Kim Kardashian Might Wish She'd Heeded Kanye West's Warning About North West

The Kardashians keep the internet guessing, and this week it was North West who sent everyone into full meltdown mode. The 12-year-old popped up on social media with face tattoos, grills, and a septum ring — and the timeline did what the timeline does. Then an old Kanye video resurfaced. And then, crucial detail: it was all fake.

What set people off

On Oct. 22, photos and clips of North started spreading fast. She was decked out in heavy face ink (temporary), a septum ring (also not real), and grills, hanging with her friends and leaning into a specific vibe. There were also snaps floating around of North linking up with Ken Carson, Destroy Lonely, and Homixide Gang — yes, that crew — which tracks with where she and her friends were headed: a concert.

The backlash hit immediately. Commenters accused Kim Kardashian of looking the other way, tossed around words like negligence, and generally scolded the whole situation as if this were permanent body art. Some even escalated it into talk of charges and abuse, which... is a lot.

• North is 12, and yes, the look was intense for a kid — but it was dress-up for a show.
• She spelled it out herself on TikTok: 'Fake piercings and fake tatts 4 life.'
• The grills, tattoos, and septum ring were not real. This was a costume moment with friends.

Kanye’s old warning pops back up

As the discourse spun up, an older clip of Kanye West started making the rounds again — the one where he talked about North’s social media presence and corporate influence over kids. If you’ve heard it before, you know the tone.

'I’m not allowing my daughter to be used by TikTok, to be used by Disney. I have a say so... I’m happy that you guys got to see just a small piece of what I dealt with.'

Given North’s viral night out, the resurfacing was predictable. It also added fuel to a conversation that was already emotional without a lot of context.

Kim’s take: creativity over control (within reason)

Kim has addressed this before. On the Call Her Daddy podcast, she described North as 'such a good girl and such a sweet girl' who listens when it actually counts. On the smaller stuff, she gives her room to experiment. Her words: 'She does listen to me, but in other areas, I’m like, Babe, if you want blue hair, it is what it is. You know, it makes her so happy. I would never take that creativity away from her. I just think anyone that’s raising kids, especially four kids by myself, I’m doing the best that I can.'

So what was this, really?

A viral panic over a temporary look. I get why people reacted — a 12-year-old in face tats is jarring on first glance — but once you know it was costume-level play for a concert, the temperature drops fast. It’s also a clean example of how fast the internet jumps from 'huh?' to 'how dare you' when it involves a Kardashian, a kid, and a camera.

Where do you land on this one: harmless self-expression for a concert, or a line crossed even if it’s all temporary?