Gisele Bündchen Stokes Mommy Blogs with Baby’s Pierced Ears
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Antonio de Moraes Barros Filho/WireImage(NEW YORK) — While on vacation in Costa Rica, supermodel mom Gisele Bündchen tweeted a photo of her adorable nearly 8-month-old daughter, Vivian Lake Brady, accessorized in a necklace and, to the surprise of many, tiny gold studded earrings.
The earrings have since sparked a debate on mommy blogs, with some mothers saying infants should not have their ears pierced, while others defend the act, calling it nothing more than a cultural rite of passage.
The photo, posted on Bündchen’s Instagram this weekend, has received more than 58,000 “likes,” but the moms ABC News’ Bianna Golodryga spoke with were split on the piercing question, “How young is too young?”
“For me, personally, I wouldn’t let my daughter do it,” one New York City mom said.
“They’re going to end up getting it done anyway,” another woman said. “Every girl likes their ears pierced.”
ABC News’ Good Morning America asked our viewers this morning on Twitter “How young is too young for pierced ears?,” and you weighed in with your opinions:
Bündchen, 33, who has two children with husband Tom Brady, is no stranger to parenting controversy.
The Brazilian fashion model made waves in 2010 when she told the UK edition of Harper’s Bazaar UK, “I think there should be a worldwide law, in my opinion, that mothers should breastfeed their babies for six months.”
She has also sparked conversation as an advocate for all-natural, at-home births, something she described in the 2008 documentary The Business of Being Born.
As for the piercing controversy, some say the whole thing might just come down to culture shock.
“I think what a lot of people don’t realize is that this is something that’s very popular in Gisele’s culture,” said Ericka Souter, editor of The Stir. “She’s Brazilian and in Latin America, it is very common to get your infant daughter’s ears pierced.”
Maybe so, but many moms question whether it is safe to do on children so young. ABC News senior medical contributor Dr. Jennifer Ashton says “yes.”
“Nothing is without risk, but, again, this is an area of the body that overall has a pretty low risk of infection,” Ashton said.
Copyright 2013 ABC News Radio