North West, 12, sparked debate over body modifications after posting new selfies showing what appeared to be metallic studs running across her wrist and hands, with some immediately assuming she had added more dermal piercings.
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Over the weekend, the 12-year-old daughter of Kanye West and Kim Kardashian once again sparked debate over body modifications after posting new selfies showing what appeared to be metallic studs running across her wrist and hands, while representatives later confirmed to The Daily Mail that the wrist detail was actually just a sticker and not a real piercing.
The preteen has built an ever-growing collection.
North shared a striking new photo on her Instagram Stories on Thursday, February 5, showcasing more than a dozen piercings across her hands and fingers.
It’s unclear which of the piercings are real, but fans have been debating their authenticity since North was first spotted with a finger piercing last September while the family was vacationing in Rome.
Her finger piercings came early in the trend.
The 12-year-old took to her Instagram Stories on Thursday to share a series of photos displaying her long, transparent aqua blue nails, with a layer of glitter, and it was the metal piercings through each nail that stood out.
On her two middle left fingers, pink Japanese letters seemingly spelled out “North-chan,” referencing her rapper father’s 2024 track “Bomb” with Ty Dolla $ign.
By spring, the thigh piercings sparked widespread reaction.
North West drew mixed reactions online after attending Weekend One of Coachella, where photos and videos of the 12-year-old prompted debate over what appeared to be thigh piercings.
The 12-year-old caused quite a stir online after she was seen running around the festival with her long, bright blue hair, and users couldn’t help but notice that she seemed to be enjoying the festivities without her mom, Kim Kardashian, by her side, and she was also showing off some new piercings, this time on her thighs instead of her hands.
Online criticism intensified over the Coachella look.
“Speaking as someone who doesn’t have kids, I think that it’s totally fine for them to experiment with fun hair colours and clothes, especially when they hit those awkward preteen years,” one Reddit commenter wrote, adding, “But, I feel like allowing your child to get thigh piercings is a strange choice,” with additional commenters focused specifically on the alleged piercings, amplifying the discussion across threads.
Meanwhile, defenders pointed out the event’s all-ages policy.
Some theorised that the dermal piercings were even real or just a temporary thing, and others pointed out that Coachella is an ‘all-ages event.’
By June, she escalated her facial look at Paris Fashion Week.
Kim Kardashian and Kanye West’s 13-year-old daughter strolled into Vetements’ Paris Fashion Week show Friday with her signature blue hair and 2 new angel bite piercings on her top lip.
The 13-year-old was recorded showing off several faux facial piercings — including one on the bridge of her nose, two studs on her cheek under her eye and two new angel bite piercings on her top lip — as she made her arrival at the Vetements Menswear Spring/Summer 2027 show on Friday.
The Paris piercings continued her broader aesthetic evolution.
She continued to wear the dermal piercings on her hands that she first debuted back in September, proving that she’s not afraid to experiment with her personal style.
In May, she released her debut EP, N0rth4Evr, and is reportedly preparing to join rapper Molly Santana on a 14-date tour.
Kim Kardashian has repeatedly defended her daughter’s choices.
“I’m like, ‘Babe, if you want blue hair, it is what it is,'” Kim recalled telling her daughter during an October appearance on Call Her Daddy, adding “It makes her so happy. I would never take that creativity away from her.”
The SKIMS founder addressed parenting criticism directly.
“I think the one misconception that people might have is like, ‘Oh, she’s trying to be her bestie and lets her get away with a lot,'” she shared on sister Khloe Kardashian’s Khloe in Wonderland podcast in January.
Kim also dismissed concerns about North’s appearance online.
The All’s Fair star addressed another TikToker who questioned North’s appearance when she debuted her fake septum piercing, fake face tattoos and blue contacts, replying, “This is such a non-issue.”
North herself has clapped back at critics.
“This is for everyone that’s mad over a finger piercing,” she captioned a video of her mouthing, “Why are you crying? How old are you? Just pull it together,” after people were commenting on the piercing and criticizing Kardashian for allowing her daughter to get the new look.
North has also shown confidence in ignoring negativity overall.
“She’ll be like, ‘Mom, I saw this and I don’t really care if someone says they don’t like my blue hair, or my this or that,'” Kim said, with her adding that “she’s really confident and is like, ‘I probably wouldn’t be hanging out with those people.'”
In the viral moment at Coachella in April, photos surfaced showing North with what appeared to be thigh dermal piercings while enjoying the festival in a bright blue wig.
North also debuted a new set of dermal piercings, located on her thighs, as she removed her extremely controversial ones located on her fingers.
The thigh piercings sparked immediate backlash from parents online questioning the appropriateness.
Molly Santana and North West will kick off their 14-date joint tour in Dallas on August 5 and finish up in Los Angeles on August 27.