Are you agaisnt piercing baby girls ears?

[Anonymous]

I’ve been hearing people that are very much against piercing babies ears, even calling it “child abuse” and saying that it’s nonconsensual. Personally, I don’t really see the big deal with it? I think it’s cute and harmless, and I’ve never heard a woman complain about it and say that they regret that their parents got her ears pierced.
I’m also wondering if this is a cultural thing, as I am half African and it’s normalized in our culture.

Yes, I’m against it

No, it’s okay

[Losalt]

If a child *asks* for it then that's a different matter.
But *any* modification of *anyones* body without their consent is every bit as ethically problematic as rape or murder in my view, because consent or rather lack of it is why I consider those two crimes wrong to begin with.
Murder is ending someones life without their consent.
Rape is using someones body without their consent.
In both cases people are ignoring another persons bodily integrity and ownership of themselves.
Beating a child as punishment is abuse again because of a lack of consent, a consent that a child is unable to give.
And so one and so forth.
If you want your daughter to have a ear piercing at least wait till she wants it herself.
Then she'll also appreciate it more and you can share that mother-daughter experience, bonding over it.

[Losalt]

Basically, unless their life or health is in danger don't make any changes before they're old enough to have a opinion on the matter themselves.
A hole in the ear isn't as big of a deal or as irreversible as certain other body modifications so I do think that a child *can* consent to it, but only if a adult is careful to not pressure them into doing it.

Larger changes should probably wait till adulthood or at the very least their teens.

[Kaneki05]

I find it a issue. It should be a thing one gets later on when they can ask and understand what it is not before.
Like most things.

African culture may have there way's around bodily modification but that's mostly because they didn't advance quite far as other society's and still had more tribal ways of doing things. Tribal way of doing things isn't normally advantageous to a more advanced state of a society. Which is why we lose stuff like that, and weird cultural beliefs on the way. Like tales of animals doing something naturally they do anyway means something like good luck or your pregnant and them kinda weird things.

Just typically if it's done in the past, don't mean it will be a good thing for the future. There is reasons to why such things advance and become not relevant no more.

[lrina]

i think it's fine. i got mine pierced when i was 3-5 and i had no say in it, and i don't see anything wrong here. plus even if you grow up to hate your piercing for some reason, you can just take out the earrings and the hole will close up on its own. not a big deal honestly in my opinion.

[Losalt]

We have different opinions there.
Body modifications not critical to a childs health and wellbeing should never occur prior to their ability to give a informed consent.

I do however agree that the consequences are low, but not nonexistent, so I therefore would consider a consent from a child (6-7 year olds) acceptable if they genuinely want it without being promoted by an adult after having a talk with me or another adult about the pros and cons of that choice vs the alternative of staying unmodified.

[Aurora1010]

I'm Mexican, it's normalized in my culture too. My parents got mine pierced when I was a baby.

[Aurora1010]

And I wouldn't even let anyone question their parenting

[TadCurious]

I'm strongly against that. It's not done for the wellbeing of the child but for the vanity of the stupid parent (s). They're treating their child like she's a doll to play with.

[Astarlessnightsky]

Why not give the baby some nipple piercings or tattoos as well?

[Deckbuzz]

I think all baby girls should have their ears pierced before the age of six months. It looks very cute, is less bother at that age and gets it over with before they go to school etc. No girl who has their ears pierced as a baby will be cross with her parents for doing so.

[DaveJord]

I think the girl should decide for herself when she is old enough. Let kids be kids for as long as possible, once they reach a certain age there is no going back.

[Shamalien]

What does a baby want with fking earrings? Leave em alone ffs

[Anonymous]

I'm against the modification of an innocent baby in any way regardless of gender. This includes circumcision or piercings.

The only things I'm OK with are things that are medically necessary. circumcision, and piercings are not in that list.

[Kaneki05]

There are medical reasons for circumcision like Phimosis. So that would be one on that list. But yeah none for piercings at least to my knowledge.

[Opinion Owner]

Except that, save for cases like phimosis, it's almost never medically necessary..

[Losalt]

@Kaneki05
And with circumcision you risk having infections without visible symptoms, but it might still cause problems for the girls you have sex with...
Not to mention the issues that circumcision can cause for a man's sex life...

[Kaneki05]

@Losalt you do know what phimosis is right? because if you do then everything you just said is Uno reversed so well done. And been circumcised causes much less problems.

[exitseven]

My daughter had to wait until she was 15 to get her ears pierced.

[Losalt]

15?
I think I would let a 7 or 8 year old do it if they're mature enough to understand it personally.
But I appreciate that you didn't do it to her as a infant without her consent.

And given that 15 is legally the age of consent in many European nations I kind of see why you picked that age.

[megabamse]

Yes I'm against it