The clip of North West in heavy make-up with faux piercings and face tattoos has triggered a familiar cycle for the Kardashian family—viral focus on an image, a wave of criticism and defence online, and then a response from within the family that attempts to place the moment back in context. The video, posted on the verified TikTok account Kim and North, showed the 12-year-old with blue braided extensions, dark grillz, heavy lashes, and what appeared to be a septum ring and tattoo designs across her cheeks and forehead. The visuals prompted a surge of commentary across social platforms about whether the styling was appropriate for a pre-teen, while others noted it was close to Halloween and clearly costumed. In the days that followed, Kim Kardashian publicly addressed the reaction, calling the backlash “such a non-issue,” and described her daughter as largely unfazed by the criticism.
Kardashian’s first public response appeared in a social-media comment thread beneath a repost highlighting concern about North’s look. She wrote, “This is such a non-issue,” adding an emoji to underline her view that the discourse had become disproportionate to what, in her telling, was a playful, temporary look. The remark was widely circulated and became the touchstone of coverage across entertainment feeds as it distilled her position into five words.
The original TikTok—shared to an audience accustomed to North’s frequent experiments with hair, make-up and performance—had its comments turned off. A still grabbed from the video, however, ricocheted around X, Instagram and Reddit, where remarks ranged from scolding to supportive. Among posts collated by publishers and fan accounts, some users argued that the styling suggested “poor parenting” and was “scary,” while others countered that pre-teens routinely try out dramatic looks and that the difference here was the family’s visibility. The debate quickly flipped from a discussion of one child’s costume choices to a broader argument about the boundaries of self-expression, parental oversight online, and the ethics of mass commentary on the appearance of a minor.
Kardashian then expanded on her stance in interviews and podcast appearances, providing context for the imagery and her approach to raising a pre-teen in a family constantly in the public eye. She has said that North enjoys creative expression, including fashion and special-effects make-up, and is studying those skills. She added that her daughter is “really mature” in certain respects and is not easily rattled by outside opinion. Kardashian also acknowledged that parenting decisions sometimes play out in public and that she has made mistakes that she would not repeat, citing instances where she allowed looks she later decided were inappropriate for North’s age. She framed the viral face-art and piercings as part of a seasonal, costume-style experiment rather than a permanent or lifestyle change, and said her daughter largely shrugged off the online reaction.