Tia Mowry has been happily sharing her life with son Cree with audiences since he was in the womb. Now one, the baby was introduced to the world via the hit reality series Mowry stars in with her sister, Tia & Tamera. Now photos of the tike have circulated online — and users on black celebrity gossip sites like The YBF have lashed out at the little one for his looks.
“You know I’m right, that baby is ugly … don’t act like ugly babies don’t exist,” one YBF user wrote. “It is what it is. Don’t be mad me. And just b/c I said the baby was ugly, it doesn’t mean he’ll always be that way. Who knows, maybe the kid will eventually grow into his head.”
RELATED: CAT scans more likely for white children
Mowry addressed Internet critics of her son’s appearance on her Facebook page. “It’s disgusting that some focus on looks,” the television personality wrote next to a picture of her and Cree. “I brought a beautiful child into this world.”
The new mother’s retaliation against her son’s Internet hecklers brought down an avalanche of support, while providing another conduit for criticism. Many of the thousands who responded to Tia’s statement were supportive, but some took it as an opportunity to go in even deeper on Cree’s appearance.
“People are trying to be nice because he’s a baby and because they’re fans of Tia,” one such commenter wrote. “But in all honesty, the kid is ugly LOL I know some will come with torches now to burn the wicked witch that told the truth, but oh well. I’m just being honest.”
Clutch magazine has commented on this row with the assertion that celebrity kids are off-limits when it comes to feeding the never ending mill of celebrity gossip. “It’s true that in many cases, celebrities make the decision to share their children with the public, knowing they could be criticized,” the black women’s online destination added. “But that doesn’t mean we should eschew tact and social responsibility when talking about somebody’s kids.”
Following the intense discussion of Blue Ivy Carter’s black features, it seems that Tia’s baby Cree is the latest black celebrity kid in the public’s hot seat. Tia wrote a book about pregnancy that she is now publicizing, and totes her son along to public appearances for the work. This has inevitably rendered him more open to criticism.
RELATED: Is Beyoncé’s daughter Blue Ivy the new ‘Blanket’ Jackson?
Despite this, should people restrain themselves from indulging in openly negative discussions of Cree and other stars’ children — even if their parents make them vulnerable to it? Or should black celebrity parents shield their children from the media at all costs?
Suddenly, Beyoncé constantly covering her daughter when in front of cameras doesn’t seem so absurd.
Follow Alexis Garrett Stodghill on Twitter at @lexisb.