A mum has told her haters to "let folks live" after they claimed her children would grow up to be "ashamed" of her simply because she has tattoos and pink hair.
Gwenna Laithland, from the US, posted a video on TikTok in which she listed some of the common things people say to her as an "alternative mum" who embraces her tattoos, coloured hair, and piercings.
And even though most of us understand that the way you look or choose to express yourself has no bearing on how you parent your children, it seems some of Gwenna's biggest critics haven't got that memo.
In fact, one of the most bizarre comments saw a troll state that Gwenna doesn't "look like a mum".
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The woman, who posts under the username @mommacusses, wrote: "Things I get told being an alt mum with coloured hair, piercings, and tattoos."
She then listed the comments, which included "you're setting a terrible example for your kids, they're going to want the same", "you don't look like a mum", and "your kids are going to be so ashamed of you looking like that".
Gwenna also claimed she's regularly told that she'll "never be able to get a good job" with piercings and tattoos.
And in the caption, she wrote: "Seriously it’s 2022. How are we still having these convos?"
The mum further hit out at her haters in the comments of the video, where she asked them to "let folks live" and said there was nothing wrong with her children wanting to colour their hair as long as it's done safely.
She said: "Firstly like … why, bestie? Let folks live. And yes, my kids want coloured hair. Hair chalk is magic to them."
Commenters on the video were quick to defend Gwenna from further negative comments, with many of them praising her for raising her children to accept people from all walks of life.
One person said: "I still can’t get over how once you become a parent people just expect you to lose all sense of yourself."
While another added: "Genuinely don’t understand why it matters. It’s none of their business."
And a third wrote: "You are showing your kids to be who they are. Keep up the good work!"
There were also comments from some who had dealt with similar negativity, as they shared their own experiences with people who feel the need to comment on their parenting.
Someone said: "I’ve had a woman tell me my mother would be ashamed of me. My mum has tattoos and used to have piercings, and we both dye our hair fun colours."
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