When our kids are young, we make all of the decisions for them. We choose what they wear, how they do their hair, and whether they can do things like get their ears pierced, which is a hot button topic for many parents who believe kids should choose whether to get pierced.
Body autonomy is a big deal, and kids definitely should be able to have a say over how to express themselves. But where do you cut that off? Earrings are one thing, but what about additional piercings for kids? We aren’t talking about teenagers. We mean actual kids.
One mom on TikTok has some parents raging over her decision to allow her 9-year-old daughter to get her nose pierced. No, she didn’t let the little girl alter herself permanently with something like a tattoo, but some parents think that she took it way too far with a kid who is entirely too young.
Let’s start from the beginning, shall we?
TikTok mom Meagan Black, known online as @megz_nichole217, and her daughter, Bella, have been digital creators for a while. They have a decent following of more than 45,000 and 2.5 million likes on their posts because a couple of their videos have gone viral. But they are stirring up some controversy now. Meagan posted a video of Bella talking into the family’s video doorbell and speaking in a silly voice. It has 2.3. million views.
We hear Meagan say, “How can I help you?”
Bella responds, “Open the noor, please,” and she moves her face closer to the camera.
This goes on for a few seconds, and it sounds like the door is opening, right before the video ends. It seemed pretty innocent and silly — that is, until people noticed the hoop in her nostril.
Comments started to fly.
TikTokers went after Meagan, and they went hard. People couldn’t believe she would allow her daughter to have a body piercing.
“OMG IS SHE 9 or 19 because why would a little girl get her nose pierced?” someone asked.
“HOL ON HOW OLD IS THAT CHILD TO HAVE A PIERCING,” another person wondered.
“It’s not normal for kids to have piercings? when I was 9 I wanted one that I use a clip and shaped it to look like a nose piercing just me? ,” a TikToker agreed.
Meagan went mama bear and clapped back at critics.
There were also comments suggesting that people thought Bella was kidnapped. Meagan promptly addressed the issue, telling followers it was a joke and to relax. She quickly moved on to the nose ring. She wanted everyone to know exactly how she feels about the judgement.
“She’s 9 years old. If she wants a [expletive] nose ring. A [expletive] nose ring? What is the big deal with that?” she says in the follow-up video.
She defends her choice, pointing out that it isn’t a tongue or eyebrow ring and that she didn’t “tattoo her face.” She says Bella wanted a simple nose ring like every other “American man and woman from the age of 16 to probably 95 now.”
Well, that’s where more people got worked up. She isn’t 16 — she's 9. And many people believe that is just too young.
After that video, the mom went after the trolls again.
Her next video garnered almost 1 million views, and she had some support this time around. In the video, she mimics the world’s smallest violin with a Dido song playing in the background. The video is simply captioned, “You’re a bad mom for letting your 9-year-old have a nose piercing.”
The video ends with Meagan giving the world the finger, and away she goes. This time, the mom had a lot of people on her side.
“Probably hating cause their parents didn’t let them get one when they wanted, she looks so bada–!❤️,” one follower wrote.
“It’s just a piercing like it’s not letting them get a full sleeve of tats it’s her kid not there’s if she has let her get that done that’s her choice,” someone agreed.
Other parents thought Meagan was right. “I mean she’s old enough to know whether or not she wants them plus it’s not like it’ll leave a huge scar?” another comment reads.
Ultimately, it is up to them.
No matter what the public opinion, if her parents say it is OK, then Bella can do what she wants.
Meagan said they went to a licensed shop for the piecing; all they needed was parental consent. Plus, Bella can always take it out.
You do you, boo. But maybe hold off on a tattoo for a few more years.
