Lisa Wilkinson has slammed American singer and actress Hilary Duff for piercing her eight-month-old daughter Banks’ ears and publicising it on social media.
Speaking on The Project on Thursday night, the Australian TV host waded into the debate after the US star was accused of child abuse by ‘mum-shamers’ for posting a snap of her daughter’s ears on Instagram stories on Tuesday, Daily Mail Australia reports.
WATCH what Lisa had to say here:
Lisa, 59, said she couldn’t relate to 31-year-old Hilary’s decision, asking her co-host Waleed Aly: “Why why would you turn to social media to announce something like that?”
The Project panellist Rachel Corbett seemed to agree with Lisa, saying: “I don’t know that I can feel outraged about this – it is her kid – but I can’t imagine ever in my life having a little eight-month-old baby and thinking, you know what this little thing needs? Earrings.”
Waleed Aly, himself a father-of-two, defended Hilary by pointing out infant ear piercing is highly common in many international cultures.
“This extremely common though. White people don’t do it.”
The controversy kicked off earlier this week when the Disney star shared a photo of her little girl, who she shares with fiancé Matthew Koma, sitting on the floor in banana-print pants.
“She has enough hair for a pony! Oh yes, and we pierced her ears,” Hilary wrote on the snap.
Social media users flocked to the comments section to blast the actress for inflicting ‘unnecessary pain’ on her daughter, with one woman writing: “I can’t fathom why you would think it’s okay to have your daughter’s ears pierced. Causing her a tremendous amount of pain and discomfort.”
Another wrote: “Just wondering how she gave you consent to pierce her ears? Just won yourself an unfollow.”
But it wasn’t all negative news for Hilary, with many mothers supporting her right to raise baby girl Banks her own way.
“I don’t know why people feel the need to mum shame? This is a beautiful photo!” one woman said.
“I am 51-years-old and my sister and I had our ears pierced when we were babies, done with a needle. I’m okay, I’m not traumatised and I don’t remember – because I was a baby! People need to stop judging what other people do and look at what goes on in their own home,” another commented.
Hilary is also mum to seven-year-old son Luca Cruz who she shares with ex-husband Mike Comrie.
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