In Defense Of North West’s Fashion Week Meltdown

Yesterday, Kim and Kanye took their daughter North West to see her dad's Adidas Fashion Show. Like any almost-2-year-old forced to endure loud noises, bright lights, and other forms of sensory overload, Nori had a bit of a meltdown while she was sitting on her mom's lap in the front row. Unlike other toddlers, however, North's tantrums are apparently held to a higher standard. If she's crying at 4 p.m., it's not because she's hungry, tired, or needs her diaper changed. She's obviously making a statement about the people sitting next to her — in this case Anna Wintour and Beyoncé — or her father's design attempts. Just look at the various headlines about Nori's tears. "North West's Front-Row Freakout," Page Six "Anna Wintour Has a Hilarious Reaction to North West's Front Row Tantrum," Us Weekly "Kim Kardashian's Toddler North Throws a Tantrum in Front Row at New York Fashion Week," Daily Mail "North West Hates Her Dad's Loud Fashion Show," Gawker "North West Cries at Kanye West's Adidas Runway Show — and Beyoncé and Anna Wintour's Faces are Priceless!," E! Online Even her own grandmother gleefully shared a photo of the moment. 

The Internet latched onto North's tears with equal zeal. The widespread interpretation of the moment was that a baby was throwing a tantrum, and the two women on either side of her mother were annoyed that their ability to watch a fashion presentation was being impaired by a child.

Listen, we were all North's age once. New situations can be overwhelming and scary, especially when you're tiny. Nori was also sitting next to a woman who wouldn't take her sunglasses off. I would have found that terrifying as a child. I needed to see people's eyes to know if I should trust them, especially if they were strangers. And, before North even arrived at the show, she'd been blinded by the paparazzi's cameras. Her tears are 100% understandable. On the flip side, I doubt Beyoncé and Anna Wintour were really that annoyed. They both have daughters, and I'm sure they've experienced toddler meltdowns. According to WWD, Kim took North backstage to comfort her shortly after these photos were taken, so don't you worry about Bey and Anna's enjoyment of the Yeezy show.  And really, who among us hasn't wanted to just sit down and have a good cry during an extremely stressful situation? If it results in a snack, mission accomplished. Still, this may have been North West's last fashion show for a while. Read these stories next:
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