responding to the radio's "hot take" since i wasn't able to call in. some mom was getting her 3yo's ears pierced at claire's & a lady came up to her, called her a disgusting excuse for a mother & said she hoped someone held the mom down & did painful things to her like she just did to her daughter, then added that she had just taught her daughter anyone could do anything they wanted to her body w/o her permission.
callers' hot takes:
1 said piercings little girls' ears is totally normal & she got her INFANT'S ears pierced bc "people kept calling her a boy"
2 said "does that lady have a boy & did she get him circumcised?"
3 said she got her daughter's ears pierced at TWO DAYS OLD
4 said her ears were pierced as a child by an ENT because she didn't cry when her tonsils were removed o.O;
my hot take:
1st, it was not that lady's business to publicly criticize & shame that mom. she didn't change anyone's minds about anything.
2nd, circumcision is a poor comparison bc unlike ear piercings there are legitimate medical benefits to circumcision, and it's also done with either a topical anesthetic or a device that painlessly removes the skin over a couple of weeks (not unlike how the umbilical stump dies & falls off)
+
3rd, "people keep calling my daughter a boy" is a shit reason to subject your toddler or infant to a painful unnecessary procedure. get over your insecurities. old ladies kept calling my daughter a boy and i did not care. they were actually mad at me for not correcting them, but seriously, i don't care. she's a baby, she doesn't have gender dysphoria.
4th, if you must pierce, FFS DON'T GO TO CLAIRE'S! go to a professional piercer where a sharp needle is used, not a gun that rams a blunt stud +
@dietotaku ear piercing infants can be a cultural thing. i think it's not a good idea, because infants/toddlers can't take care of their own piercings, and are far more likely than an older child to tear the earrings/studs out of their ears while playing.
that said, if one is going to pierce an infant's ears, either have the doctor/hospital do it or a professional piercer, so that it's safe, sanitary and painless (they can use numbing cream).
@dietotaku another reason not to pierce infant/toddler ears is they can't tell you if they have metal allergies, or you can cause metal allergies
my piercings have closed up & i've thought about getting them redone, but i'm allergic to everything besides Sterling silver, which severely limits any choices in earrings anyway
@redenigma excellent point! reputable piercing parlors use hypoallergenic metals like surgical steel, titanium and sterling silver in their tools & jewelry, but the best way to avoid a metal allergy is to not pierce a child in the first place.