Mom Slammed for Shaving 12-Year-Old Daughter’s Face: 'Don't Shave It'

• A mother of two recently shared a video on TikTok that caused a stir among the community.
• The video clip, which showed the mother shaving her young daughter's face, attracted much attention and discussion.
• The mother explained her actions, drawing much praise from the TikTok community.

Many parents wouldn't allow their children to shave until they've at least entered high school. Although the reluctance to let children indulge in cosmetics from a young age is often warranted, many people would argue that some exceptional cases should not be judged by this rule.

Vidya Gopalan, a 38-year-old mother-of-two, would argue that all rules do not apply in every context. Vidya is an active TikTok user who often shares videos of her and her daughter, Sahana Gopalan, with her vast follower base. While most of her clips have been well-received, her latest attracted a fair bit of attention.

Vidya's latest clip garnered more than 29.8 million views after it went viral. Countless users flocked to her page to see the heartwarming video of a mother and a daughter bonding over a shared experience. Although the footage elicited much praise from many users, others weren't quite as thrilled to see what the mom had in store for her daughter.

The video ended with a heartwarming shot of Vidya embracing her daughter in a big hug, while both of them smiled broadly at the camera.

After releasing the video, Vidya received a slew of encouraging comments praising her for her close bond with her daughter. That said, there were almost just as many scolding the mom for how she reacted to a problem her daughter faced at school. Some internet users believed that Sahana was better off without her mom's interference.

Nonetheless, Vidya stuck with her decision, choosing to help her daughter get rid of bullies by shaving her face. She went on to explain her actions, which garnered much sympathy, both for her and her young daughter.

Why Did the Mother Shave Her Daughter's Face?

In the viral video, Vidya could be seen standing beside her daughter, gently shaving away some of her eyebrows. The mother stared down at her daughter's face intently while she dragged the razor back and forth, and Sahana stood with her chin lifted slightly so her mother could get a good angle.

A few users chimed in with criticism, suggesting that Vidya shouldn't have put the video on the internet for thousands of people to see.

During the entire video, a pinned caption read, "Ain't no way you are getting bullied for your beautiful thick Indian brows." After dealing with Sahana's eyebrows, Vidya commented to her daughter that she was also made fun of because of her bushy eyebrows when she was a little girl. At this, Sahana looked back in astonishment.

After finding out her mother had also been bullied for her bushy brows, Sahana exclaimed in surprise, "Really?" Her mother explained that she had indeed been bullied, and when her daughter enquired why she never shaved her own eyebrows to take care of the situation, Vidya responded, "Because my mom didn't let me."

The video ended with a heartwarming shot of Vidya embracing her daughter in a big hug, while both of them smiled broadly at the camera. The mom captioned the post with the words, "Most gorgeous brows EVER," even as users flocked to the post, praising Vidya for boosting her child's self-esteem.

Sahana was overjoyed at her transformation, and many users sympathized with her. One person wrote that they were also bullied for having a mustache as a child. Another noted that they wished their mother would have allowed them to shave their "unibrow" when they were younger to deter bullies.

One user praised Vidya for helping her daughter, writing, "I love that you allow her to do this. Lots of moms think they're altering their babies but it's about confidence and self care!!" Many people echoed this sentiment, praising Vidya for being a caring and sympathetic mother who listens to her children.

The Internet's Varying Reactions

Facebook users also commented on Vidya's plan to stop her daughter from being bullied, showering the mother with praise and reassuring Sahana that she had nothing to be ashamed of. One person even suggested solutions of their own to encourage the mother-daughter duo in their efforts.

Praising Vidya for her empathy toward her daughter, the user wrote, "You are an amazing mom!! Look into Lazer! Wax and electrologist is painful." Another user added, "Protecting the child from bullying is exactly what mom should do. I recommend laser for less maintenance and a more permanent solution." One person noted:

"Mom's just looking out for her kid. I'd rather shave my face daily than have a beard (which is what i do lol), so having her moms support is great, rather than her mom telling her to just deal with the bullying (sic)."

Although the support was more than evident, there were numerous detractors as well. A few users chimed in with criticism, suggesting that Vidya shouldn't have put the video on the internet for thousands of people to see. Some suggested the video would merely encourage Sahana's bullies. One person wrote:

"This is stupid. Fine, wax or shave if you want, but don't tell the world about it.. Sounds like the real issue here is mom looking for attention online, and exploiting her daughter for it."

Others agreed, with one person adding, "So you don't want her bullied but you're fine plastering it all over social media, bullies win." Someone else commented, "Yeah. Announcing it to the world won't get her bullied either." Many agreed that sharing the video online wasn't the best approach, with one person noting, "Don't shave it."

One user suggested that by shaving Sahana's face and sharing it with the world, Vidya encouraged her daughter to think she wasn't pretty before shaving. They commented, "So are you telling your daughter that she has a hairy face and that she won't be accepted by others unless she shaves it?"

Want more like this? Click here to read about a mom who was slammed for feeding her eight kids out of a baby pool.