No matter how hard people work to shatter gender norms, break stereotypes and try to raise their children to be able to express themselves however they choose, there are always critics and naysayers who are quick to criticize. Any parent who has ever been side-eyed for letting their son wear a dress or paint their nails, or who lets their daughter choose a 'boy' toy to play with knows how frustrating these antiquated views on how children should dress, act and behave simply based on their sex can be.

Just last week a 17-year-old Texas boy was given an in-school suspension because he violated his school's dress code by daring to wear nail polish. Trevor Wilkinson publicly called out his school for their sexist dress code (the nail polish ban only applies to males,) then created a Change.org petition to lobby the school to change it.  That petition currently has almost 240,000 signatures.

Wilkinson isn't the first male to be judged and ridiculed for choosing to wear nail polish. Two years ago Aaron Gouveia's 5-year-old son Sam was mocked and teased by classmates because he wore nail polish to school. Not only did Aaron paint his nails in solidarity with his son, but New England Patriots star Rob Gronkowski took to Twitter to assure the young boy that he should feel confident doing whatever made him happy and to stay true to himself.

While boys and men may still be ridiculed for wearing nail polish, it really isn't something a parent should worry about. Typically boys who wear nail polish do so because they simply like the color, and painting their nails is just fun. Nail polish is becoming increasingly popular for everyone to wear, not just women. In fact, nail polish on boys and men has become so popular that Esquire named 2020 "The Year of The Menicure." The magazine credits male celebrities like Harry Styles, Ansel Elgort, Pete Davidson, Bad Bunny, and A$AP Rocky with helping to normalize men wearing nail polish as an extension of their personal style. Nick Stenson, the SVP of salon services and trend at Ulta Beauty told the Wall Street Journal that these celebs who aren't afraid to showcase their manicures are "making it extremely mainstream as a trend to accessorize yourself.”

Related: Alicia Keys Posts Rant After Her Son Said He Didn't Want To Be Judged Over His Rainbow Manicure

The idea that only girls can wear nail polish is part of some old-school made-up set of rules that enforces gender stereotypes, encourages toxic masculinity, and stifles creative expression. If a boy wants to paint his nails there's no reason he shouldn't be able to and the more the public sees other boys and men wearing polish on their nails, the less 'controversial' it will become.

Child Development Specialist Brittany McCabe wrote in Family Education about why she not only allows her own son to wear nail polish but why freedom of self-expression is so important for all children. "The process of creating is extremely important and crucial to a child’s growth and development," she explained.  "When a child expresses themselves through art, by whichever modality they choose and are geared towards, it helps them to cope with their thoughts, feelings, and emotions. By allowing a child to freely explore, freely create, and freely express, it helps to facilitate mental growth, problem-solving, cause and effect as well as supporting social and emotional development."

Unfortunately, many people think a boy choosing to wear polish on his nails is connected to his sexual identity when for many that couldn't be further from the truth. Most boys who choose to wear nail polish tend to do so simply because they like the color and maybe they've seen another member of their family sporting a manicure. As they grow older painting their nails become another way to express themselves and to act as an extension of their personal style.

Fenton Jagdeo, the co-founder of the men's skincare line Faculty which features a moss green and black nail polish as well as soon to be launched nail stickers, told WSJ that their target market of Gen-Z and young millennials are much more open to self-expression. “They’re not concerned about these social norms that our forefathers created,” he said.

Podcaster Travis McElroy explained to Allure that people are sometimes confused by his painted nails. "When I’m with my wife, I’ve had people make comments like, ‘Oh, does she practice her polish on you?’ or something assuming that I have nail polish because my wife put it on me — not because I wanted to," he said.

McElroy went on to add that the reason why he paints his nails really isn't that complicated. "I get asked a lot why I do it. When the answer is because I think it looks good, I don’t know what type of answer the person is expecting," he said. In fact, he said that doing his own nails is often a form of self-care. "It becomes a very meditative moment where it’s like I’m doing something because I want to for myself," he explained. "If I’m preparing for an event or I just want to spend some time for myself, it’s a very kind of personal touch that I can give myself. It’s like, hey I care about myself enough to do this for myself."

Dr. Christia Brown, author of Beyond Pink and Blue, wrote in Psychology Today that it's important to always question gender stereotypes. "There are rigid gender norms for boys that extend much deeper than not wearing dresses or painting their nails. Boys are still discouraged from playing with dolls, a type of play that fosters traits such as nurturance, care-giving, and perspective-taking. For parents to buy a baby doll at a toy superstore, they must venture into the pink aisle, something most parents won’t do. And yet, nurturance and perspective-taking are wonderful human traits that should be fostered in all children."

A boy who wants to paint his nails is simply choosing a way of expressing himself, no different than a boy who may select a favorite shirt to wear or a favorite color. It certainly isn't a big deal, unless the parent chooses to make it a big deal.

Read Next: 10 Ways To Ensure You Aren’t Forcing Gender Stereotypes On Your Child

Source: EsquireWall Street JournalAllureFamily EducationPsychology Today