Knowing if you're making the right choices for your children can be tough. Social media and mum-shaming have made it a whole lot tougher.
Jessica Simpson is the latest victim of mum shaming as she faced backlash over a recent Instagram post.
Simpson posted an update about her 7-year-old Maxwell ‘Maxi’ Drew and how she had let her dye her blonde locks after some inspiration from a Disney movie.
Maxi was all smiles as she got the ends of her hair dyed and posed for her mum when her purple-tinged look was complete.
“Inspired by The Descendants #901girl #MAXIDREW,” Simpson, 39, shared, posting the photo to her Instagram.
Haircuts and nail painting and picking outfits are all part of growing up. In my opinion, it is vital to allow your child that room to grow and learn about themselves and the world. If we never allow them to explore their own likes and dislikes, how will they ever know what they like and don’t like?
I do agree it should all be age-appropriate but in my opinion, that is up to the parent to determine.
But by the looks of it, I am part of the minority. Trolls were quick to comment and shame Simpson for being so reckless with her young daughter's hair.
“Why start ruining her hair so young,” one Instagram user commented, while another wrote, “Don’t like it at all !!! Much better before the color. The new color makes her look older than her age.”
As the mum shamers let Simpson know exactly what the thought, there was many others who had her back.
“Great job mom !! Allowing her to express herself and trying new things that aren’t permanent nor hurtful but allow her to embrace her style and set the tone for who she wants to be while not being scared to try new things and be herself – your winning mommy !!” the user wrote.
It is a sign of great parenting, in my opinion, to let a child explore who they are and to help them grow their individuality. If you don’t agree with a parent's choices, when is it ever okay to give your opinion or worse, shame them for it?
Simpson also had support from other women in the industry. Pink made it quite clear she was done with people mom-shaming her and also other mums, as she posted not long after Simpson.
"I heard people were bummed on Jessica Simpson for letting her seven year old get her hair colored. So we thought we’d share what we did yesterday," Pink posted along with a picture of the singer dyeing her 8-year-old daughter Willow's hair blue.
She added several hashtags like "blue hair don't care," "get your own kids" and "parent police are actually just lonely sad people."
She also turned off comments for the post.