Christian Shearhod, a teacher in Los Angeles County, says he wants his 3-year-old son to enjoy his childhood without “strict gender norms.”

A California man took his toddler son for a manicure after the boy’s teacher said “painting your nails is only for girls.”

“My son came home from school upset because his teacher told him that painting his nails is only for girls, so today I’m taking him to the nail shop!” Christian Shearhod said in a video shared to TikTok on Saturday.


The clip, which now has over 4 million views, captures Shearhod’s 3-year-old son, Ashton, at a West Hollywood nail salon, proudly shouting, “I want pink!” before sitting down for a full manicure and pedicure service.

At the end of the clip, the toddler shows off his bright pink manicured nails.

In an interview with NBC News on Tuesday, Shearhod, a teacher in Los Angeles County, said his son first expressed interest in nail polish around the age of 2.

“Since then, we started painting our nails together,” he said.

When Ashton came home upset after his teacher’s remark, Shearhod said he and his girlfriend hoped to cheer the boy up by taking him to the nail salon.
From left, Eden, Ashton, and Christian Shearhod
From left, Eden, Ashton, and Christian Shearhod.Courtesy Christian Shearhod

“I really just wanted to make sure that he didn’t have guilt or shame, because it is something that he enjoyed, and we had done together multiple times,” Shearhod said, adding that he wants his son to enjoy life to the fullest at his age, without “strict gender norms.”

The following school day, Shearhod said he spoke with Ashton’s day care teachers.

“I just told them, 'Hey, I’d appreciate it if you didn’t say that kind of thing to Ashton, kind of let him do his own thing,'” Shearhod recalled.

Since sharing the video on TikTok, more than 14,000 users posted comments, mostly in support of the dad and son.
Ashton Shearhod
Ashton Shearhod.Christian Shearhod

One user wrote, “As a teacher, I am so sorry. I always tell my students there aren’t ‘boy’ or ‘girl’ things. Just things that we like.”