Dad takes toddler son for a manicure after teacher says it’s ‘only for girls’

A California man took his toddler son for a manicure after the boy’s teacher told him ‘painting your nails is for girls only’.

“My son came home from school upset because his teacher told him that painting his nails was only for girls, so today I’m taking him to the nail shop!” Christian Shearhod said in a video shared on TikTok on Saturday.

The clip, which now has over 4 million views, shows Shearhod’s 3-year-old son, Ashton, in a West Hollywood nail salon, proudly shouting, “I want pink!” before sitting down for a full service manicure and pedicure.

At the end of the clip, the toddler shows off his bright pink manicured nails.

In an interview with NBC News on Tuesday, Shearhod, a Los Angeles County teacher, said his son showed an interest in nail polish when he was 2 years old.

“Since then, we started painting our nails together,” he said.

When Ashton came home upset after his teacher’s remark, Shearhod said he and his girlfriend hoped to cheer the boy up by taking him to the nail salon.

“I really wanted to make sure he didn’t have any guilt or shame, because it’s something he loved and we had done together many times,” Shearhod said, adding that he wanted that her son enjoys life to the full. at her age, without “strict gender norms”.

The next school day, Shearhod said he spoke with teachers at Ashton’s daycare.

“I just said to them, ‘Hey, I’d appreciate it if you didn’t say that kind of thing to Ashton, let him do his own thing,'” Shearhod recalled.

Since the video was shared on TikTok, more than 14,000 users have posted comments, mostly in support of father and son.

One user wrote, “As a teacher, I’m so sorry. I always tell my students that there is no “boy” or “girl” stuff. Just things we like.

Another user wrote, “I’m a girl and I work on cars. My brother-in-law loves the color pink. My son loves his painted nails. The earth always turns in the right direction.

While most responses to the video were positive, Shearhod said there were a few negative comments and inappropriate questions, including one user who asked, “So he’s gay?”

In a video response, Shearhod said, “He is literally three years old; he can’t be gay, because he doesn’t have a sexuality yet, and you’re not going to assign him a sexuality because he likes feminine things or things outside of his typical gender norm.

Shearhod, who is dating a transgender woman and identifies as straight, actively shares videos about her life on TikTok and has over 900,000 followers. Most of his videos highlight aspects of his life, including his relationship, which he says makes him a target for hateful and transphobic comments.

“I get stuff on my videos like, ‘You’re gay, you should go kill yourself.’ Like, all that stuff. I’ve never experienced that kind of hate,” he said.

Shearhod said despite the negativity he sometimes receives, he wants to use his platform to advocate for LGBTQ students.

“I just want to inspire students to really want to be themselves, unfiltered,” he said.