Alicia Silverstone is proud her son didn't cut off long hair after being 'made fun of'
Watch: Alicia Silverstone says her son was 'made fun of' for having long hair
Alicia Silverstone has shared her pride over her nine-year-old son Bear’s choice to keep his hair long.
The Clueless actor recently shared photos of Bear on Instagram and wrote a caption praising him for being unapologetic about his long locks and who he is.
Sharing a couple of snapshots of her son rocking his long hair, Silverstone also added some images of famous men – Harry Styles, Brad Pitt and Jason Momoa – showing off their own lengthy tresses.
In the accompanying caption, Silverstone explained that despite getting teased about the length of his hair, which falls past his shoulders, Bear isn’t about to bow to peer pressure.
“One time my son was made fun of by other kids because of his hair on a bus ride to surf camp,” she wrote, after explaining how much she loves his hair.
“After he had returned and told me, I thought he would want to cut it...”
Read more: Boy, 9, who has never had a haircut prepares to donate his locks to charity
Silverstone already had a hair appointment scheduled for Bear the following day and she suspected the teasing might make him want to cut it short.
“But when we showed up, he said ‘please give me a trim so I can grow it to my waist’,” she continued.
“That’s my boy! He knows who he is.”
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Silverstone went on to encourage parents to “embrace their children and who they choose to be without any judgement”.
“He loves his hair and chooses to have it long. Mama and Papa aren’t going to stop him from being him,” she added. “He’s beautiful and we love his hair.”
The 43-year-old also explained that she and Bear’s dad – Silverstone’s ex, Christopher Jarecki – try hard not to “impose any social ideas about what hair on a boy or girl should look like.”
Watch: Why do men have beards?
Earlier this year, Silverstone opened up about co-parenting with her ex, explaining that she and Jarecki let Bear go back and forth between their homes when he chooses to.
“We ask Bear where he wants to be,” she told TODAY Parents. “But then I started to wonder if that was too much pressure. So, I checked in with him and he said, ‘I love that I get to decide.’ We both have different perks.”
Read more: Gray, Everlyn, Quinn: Gender-neutral baby name ideas
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The actor and Jarecki, who separated in 2018 after nearly 13 years of marriage, remain on friendly terms.
“Bear and his daddy and I flow really well together,” she revealed.
Silverstone isn’t the only celebrity parent encouraging their children not to be swayed by gender stereotypes when it comes to their appearance.
Back in 2018, Meghan Fox shared a rare snapshot of two of her boys enjoying a day at the beach, both wearing wetsuits and both with long surfer-style hair.
Most fans found the photo to be adorable, but some chimed in with unsolicited opinions about boys having long hair.
Earlier that year, the boys’ dad, Brian Austin Green hit back at trolls who had been hating on his sons’ long hair.
“The fact is my boys have and like long hair,” The Beverly Hills, 90210 star said. “In my opinion they are beautiful and will still be and possibly be mistaken for girls if they wore matching short and T-shirt combos and had short hair.
“Some people like boys and men with long hair," he concluded. "Some people don't. Both opinions are OK.”
Definitely a case of: long hair, why do you care?
