North West, the 12-year-old daughter of Kim Kardashian and Kanye West, appears to have removed a controversial finger piercing after facing criticism online. The piercing, a dermal implant on her middle finger, was visible in photos from a summer trip to Italy but was absent in recent Instagram posts shared on Tuesday (30 December).
In the new images, North posed with friends in the snow, wearing a Balenciaga puffer jacket with her blue hair visible under the hood. Her hands were clearly shown, but the piercing was no longer present. Earlier this month, she had defended the piercing on TikTok, telling critics to 'pull it together' in a video with the caption: 'This is for everyone that's mad over a finger piercing.'
The piercing had sparked backlash, with commenters questioning Kim Kardashian's parenting. One critic wrote: 'She's literally 12 lol she's a child and that's a pretty permanent decision.' Another added: 'I wish her mother had allowed her to grow up away from the public eye.'
Kim Kardashian has previously defended North's choices, including her style. On the 'Call Her Daddy' podcast, Kim said she would never take away North's 'creative' style, adding: 'It makes her so happy. I would never take that creative [style] away from her.' She described North as 'my bestie' and said she prefers her daughter to experiment with hair colours and fashion under her supervision.
