice. I want to be able to help them get what they want in life, and if that means me posting videos to raise awareness of how hard it is for kids, then I will do that.”
Parents often forget that children are individuals too, no matter how tempting it may be to shield them from the world. However, allowing children the creative liberty to explore their appearance, within reason, can positively reflect on their mental health and self-esteem.
In other words, teaching children to have autonomy over themselves, especially for young girls like Ruby, offers room for them to grow into confident adults who recognize that their body belongs to them, not to society.
Photo: TikTok / @cherries_87
People in the comments offered the mom many words of encouragement.
One user replied, “Nobody should have said that to you you are a great mum x.”
“[You’re] an amazing mam everyone is different you are just trying to make your child’s life better and make the schools a better place to go to,” another person wrote.
In the end, although many disagree with Tink’s decision to pierce Ruby’s nose, there’s no denying that she will always try to do what’s best for her daughter.
Xiomara Demarchi is a writer based in New York covering human interest topics for YourTango’s news and entertainment team.