A mom’s attempt to shield her daughter from bullies has gone viral—but not everyone thinks she made the right call.
Vidya Gopalan, a 38-year-old mom-of-two, regularly shares heartwarming family moments with her 2.6 million TikTok followers under the handle @queencitytrends. But one video she posted in May sparked an unexpected debate.
In the now-viral clip, which has racked up over 35.7 million views, Gopalan is seen gently shaving her 12-year-old daughter Sahana’s upper lip and eyebrows. The reason? To protect her from bullying.
@queencitytrends Most gorgeous brows EVER #browngirl #browntiktok #momsover30 #momsbelike #momlife #momanddaughter #momtok #confidence ♬ Confident – Demi Lovato
“Ain’t no way you are getting bullied for your beautiful thick Indian brows,” Gopalan wrote over the video, calling her daughter’s brows the “most gorgeous ever.”
As she trimmed her daughter’s facial hair with a razor, she reflected on her own childhood struggles. “I remember getting made fun of when I was your age,” she told Sahana, recalling how she, too, had thick brows and facial hair.
Curious, Sahana asked why her mom hadn’t shaved her face when she was younger. Gopalan’s response was simple: “Because my mom didn’t let me.”
The video struck a chord with many viewers who had faced similar experiences growing up. The comments poured in, with people praising Gopalan for supporting her daughter.
“This warms my heart!! I got teased so much, and my mom didn’t let me get my brows waxed until high school,” one person shared.
Another wrote: “So sweet of you to do this for her. I remember getting bullied for my unibrow and mustache all the time. It’s traumatizing.”
A third commented: “I’ll never forget when a girl pointed out the hair on my upper lip in 6th grade. I didn’t even know it was there until then. She’s so lucky to have you!”
But not everyone saw it as an act of empowerment. Some argued that instead of removing the hair, the mom should be teaching her daughter to embrace her natural features.
“What you’re doing is great,” one commenter wrote, “but if my kid was being bullied, I’d fix the problem, not change her. I’d rather she grow to love it later than hate it from the start.”
Another added: “Eyebrows always look awkward when you’re young, but you grow into them. If you leave them alone, they shape to your face naturally.”
Some suggested that Sahana should be the one making the decision, not her mom. “Let her experiment with what she wants. If she chooses to keep it, great—it’s her choice,” one person wrote.
The debate raises a bigger question: Should parents step in when their kids face bullying, or should they encourage them to embrace their differences?
What do you think? Did Gopalan do the right thing, or should she have handled it differently? Let us know in the comments!
