So much important breaking news this morning! Jimmy Carter is going to North Korea, Pope Francis says he doesn't judge gay clergy, and Gisele Bündchen got her baby's ears pierced. In other news ... oh wait, should we go back to that last one? All right, I guess. Over the weekend Gisele posted a photo of 8-month-old Vivian Lake, and you can see that baby's got a pair of gold studs in her ears.
It's not news. But people are going to get their panties in a twist over it anyway, I'm sure. Oh these decadent celebs and their jewelry and their babies and their jewelry on babies and their poking of holes into their babies' ears for the jewelry. What about the risk of infection? What about looking too grown-up, too soon?
But it's not a big deal. Piercing a baby's ears is a Latin thing -- and Gisele is Brazilian. Some babies get their ears pierced right there in the hospital right after they're born -- which could be when Vivian Lake got hers done. And if the world's most judgy mom gets her baby's ears pierced, you know it's okay. Oh, I'm kidding! (Actually, I think that's the funniest part -- finally, something people can judge Gisele for.)
I had my ears pierced when I was a baby, too. So did my sister and all my girl cousins. And I never thought of earrings as particularly "grown-up." Just girly. Maybe it's just because I'm Latin, but I love how little baby girls look with their wee stud earrings.
I'm glad I had it done when I was just a baby, too. I have no memories of the "trauma" for one thing. I know babies experience pain -- but ear piercing is probably less painful than a vaccination shot. (Oh fine, also way less necessary.) Half the pain of getting your ears pierced when you're older is wrapped up in the anxiety of expecting that pain.
At least it's not circumcision. I guess you could go all slippery-slope and say it's all the same thing. But ear piercing is usually not permanent, and it's just your earlobes, and it's a quick procedure. It's pretty minor. I don't have a girl, but if I had, I would have had her ears pierced while she was still a baby.
You do have to learn how to care for your pierced ears, but I think that's a good thing. As for imposing a cosmetic choice on a child before she's ready -- meh. The thing is, if you grow up and decide pierced ears are not for you, you just stop wearing earrings and the holes close up.
What do you think about getting a baby's ears pierced?
Image via giseleofficial/Instagram