Viral video of baby's head being shaved divides internet: 'This feels illegal'
By Merryn Porter |
T?he internet can be a great place for new parents to swap ideas or find useful hacks. Even social media platforms such as TikTok can be a helpful tool for parents.
But every now and then something emerges that baffles the internet, and leaves people with more questions than answers.
That is the case with a TikTok video of a baby's head being shaved, which has gone viral.
Watch the video above.
The short, eight-second video was uploaded by TikTok user Urara who goes by the user name @urara_babystuff?.
Urara has more than 483,000 followers and according to their bio, shares "good stuff for mother and baby," including product suggestions.
But a video uploaded two months ago has left many scratching their heads.
The video starts with a close-up of a handful of hair and an electric shaver before it changes to the top of a young baby's head.
The shaver is then run over the baby's dark downy hair, taking off every last strand and leaving the baby with a clean-shaven head.
The video then shows the hair collected in the razor before it is dumped into a sink and washed down the drain.
It was uploaded with the hashtags #baby #babyproducts #babyfever and #foryou. It has so far racked up 4.8 million views and more than 26,000 likes, as well as hundreds of comments.
Many simply asked "Why?"
READ MORE: Ashleigh endured five miscarriages before welcoming her 'miracle' baby?
"Why would you shave a baby?? Their baby hair before they lose it is the most precious thing," said one.
"Poor baby," wrote another, while someone else said, "This feels illegal."
"Still don't understand why people shave the babies hair," said another.
"Surely everyone knows now that cutting/shaving hair doesn't make it grow back any faster or different. Come on," was another comment.
Others were upset that the hair wasn't saved as a keepsake.
"And they washed the hair down the sink like it meant nothing," said one.
But others defended the clip.
"Why y'all so distraught. It doesn't hurt the baby," said one.
"I will never understand why people care so dramatically when someone else cuts/shaves their own baby's hair lmao," said another.?
"It's hair people. Calm down," was another comment.
Offering another perspective, some people said it was a cultural or religious practice.
"It's a cultural thing people, chill," said one.
"In some cultures shaving hair from babies is common," said another. "This can be a religious thing," was another comment.?
"People getting mad but in some religions it brings good luck to shave it and donate the weight in silver. Or they have other customs," wrote another.
"Some cultures do this. Or some just do it to help baby hair grow back thicker."
Meanwhile, others said they had done it themselves.
"I [did] this to my son when he was a baby because his hair was all patchy. He has the best hair out of all my children!" said one.
Some even said shaving the baby's hair made it grow back "more even" or thicker.
For a daily dose of 9Honey, subscribe to our newsletter here
