Hilary Duff has come prepared for the mom-shamers and "child abuse" critics as she shared a photo of her seven-month-old daughter, Mae James, with her new ear piercing.
In a post on her social media accounts, Duff, 34, aptly captioned Mae's photo with her new diamond ear bling. She wrote, with a hint of sarcasm, that she "cannot wait" for the public to call her a child abuser "again."
The actress was referencing the first time she caused a furor nearly three years ago because she shared the ear piercing of Banks Violet Bair, her first daughter with Matthew Koma. Banks was also just seven-months-old at that time.
Followers slammed the "Younger" star for child abuse because Banks was not old enough to give her consent to the ear piercing. Some of the netizens also castigated Duff for inflicting "unnecessary pain" on her baby girl.
The Keyboard Gangsters
In early 2021, Duff, who is also a mom to 9-year-old Luca with ex-husband Mike Comrie, admitted in an interview with Yahoo! Life that she sometimes has a hard time processing some of the comments on the internet without getting personal. She said that her first instinct is "to be defensive" but she has been learning to "zoom out" of the conversation and see that it's only from a "keyboard gangster who just needs to be heard or seen."
The mom of three also said that she gets frustrated by the comments around her kids because they are her "proudest accomplishments." However, she has gotten used to dodging the criticisms and the judgments, and has developed a tough skin for the shamers because what they post or say on the internet "doesn't really matter."
Duff also talked about managing her mental health and wellness as a busy mom. She has recently taken up crocheting to manage the stressful days, especially now that she's busy filming her upcoming new show, "How I Met Your Father," the spinoff to "How I Met Your Mother." She said that she has crocheted plenty of mittens and hats, and she's currently trying to finish a jacket. She is loving the craft because "it's like a good brain exercise."
Apart from keeping her hands busy, Duff also said that she's working out as much as she can or taking warm baths with Banks to de-stress and enjoy a breather.
A Happy Marriage
Of course, it helps Duff's sanity to have a happy marriage with Koma, who is a singer, songwriter and producer. They met in 2015 while working on the album "Breathe In, Breathe Out."
In February 2016, Duff announced and her ex-husband announced their divorce after more than five years of marriage. Then she and Koma went public with their relationship in 2017 and then had Banks a year later. They decided to marry in December 2019.
After Duff's maternity break and return to the studio to start work on her new show, she posted a sweet message for her husband on Instagram. The star acknowledged how much Koma has taken over the task of helping with Luca's school drop, cooking breakfast for the kids, and even assisting with her son's homework. She also thanked her husband for "providing all the laughs" and for being excited about her upcoming series.
