Internet Haters Had Some Strong Opinions and Concerns Over This Little Girl's Unicorn Hair

One mother found herself in the middle of an Internet debate, all because she dared to give her daughter an edgy, multicolored haircut. Florida hairstylist Mary Thomaston says that for years, her 6-year-old daughter Lyra had been begging for a unicorn-colored dye job and a side shaved ‘do. Thomaston finally gave in last month, hooking up her little one with a bold teal mane with a purple and yellow shaved design on the side. “My very own baby unicorn. She’s been wanting this done for awhile now. All her own ideas,” Thomaston wrote in a photo she shared to Instagram of her daughter’s look.

Of course, as it is the Internet, people promptly offered their thoughts on Lyra’s coif. Some were concerned that the dye was harmful to the child: “If that isn’t temporary dye you could be doing unknown damage to the health and development of that very young child,” concerned commenter @agentkarma52 wrote. Thomaston was quick to shut down those claims. “I use all @manicpanicnyc to color my daughters hair. Don’t worry folks it’ll wash out. She wasn’t harmed in the process. Just putting that out there since some people seem to be having a hard time with me coloring my child’s hair. It’s hair….it’ll grow back!”

Others took issue with the child having to sit still for her mother to complete the hairstyle. “How long did this little girl have to sit to accomplish that! Why? Sometimes we forget they’re little and not a little doll,” @whiteytheb_boiii offered. “True. Like why would u do this to a lil kiddo?” @x_skittle_oreo_x echoed, as if children all over the world don’t ever have to sit still sometimes. “She sat as long as she needed to to get this done. She’s been asking for it for a long time. She played on her I pad and was perfectly content ’til we were finished,” Thomaston answered. “She wasn’t forced into anything. Cute as a doll… yes… treating her like she’s a doll… nope.”

Thomaston says she cleared the hairdo with Lyra’s school to make sure it wasn’t in violation of any dress or grooming codes, and that the hairstyle was just her way of allowing Lyra to express herself. Lyra is the daughter of a colorist, so it seems natural that she would be inspired by her mother’s work. Thomaston posted several images of her daughter’s look to Instagram, including one where Lyra is standing with her biceps flexed, looking strong and confident. “She said…’I feel GREAT!'” the caption reads. “Mission accomplished.”

Thomaston had a few more words for the naysayers commenting on her photos. “Dear Haters, I have this weird goal of raising self confident, self assured children, who know and feel the freedom of self-expression. So when my child asks for blue hair, I tell her how much I like her choice and how beautiful she is. Even better, I do it with quality products, that not only respect the integrity of her hair, but also fades out with time. I am not sure how you are raising your children, but keep your unwelcome opinions to yourself in regards to my child rearing. You do not like blue, cool, say so. You don’t like rainbow hair, cool, say that. These things are opinions you are entitled to, your disrespectful comments about my child are not. Lastly, I am not sure who the f*** does your hair, if you have chosen bad stylists in that past. But you are 100% inaccurate is assuming my child’s hair was damaged in this process. As a trained and licenced stylist, I can assure you it was not. Oh, and keep your negativity off my page next time.”

The hair is great, but nothing is more gorgeous than the confident smile on Lyra’s face. She clearly loves her look, she looks happy, and her hair is still healthy to boot. Shouldn’t that be enough?

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