A mum who went viral after waxing her three-year-old's eyebrows explained that she doesn't want her child getting bullied.
What do you think of the footage?
Leah Garcia, 31, posted a video on TikTok recently in which she can be seen waxing the eyebrows of her daughter, Bliss, alongside the caption: “IDC [I don’t care]! IDC! I'd rather y'all call me a bad mom before I let my 3-year-old walk around with a unibrow like my parents did!"
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In the clip, the youngster can be seen quickly having the wax strip removed from between her eyebrows, before saying: "Ow, mom, that hurt me.”
In response, Leah replies: "All right, girl, now you got two eyebrows!"
Since posting, the video has gained millions of views and it's safe to say that there were some mixed opinions.
One person commented: “As soon as a parent points out a flaw it will stick with them forever. Even if they are thankful, they’ll remember not being perfect for mom.”
Another said: “Maybe at the age 7-8 but 3?”
A third wrote: “Ugh I wish my mom did this for me. Got bullied so hard for my eyebrows and my arms.”
A fourth said: "I was teased so much in elementary school, this is what I wish my mom did!"
Others suggested that the mum should try a different method: "You should try the eyebrow shavers, and if she’s a wiggler, try doing it safely while she’s asleep. I learned this with my daughter when she was 1!"
Leah has since responded to the criticism levelled at her, saying it was Bliss’ choice to have her brows waxed and that she’s helping prevent her from becoming a target of ‘cruel’ bullies.
She told Today: “As a child, I had very thick and dark eyebrows and I'd shave behind my parents' back because my father didn't believe children should worry about things like that.
"I remember a boy saying to me in kindergarten, 'Why are your eyebrows so big?'
Leah says she waxes Bliss, and her elder daughter Behautti, 11, with their permission.
She explained: "We have 'waxing days' at home. I ask, 'Who wants to wax?' No one is holding down Bliss – she's not screaming in pain. It's her choice."
The mum also said she could understand why some people were critical but said she does it to stop bullies from picking on her daughter.
"I understand where [critics] are coming from but kids can be cruel.
"Waxing her unibrow isn't giving in to bullies; it's preventing them from targeting my daughter."
Shola Lee