Perez Hilton Showers With Son, Becomes Target Practice For Internet

If you were to only read the vitriolic abuse that’s been leveled at Perez Hilton over the last few days, you might assume he’d done something really terrible.

He’s been called creepy, a child abuser, a sick f*ck, and even been accused of raising his son to be a ‘cupcake.’

All he did was hop in the bath with his two-year-old son Mario.

Just a few days ago Perez Hilton posted a photograph of himself and his son Mario sharing a bath together with the caption:

“Our family motto is: #fun. We try and incorporate fun into as much of the everyday things we do #bathtime”

Although the photograph does contain both Perez and his son, there is no nudity involved, and both are seen from the shoulders up only. Despite this, Perez has been at the centre of a whirlwind of backlash, with commenters from all over the world lashing him with criticism both on the original instagram post, and in opinion pieces all over the web.

Let us just say one thing: If you’re offended by a photograph of a two-year-old sharing a bath with his dad, that says more about you than it does about the image. People who are accusing Perez of being a child abuser, or indicating that his sexual orientation has any impact on the way he chooses to bathe his son, are as wrong as they are delusional. If you’re a parent, or you have any idea of how childhood works (which we like to assume you do but we could be wrong) you would know that to children nudity is just another new discovery. It sits in their developing brains along with butterflies, bubbles and the ability to pick their own nose. There’s absolutely nothing wrong with it.

The Stupidest People

My parents, who by the way were happy and carefree nudists most of my childhood, are fond of saying that the stupidest people always talk the loudest. I’m inclined to agree with them because politicians prove that theory every day. My favourite stupid people in the Bath-gate scandal is none other than this lady Sonia Poulton. Of all the stupid people on the internet, her comments are the best. In fact, they’re so unbelievable, they make me laugh.

She argued that the photograph of Perez in the tub with his son was ‘triggering for child abuse survivors’, and blasted Perez because he could not have obtained permission from his son to post the photo. In her mind, this nudity free image of a childhood of innocence is meat and meal for both future bullies of little Mario, as well as a world full of pedophiles.

Hold on a moment.

I understand that pedophiles are out there, and I have no doubt that they scour the internet for all kinds of images that flick whatever twisted switch they have in their brains. But in no way does that mean I think we need to walk on tiptoes in our daily lives to protect ourselves from their shadows. This is a photograph with no nudity, no inappropriate images, and no possible way of being misconstrued. It’s not an older man leering over a powerless child, it’s two members of the same family having fun and getting clean at the same time.

When Did This Become OK?

We’ve posed this question before on SAHM, but when did it become ok for strangers to give advice, and criticise parents for the choices that they make? Barely a week goes by that we don’t hear horror stories from family and friends about people harassing them with their ‘expert opinions’, or shaming them for letting their children do something that stranger disagrees with.

This entire Bath-gate scandal is a perfect example of just how messed up our society is. We have taken something that should be a beautiful example of the love between a father and a son and made it a twisted mess. Parents all over the world who saw the photograph and smiled in their own recollection of similar events now hide shamed by the opinion of the uninitiated masses. This isn’t inappropriate people, it’s parenting.

Are We Ashamed of Nudity?

To me the most worrying thing about the entire affair is how much it shows that we as a culture are ashamed of nudity. In the aftermath of the photograph being blasted by critics, Perez went as far as to classify that he was wearing his swimmers in the photograph. He felt the need, after all of that abuse, to make sure people knew that he wasn’t naked in front of his son, because that would be weird.

Would it?

Most of the kids I know, including myself, have little appreciation for clothing, and embrace the freedom of nudity. In families, nudity isn’t something that people should shy away from with young children. It’s just a natural part of life. Showering naked with your children isn’t something to be ashamed of, it’s a great time to bond and for children to learn about the human body and how it grows and develops. Sure, it isn’t always appropriate to be naked around your kids, but your children should be able to decide for themselves when they want to have body privacy. Most kids will do this naturally, and most parents know when the time is right.

But this situation seems to think that it’s only natural for children to be shielded from the human body in its naked form. Critics appear to be indicating that it is never appropriate for a parent to appear nude in front of their child, a state that is likely to result in more confusion than ever. Children are already being bombarded with sexualised versions of the human body at every magazine and billboard, are we really going to deprive them of the chance to see a normal human body in a natural way.

We sure hope not.