Kim Kardashian has responded to growing criticism around her 12-year-old daughter North West’s finger piercings.
The pre-teen, who is the eldest of Kardashian’s four children with ex-husband Kanye West, first debuted the controversial bling on her right hand back in August.
At the time, North showcased two small silver balls just below her knuckle on her right middle finger, which is believed to be a dermal piercing.
This type of piercing has a microdermal anchor which is placed under the top layer of the skin on the finger.
Last week, North appeared to get another dermal piercing on her fingers despite fan concern that she’s ‘too young’ for body modification.
She shared a photo of the process of getting the piercing, which showed a rod going through North’s finger, to TikTok, as per screenshots taken by The Sun.
Kim Kardashian has responded to growing criticism around her 12-year-old daughter North West’s finger piercings
Back in August, North debuted two small silver balls just below her knuckle on her right middle finger, which is believed to be a dermal piercing
In response to North’s latest bling, a TikTok user by the name @mazzy_williams made a post admitting they were ‘heartbroken’ over the decision and asked if others felt the same.
‘north west getting a finger piercing is breaking my heart, just me?’ she wrote overtop footage of herself with her hand over her mouth, which earned over 651,000 views.
She also captioned the video: ‘what is going on #northwest #kardashians’Â
Two days later, Kim used her and North’s joint TikTok account to leave a comment under @mazzy_williams’ video.
‘it’s okay,’ the SKIMS founder wrote, followed by an emoji of two hands forming a heart.
The comment has earned nearly 10,000 ‘likes’ and inspired hundreds of people to chime in in defense of North as well as Kim and her parenting.
‘It’s such a non-issue,’ commented one fan, with another adding: ‘She wanted the piercing and Kim let her pls stop Kim’s just trying to let her kids express themselves.’
‘People just need to mind their business,’ another TikTok user wrote.
However, there were still plenty of critics in the comments, with several calling the placing of North’s piercing ‘hazardous.’
‘She’s literally 12 lol she’s a child and that’s a pretty permanent decision,’ read one comment.
Another wrote: ‘it’s very weird and don’t let people gaslight in the comments including Kim and North lol’Â
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After a fan recently expressed she was ‘heartbroken’ over North getting a piercing so young, Kim replied: ‘it’s okay’
Experts say dermal piercings carry significant risks, particularly when placed on the hands, which are prone to bacteria, bumps and movement that can easily cause rejection or infection.
According to Healthline, dermal piercings ‘carry a high risk of complications and this type of piercing requires meticulous aftercare’.
Many studios refuse to perform dermal piercings on anyone under 18, citing safety and hygiene concerns.
North’s latest piercing debut quickly circulated online after photos were also shared on Reddit, where users debated whether the tween’s parents should have allowed the procedure.
‘This is what happens when you need to be your child’s best friend and not a rational adult,’ one critic wrote.
Another said, ‘I couldn’t imagine giving my 12-year-old permission to have dermal and surface piercings like this, especially with the complications that come with them.’
Others pointed out the potential medical risks.
‘The potential for serious injury with this piercing is so unnecessarily high. Infection, rejection, nerve damage. A 12-year-old is not mature enough to care for this piercing responsibly,’ another wrote.
A number of users also criticized Kardashian’s parenting, suggesting she may be ‘pandering completely to North’.
‘Dermal piercings at 12 on your hand is wild. I’m all for letting kids express themselves, but not this, not at 12,’ one parent added.
According to Trist’n Peterson, co-owner and professional body piercer at Brightside Body Art in Missoula, Montana, dermal piercings are almost never approved for minors, and rarely recommended for adults.
‘Most body piercing businesses won’t give a surface piercing to anyone under 18,’ she told Scary Mommy. ‘Surface piercings are not permanent, and your body will eventually reject them, resulting in noticeable scarring.’
North’s latest piercing debut quickly circulated online after photos were also shared on Reddit, where users debated whether the tween’s parents should have allowed the procedure
Last month, Kardashian came under fire over the summer for letting North wear a corset during an outing in RomeÂ
While Kardashian did not address the backlash at the time, she explained she’s ‘still learning’ as a mother and that North was experimenting with her style to look like her friendsÂ
Her shop only pierces limited areas for clients between 13 and 18, such as earlobes, nose, septum or ear cartilage, but never fingers.
‘For surface piercings on a finger, most piercers wouldn’t even offer this on an adult,’ Peterson explained. ‘The finger has so much daily movement and potential to snag, causing the piercing to reject pretty quickly.’
It remains unclear where North got her piercings done, or whether Kardashian or her ex-husband Kanye West gave permission for the procedure.
Some fans have speculated that the piercing may have been performed outside the United States, as most US piercing studios would not allow a minor to undergo a dermal implant.
Last month, Kardashian came under fire over the summer for letting North wear a corset during an outing in Rome.
While Kardashian did not address the backlash at the time, she explained she’s ‘still learning’ as a mother and that North was experimenting with her style to look like her friends.
‘It’s really hard and it’s really interesting because all the kids are wearing the same things,’ Kardashian said on the Call Me Daddy podcast.
‘But then my daughter tries to wear it and then I’m like, “OK we’re never wearing that again” Unfortunately, we made that mistake in front of the whole world.
‘She’s usually a girl that dresses like a tomboy most of the time and she wanted to try something that her friends were wearing and went to the same place that they went to… and it’s just like, okay, wait, maybe you can’t wear that, you know?’
Kardashian continued: ‘So, as a mum, you’re kind of learning at the same time. But what I do know is my baby’s such a good girl and such a sweet girl.
‘The things that she has experienced, where she might have been outspoken or did something, she learns from that.
Kim told Call Her Daddy host Alex Cooper that it makes North ‘so happy’ to play around with funky hair colors and clothes
North is the eldest of Kardashian’s four children with ex-husband Kanye West; Kim and Kanye seen in 2020
‘She does listen to me but in other areas I’m like, “Babe if you want blue hair, it is what it is”. It makes her so happy. I would never take that creativity away from her.’
When North first debuted her bright blue hair, fans were divided online, with some suggesting the style was too mature for a preteen.
Yet Kardashian revealed her daughter had seen the discourse and had a very sassy response.
Kardashian recalled: ‘She’s really mature in one sense, where she’ll be like, “Mom, I saw this and I don’t really care if someone says they don’t like my blue hair or my this or that.”
‘She’s really confident and is like, “I probably wouldn’t be hanging out with those people. Like if you saw what they look like and what they’re wearing!”
Kardashian mused: ‘I just think anyone that’s raising kids, especially four kids by myself, I’m doing the best that I can and my babies are good babies.
‘So, I just urge everyone to not be judgmental and to have grace on single moms trying to figure it all out with a pre-teen. It’s a lot.’
