Every parent has the right to raise their child how they see fit, but certain unusual practices confuse some people, while it causes judgment in others. There’s no single way to raise a child, but many people have been questioning the creative methods of Shameka Morris, who has decided to decorate her baby’s body with tattoos.
Every mother approaches parenting differently based on their own beliefs and methods, but some of these methods are very controversial, especially when it affects the well-being and safety of the child.
Shameka Morris, a fashion designer from West Palm Beach, Florida, has faced this controversy, creating a viral debate all across social media. The debate comes from the scandalous news that Morris has been tattooing her son, Treylin, since he was only six months old. Now, before you completely lose it, keep in mind that she’s doing this with painless, temporary tattoos, but the shocking aesthetic that you can see in these pictures has drawn attention and opinions from people all over the world.
But how come there’s such an outrage from the general public over a couple of tattoos? As you can see from the photos, he doesn’t just have one or two pieces of ink. Literally, his whole body is covered in these tattoos, which is causing criticism. Regardless of the feedback she’s been getting, Shameka often declares her love for tattoos and says she has no regrets about her decisions.
Despite the tattoos being temporary and the little boy having a smile on his face in many of these images, this mom could care less about the opinions of others, stating, “For the people that judge me, I don’t care because this is a lifestyle that we enjoy.”
In an interview, she opened up more about her experiences, sharing, “I receive a lot of aggressive reactions. People claim that I am raising my son as a ’gangster’ or a ’thug,’ and they are not accustomed to seeing a baby with tattoos.”
Furthermore, Shameka shared that when she was eight months pregnant with Treylin, she did a maternity shoot with her brothers at a tattoo parlor. According to Morris, that’s when the mockery on social media started. Negative comments were filled with the sentiment that her baby “would be born with many tattoos and that his skin would be tainted.”
Despite the fact that this body art isn’t harming the little boy, many worry that this practice will have a negative impact on Treylin and that he’s too young to understand the implications of what’s being put on his body since he doesn’t understand the concept of consent at his age.
Morris herself claims that her baby loves his tattoos, saying he dances in front of the mirror and feels more confident, but since babies are too young to make their own decisions, a lot of individuals are skeptical about that.
It would be one thing if he were a bit older and let his mother know that this is a way of creatively expressing himself, but since it seems to be her outlet of creative expression, it only seems that she should do so on her own body.
According to this mother, the backlash from the comments has emotionally damaged her. She said, “The reaction has been terrible. It hurts my feelings because I know I am not a bad mother.”
Morris’s sister Dinera said, “When Shameka came up with the idea, I wasn’t down with it, I was totally against it. I did not want her to do that with him. But since I’ve seen where it could take her and Treylin, I didn’t have no issue with it because it turned out to be a positive thing.”
While we’re not sure of Morris’s parenting quality in other areas, we understand many parents’ concerns. However, calling a child a “thug” based on body art does seem like a form of racial prejudice that isn’t on, no matter how skeptical folks are of her eyebrow-raising artistic decisions.
We hope that this decision doesn’t haunt Shameka and her son for the rest of their lives. Since tattoos are seen as a way to express oneself, it may make more sense for Shameka to use her own body as a canvas, or perhaps sketch tattoo ideas that she wants to show her son when he’s a bit older.
Tattoos have never been a conventional thing in society, but they become even more bizarre when it’s done on a baby. Adult tattoos, however, are more commonly accepted and appreciated by others, especially since grown-ups have the ability to be more aware of a tattoo’s significance and can share the history of it when people ask. While tattoos are usually empowering for the individual, we’re not so sure about this case!
Despite all the haters, these two have a lot of fans. Today, the toddler has 118,000 followers on Instagram, showcasing his fake tats and stylish outfits.
