We unfortunately live in a world where six in 10 women will experience mommy shaming in their lifetime, and it's safe to say that celebrities in the public eye receive some of the worst of it. In April, Busy Philipps' Instagram page was flooded with judgmental comments over her new foot tattoo and its featured expletive. A month later, Amy Schumer received criticism for booking a stand-up gig two weeks after giving birth. Now, Hilary Duff is dealing with backlash for getting her daughter's ears pierced.
The controversy started earlier this week when Duff posted a photo to her Instagram Story that showed off her eight-month-old daughter, Banks, and her sparkly new lobe piercings. "Oh and yes we pierced her ears," she captioned the post.
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Although the Story eventually expired after 24 hours, mommy-shamers continued to flock to her Instagram feed to share their unsolicited criticism. One post in particular — a black-and-white photo of Duff and Banks laughing — is a current hot spot for haters.
"I can’t fathom why you would you think it’s okay to have your daughter's ears pierced. Causing her a tremendous amount of pain and discomfort." wrote one commenter. "Just won an unfollow after seeing you pierced her ears, poor baby. Bye!" added another. Others classified the act of piercing her child's ears as "abuse" because Duff presumably did not receive her consent. It's a topic fraught with controversy, as evidenced by an incident at Claire's earlier this year.
Despite the condemnation, many of Duff's fans are coming to her defense. For every negative comment, there are at least five positive ones that follow — most of which note how happy and adorable Banks looks. Others were quick to point out the longstanding tradition of piercing babies' ears in many cultures. And more asserted that Duff doesn't need anyone's approval or validation when making decisions regarding her child.
Curious what Duff thinks about all of this? So far she hasn't responded to the backlash, but it's likely her silence speaks for itself.