A mom has sparked a debate on social media this week after sharing a video in which she gets her baby's ears pierced.
The video in question was first shared on TikTok by a woman named Marisa Carpineta on Sunday, August 1.
It begins with her baby girl crying and kicking while undergoing the delicate cosmetic procedure, and the video finishes with the young child smiling and happy with a pair of glittering ear studs adorning her lobes.
This brief clip quickly picked up a lot of attention on the platform, accruing over 398,000 views, 42,000 reactions, and a further 2,500 comments as of the time of writing.
However, the comments were split between those who approved of piercing the baby's ears, and those who seemed to think it was unsafe or harsh to the child.
For example, on the negative side, one person wrote: "What's the place called so I can leave a bad review, a screaming crying baby should not be pierced against their will."
Another person sacasticly stated: "Don't use a piercing gun, just hold your screaming infant down while a stranger shoved needles in her ears. Got it."
A third person opined: "This should be illegal. It should be the baby's choice when they can make one. Putting it through that pain with it wanting earrings is awful."
Then this TikTok user added: "This makes my skin crawl. Or don't inflict unnecessary pain on a baby!?"
Finally, someone else commented: "I would never expose my baby to unnecessary pain."
However, other commenters leaped to Carpineta's defense.
For instance, one person wrote: "This comment section is ridiculous. I had my ears pierced as a baby and completely happy I was! Pain I didn't have to go through when I got older."
A second person agreed with the above, writing: "My mom did them when I was a baby and I'm thankful."
Other commenters stated that piercing a baby's ears was an aspect of Hispanic/Latin American culture that was lost on outsiders.
Indeed, one TikTok user stated: "Yo Hispanics have been doing this since forever. Let people be man. So tired of the cancel culture and everyone hating on every little thing."
A second person added: "Me a Mexican laughing at these comments."
Carpineta herself later returned to the comments to joke: "Glad my Hispanics really came through on here."
According to the official website of the American Academy of Pediatrics, ear piercing is a safe procedure at any age, although it cautions parents to wait until the child is older to avoid potential infections.
So, do you think this young momma is right to pierce her baby's ears? Or do you believe she's way out of line? Let us know your thoughts in the comments section.
