The Real Reason Rachel Zoe Waited 3 Years To Cut Her Son's Hair

As a famous person living life in the public eye, it’s inevitable that you’ll be subjected to some degree of judgement. (Thanks in large part to social media, which makes it beyond easy to sit behind your computer screen and insult someone you’ve never met.) Children, on the other hand, should always be off limits — but sadly, that’s just not the case. The latest celebrity parent to attract unwarranted criticism is Rachel Zoe, whose recent Instagram had countless commenters sharing their (infuriating) two cents.

“Big night tonight... huge. My @joeymaalouf gave #kaiusjagger his very first haircut #thisis3 #byebyehair,” the stylist captioned the photo, which shows Maalouf taking the scissors to Zoe’s three-year-old son’s long, curly hair. The negative replies rolled in: “It's about time. He looks like a girl.” “Yaay - now he'll look like a little BOY!!” “Finally. Thank god already. What were u ever waiting for?”

First things first: Whether you’re three years old or 30, the length of your hair and your gender are two separate things. They have nothing to do with each other. But for the curious, there is a reason Zoe chose to keep Kaius’ hair long: She and her husband, Rodger Berman, are Jewish, and they chose to honor the ceremonial custom of upsherin.

Popular in certain Orthodox and Hasidic sects, upsherin involves waiting until a boy turns three before he gets his first haircut. Some say it’s derived from a Torah passage that insists one must not eat the fruit that grows from a tree until three years after it’s been planted; they apply the same principle to cutting a child’s hair. It is hoped that the young boy, like the tree as it grows tall and fruitful, will grow in knowledge, strength, and good deeds.

Because not everyone is terrible, plenty of better-informed fans came to Zoe’s rescue, sharing their best wishes — and their own bittersweet memories of having done the same to their sons’ long, lush hair. Upsherin is worth celebrating, not judging — and with celebrity hair pro Maalouf behind the scissors, Kaius was definitely in safe hands.