Alicia Silverstone's parenting style has raised eyebrows in the past, but one thing that has always been clear is how much she cares for and protects her son Bear.
Bear, now 9, has been raised by mother Silverstone and his father, musician Christopher Jarecki. The two adults have made it a point to allow Bear to make his own decisions about his appearance.
That includes letting him wear what he wants and style his hair in whatever way he wants. That might not seem like a big deal (because it kind of isn't) but the amount of vitriol the child faces over his hair certainly is.
Pretty much every time Silverstone posts a picture of Bear, adults chime in in the comments to tell Silverstone that Bear should cut his hair because long hair should be for girls, not boys.
As if having grown-up strangers mocking you on the internet wasn't hard enough for Bear to deal with, he's also been facing bullying over his hair from his peers. Silverstone has finally decided enough is enough.
She hopped on her social media and made a post to celebrate not just Bear, but the whole idea of gorgeous long-haired masculinity. In the post, Silverstone told a brief story about a time she was sure Bear would respond to bullying by asking for a hair cut.
Instead, Bear surprised his parents by standing firm and deciding not only was he not going to cut it, he was going to grow it longer.
"One time my son was made fun of by other kids because of his hair on a bus ride to surf camp. After he had returned and told me, I thought he would want to cut it for a haircut appointment we had already scheduled the next day, but when we showed up, he said "please give me a trim so I can grow it to my waist." That's my boy! He knows who he is. He loves his hair and chooses to have it long."
That moment solidified things for Silverstone. Bear was certain enough to double down on keeping his long hair, so he had her support.
Here is her full post.
Bear has not just her support now, though. Adults on the internet have been a source of negativity towards Bear, but they just proved they can also be big time supporters.
Bear, and long-haired masculinity, got some serious love after Silverstone posted on Instagram and Twitter.
We're not going to lie and say her post got 100% support. At least one self-professed "Conservatarian" took a few shots at Silverstone, claiming any bullying Bear faced was her fault since she allowed him to wear his hair "like a girl."
But honestly, one hateful uptight person in a sea of positive comments is nothing. Also, that voice being so profoundly drowned out says a lot about changing attitudes towards men and hair.
We are totally here for it and for Bear, however he wants to rock his locks.
