Emma Willis says she is still getting flack over an image she shared showing her young son proudly wearing a pink top and letting his long hair loose.
The 46-year-old TV host is married to Busted star Matt Willis, 39, and together they are parents to daughters Isabelle, 12, Trixie, six, and 10-year-old son Ace.
Back in 2020, Emma innocently shared a snap of her son wearing a pink crop-top and showing his long blonde hair along with a caption stating: “My little style icon”.
While the star thought nothing of image and caption, a cruel section of the online community erupted in anger over the snap and began trolling the star, criticising her for allowing to let her son challenge gender norms.
Now in a new interview with Fabulous magazine, Emma says she still receives negative comments over the photo – and explains why her heart breaks over the fact that society can’t just let kids express themselves.
She told the magazine: “Unfortunately, [the hate] is still there – both from parents and other children,.
“I think it’s probably easier [than it would have been 20 years ago], but it’s still there.
“It’s such a shame. It’s going, but the stereotypes that are ingrained in us from years back are so hard to shift.
“And it’s not: ‘Come on, you should just accept it.’ It’s like: ‘What does it matter to you? It’s just a colour. It’s just hair. That kid is just expressing themselves how they want.’
“Children should be encouraged to express themselves, to play and to experiment with colour and clothes. What harm are they doing?”
Emma previously explained that many of her fans and online followers had praised her over Ace’s style choices.
She explained on Good Morning Britain last year: "Do you know what I was really overwhelmed actually because it's just my son in a pink top and for me that's kind of normality because he loves colour, he's always had long hair.
"He's a very free and open-minded boy who is like, 'Why do I have to dress in green and blue and grey if I like pink and red and purple? Why is that not okay?'
"We're raising him as an open-minded and inclusive individual."
Emma added: "There was some negativity but that's the beauty of the block button."
Meanwhile, some fans did leave positive messages on Emma’s original social media post to express their admiration for Ace and his style.
One fan wrote at the time: “Wow his hair is amazing.”
While another posted: "Wow look at his lovely hair. !! He’s the future style icon for sure".
A third wrote: "Going to show this to my 10 year old boy who is loving life and living to his own best also! Go Ace! X"
And another replied: "This is my eldests vibe, ripped jeans, cropped tee, trainers. Not that I’m jealous".
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