People are shaming Kim Kardashian over North West's hair

North West debuted an Ariana Grande-esque ponytail during an outing with mom Kim Kardashian on Thursday — and some folks aren’t happy about it.

The mother-daughter duo were photographed by paparazzi as they hit up New York City ice cream shop CoolMess and candy superstore Dylan’s Candy Bar for an early celebration ahead of North’s fifth birthday on Friday.

While it looked like a fun-filled day for the family, some eyebrows were raised by North’s appearance — specifically, her long straight hair.

The oldest West kid — whose dad is rapper Kanye West — typically wears her naturally curly hair in buns or braids.

But on this occasion, her locks appeared to have undergone some sort of heat treatment to smooth out any waves. Critics claim she’s too young for that level of primping, which can damage hair.

Kanye and North out in Manhattan (Photo: Instarimages)

“They already damaging this poor baby’s hair!” complained one commenter.

The criticism may be about more than just hair damage, however. Much has been made of the pressures women of colour face to treat their hair rather than wearing it naturally.

Others speculated that North was wearing hair extensions, while some just loved the sleek and sassy look. Ultimately, it’s Kardashian’s call on how to style her daughter’s hair — but she probably knows better than most that billions of eyes are on her, ready to admire, or to judge.

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