Our social media feeds are often saturated with the latest beauty trends. These days, we find ourselves jumping on board the rainbow hair train, dyeing our locks in pretty pastel hues to satisfy our inner 6-year-olds. But when an actual 6-year-old girl did the same, it garnered some pretty negative responses.
Last month, a hair stylist in Florida, Mary Thomaston shared a photo of her 6-year-old daughter Lyra and her freshly-coloured hair on Instagram. The hairstylist mum gave her daughter a unicorn-inspired hairdo, with her full length coloured in teal and a trendy side-shaved style tinged with purple, pink and yellow. The results were obviously way too cool for Lyra’s first grade in school. The photo had received of positive reactions, but some people decided to use that opportunity to judge Mary Thomaston’s parenting skills, saying that it’s inappropriate for a young girl to sport such a vibrant look and that her daughter’s hair has been damaged in doing so.
Little did these haters know, transforming Lyra’s hair drastically wasn’t a decision that was made on a whim. According to Mary, Lyra had been begging for a colourful ‘do for years, until her mum finally caved in. She chose to use Manic Panic hair dyes which are non-toxic and non-permanent so it’s safer for Lyra’s hair. She also checked with Lyra’s school to make sure her new hair wouldn’t be a violating to any existing rules, and she had a serious discussion with Lyra about what it means to make such a extreme change. This responsible parent has it all under control and she knows that there’s nothing more important than putting a smile on her little girl’s face. And look at Lyra, she clearly loves her new look!
Mama Bear also had a few words for the naysayers. She commented, “Dear Haters, I have this weird goal of raising self confident, self assured children, who know and feel the freedom of self-expression. So when my child asks for blue hair, I tell her how much I like her choice and how beautiful she is. Even better, I do it with quality products, that not only respect the integrity of her hair, but also fades out with time. I am not sure how you are raising your children, but keep your unwelcome opinions to yourself in regards to my child rearing. You do not like blue, cool, say so. You don’t like rainbow hair, cool, say that. These things are opinions you are entitled to, your disrespectful comments about my child are not. Lastly, I am not sure who the f*** does your hair, if you have chosen bad stylists in that past. But you are 100% inaccurate is assuming my child’s hair was damaged in this process. As a trained and licensed stylist, I can assure you it was not. Oh, and keep your negativity off my page next time.”
