We need to stop freaking out when people shave their babies' heads

OPINION: "I'm confused by your confusion. How do you not know about this in 2024?"

A TikTok of a mum shaving her baby's head has gone viral, being viewed 4.8 million times, mostly because people are confused by what they're seeing.

Mum Urara, whose baby product influencer account is @urara_babystuff, and who has half a million followers, posted a clip of her using an electric shaver to shave her baby son's head.

And many of the viewers who commented did not like what they saw; despite it being an ancient common practice.

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Urara was promoting a shaver... but also, shaving a baby's head is a common practice in many cultures. Source: TikTok

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"This feels illegal"

The point of the viral video was to show the ease and safety of the electric shaver the mum was using; evidently marketed at the millions of parents around the world who customarily shave their newborns' heads.

Urara clearly wrote at the top of the comments, "The same product is on my biiiiio liiiink and search keywords 'baby hair'."

But that sadly was not the point understood by many. Instead, they took aim at the act of the young infant's head being shaved.

Many demanded to know, "WHY?"

Others thought the head shaving could have been an attempt to make the hair grow back thicker; as one wrote, "Surely everyone knows now that cutting/shaving hair doesn't make it grow back any faster or different. Come on."

Urara's baby. Source" TikTok

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"I've never heard of it"

Horrified comments also included:

"Why would you shave a baby? Their baby hair before they lose it is the most precious thing!"

"Poor baby."

"This feels illegal."

"Wait what?! This can't be serious surely."

There were some commenters who recognised that many cultures do shave a newborn's head, as part of a 'welcome to the world' ritual. But astoundingly, despite the existence of the internet, there were those who denied this experience existed:

"So many comments about it could be a cultural thing... I'd like to know which culture cos [sic] I've never heard [of] it."

It's also a Thai tradition in the first month. Source: iStock

The mum doesn't bother to explain herself

What I love most about this clip is that the mother doing the shaving does not respond to any of the hate in the comments; nor does she explain herself.

Nor should she have to.

As a woman of Asian descent myself, I'm confused by people's confusion about this ritual. How do they not know about it in 2022?

Does this mean they have no colleagues, friends, or acquaintances, throughout their lives who have this lived experience?

It is an ancient tradition... performed the world over, and yes, even in Australia, and me and my siblings did.

But what is even more amazing is the audacity to call out a parent for doing what they feel is right for their baby.

As one commenter said, "Everyone freaking out over a baby's haircut!"

And that's all it should be to viewers; a baby's haircut. If you don't like it, jog on.

Originally published as We need to stop freaking out when people shave their babies' heads