A California resident decided to get his three-year-old son a manicure last weekend after his kindergarten teacher told him manicures were “only for girls.”
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“My son came home from school upset because his teacher told him that painting his nails was reserved for girls,” says Christian Shearhod from the start in a video posted on TikTok. “So I’m taking her for a manicure today!”
To date, the post has been viewed over 4.1 million times and liked by over 719,000 people on TikTok.
We see little Ashton walk into a nail salon in West Hollywood and enthusiastically choose his favorite color – pink – and lie down under the brush. At the very end, the blue-haired toddler proudly shows off his painted fingernails and grins from ear to ear.
In an interview with NBC, Ashton’s father, a math teacher, says he wants to make sure his son doesn’t feel guilty or ashamed about wanting to paint his nails.
@mr.shearhod in reply to @mikek755 Um, he’s a boy (and he’ll tell you himself). He just likes the color pink and paints his nails? I don’t think he should be talked into too much, especially as he’s very young. I just believe in promoting his interests to the fullest because life is meant to be explored and enjoyed (and as you can see painting his nails has made him really happy). #vice versa ♬ original sound – Christian Shearhod
“It’s something he loves,” he says, adding that he wanted Ashton to live life to the fullest at his age, without “strict gender norms.”
The next day, Christian Shearhod asked the daycare teachers not to repeat such comments to his son.
A shower of support
The number of comments passed the mark of 14,000 under the original publication, mainly in support of the family man.
“Teachers should not interfere in children’s lives at home. If my boy wants his nails painted, let him! Why does it bother an educator?” protests one surfer.
“As a teacher, I can’t imagine saying those words to a little kid… [l’éducatrice] tried to do? Destroy all his creativity?”
However, some party haters got involved in the debate and even asked the father if his child was gay. Christian Shearhod wanted to respond to this comment in a second video.
“[Ashton] literally three years old. He can’t be gay because he doesn’t have a sexuality yet, and you won’t assign a sexuality to him because he likes feminine things or things outside of gender norms,” responds Christian Shearhod, who shares his life with a trans woman and describes himself as straight.