A mother-daughter duo from the UK had people talking after the mom let TikTok decide whether she should pierce her young daughter's nose. Tink, aka @cherries_87, and 12-year-old Ruby are a much-loved pair on the platform with 673,000 followers. Ruby recently told Tink she wanted a little bling for her nose, and Tink agreed under one condition: She had to get 25,000 likes from TikTokers. How do you think that went?
The video posted June 19 now has more than 90,000 likes to date, and true to her word, Tink, a certified piercer, gave her girl a tiny stud in her nostril. Of course, that caused all kinds of trouble not only on social media but also at school. Some think Ruby is too young, and others believe her mom is just trying to get attention for herself. But whose business is it anyway?
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The video was hot from the second it was published.
The video didn't take long to hit its 25,000-like threshold. Tink published a follow-up that day saying that she had set the bar far too low. The video hit 27,000 likes in no time.
"Remind me to never, ever do something like this again on an app where she is loved so much," the mom said.
A very excited Ruby smiled as her mom said she is a person of her word and would be piercing her daughter's nose closer to the end of the school term.
TikTokers loved the idea, but Ruby's school did not.
Tink shared a video of her piercing Ruby's nose, saying 70,000 TikTokers wanted her to do it. The pair are all smiles, but many comments trickled in about what Ruby's school officials might think.
Tink addressed concerns about the school and admitted officials did tell Ruby she couldn't wear it. The school has a no facial piercing rule, which they were aware of, but the mom said Ruby will cover it with a bandage until school is out.
"So it's not that bad. We did get told off. We did get a slap on the wrist, and she was told that she wasn't allowed to any lessons until they'd spoken to me. But when we spoke to them, and I said that I'd compromise, everything was OK," she said.
Some people loved it.
TikTokers flooded Tink's account, viewing the actual piercing video 876,000 times. Followers seemed excited for Ruby and loved the new look.
"OMG it looks amazing," one TikToker complimented her.
"you slay x," another person wrote.
And lots agree that it suits her. "So pretty ," one comment reads.
'What an amazing mum not,' a comment on her original post reads.
Tink took the opportunity to address this person in a separate video.
"I'm not quite sure where this comment's come from in the sense of calling me out like that. 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.
"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 done it. She wanted that to make herself feel good, so I done it for her," Tink explained.
"It's come from a place of love, and it's come from a place of want for her to go to school feeling confident and not worrying about bullies saying anything else. So thanks for your comment, but her nose is doing really well, and it really suits her."
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Tink said she isn't against the school. She is working with it.
The mom addressed criticism about allowing her daughter to have a nose piercing, coloring her hair, and being an individual. She said she wants her daughter to be happy and is doing everything the school asked her to do.
"All I want to do is to be able to help and change the way and that's working with the school. I want to work with them, not against them. I'm not about hatred, I'm not about spreading negativity. Positive," she explained. "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 posting videos to raise awareness of how hard it is for kids, then I will do that."
Whether you agree with Tink letting Ruby color her hair or pierce her nose or not, there is no denying this mother adores her daughter.
"Your 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 ❤️❤️," someone commented.
