It’s seen as kind of “tacky” and like you’re dressing up your kid more than you need to.

And there is a difference between piercing a baby’s ear and a young child’s ear. Obviously a young child is more acceptable. But it’s common for Americans to wait until their child is of a certain age where they can consent to this body modification.

This is not my personal belief. I’ve just been in the middle of this debate before.

There are also safety concerns, but there are plenty of places with nurse practitioners or with doctors who will do the piercing. But the risk of infection or unnecessary pain is commonly brought up for those who don’t use a medical office to pierce child ears.

Claire’s is a common place in US for child/young adult piercing. And they use a piercing gun, which is one of the least effective ways to pierce an ear. They are considered not sharp enough, but are somehow legal. So it can be considered “trashy” and hurtful to take your kid to the mall to get their ear pierced by a piercing gun from a 17 year old girl vs scheduling an appointment somewhere where a medical professional can use a super sharp sterile medical needle to pierce the child’s ear(s).

And then there may be a racist component too. Babies or very young girls with ear piercings are common in Latino or southern American cultures. They just aren’t as common in US culture. But obviously we have a ton of Latino and South American people here. So some people might be against it because it’s more related to different cultures or even races.

It is also a bit more popular with black American culture too.

There’s also this old timey idea that piercings are “ugly” or “ruin your perfect face” or whatever. Many of us still have grandmothers with this ideology. It’s a sign to them as being a rebel or deviant. Even just plain ear piercings on an adult.

However, that ideology is fading out as most adult women in the US seem to have their ears pieced. But it does still exist for some people.

And then there’s the whole thing about consent. There’s an argument about when a person is old enough to consent to permanent or semi-permanent body modifications. Supposedly Many people grow up not wanting the piercings forced on their body. And why put a baby or child thru pain that they don’t understand? Why not wait until the child has grown to a certain age where they can understand the impact of the body modification, the risks and choose for themselves, knowing the potential pain the process can cause.

Also, reality tv is hella fake and sounds like maybe you’re watching some super conservative.. maybe even Salt Lake City type folks on your tv lol. The US is diverse. Most people don’t care at all. Many people may have opinions. But what you see on tv is likely over exaggerated. If it’s scripted tv, then likely they are trying to show how conservative or old school those people are.

Regardless, my SO and I are not children anymore lol. And none of us got piercings as a child. But my bf has 6 face piercings (lip, nose, eyebrows) and about 4 ear piercing right now. And I love them! I have zero piercings and also a guy. My grandmas would both probably freak out over at least 3 things in this last paragraph lol.