North West Subtly Claps Back at Reaction to Her Black Grills During Instagram Live

North West isn’t backing down from the chatter around her latest look.

The 12-year-old — the daughter of Kim Kardashian and Kanye West — went live on Instagram and addressed comments about her black grills. During the Jan. 26 livestream, which was reshared to X, North reacted directly to the questions, saying, “Why is my teeth black? Are we okay?” She then clarified the grills weren’t permanent.

“I could take them out,” she added, showing her teeth and confirming the accessory was temporary.

North first debuted the bold style on TikTok in December, pairing the black grills with face jewelry that did not appear to be confirmed as real piercings. She has also drawn attention for her many finger piercings — first when she wore them while out in Rome with Kardashian in September, and again earlier this month when she showcased more of her new additions.

Despite the criticism, North has continued to defend her fashion choices. Last month, she posted a TikTok video responding to backlash over her jewelry, writing, “This is for everyone that’s mad over a finger piercing.”

She’s even taken the conversation into music. In a new song made with her father, Kanye, titled “Piercing on My Hand (Ye Version),” which was shared to North’s Instagram Stories, she raps, “Piercing on my hand, the other holding bands,” and “No friends, just filter, you wouldn’t understand.”

Kardashian has also addressed the public reaction and explained how she approaches parenting North. Speaking on an episode of the Khloé in Wonder Land podcast, the SKIMS founder, 45, said she tries not to focus on the outrage and supports her daughter expressing herself through certain clothing, piercings and fake tattoos — along with North’s now-signature blue wig.

“I’m just not a judgmental person like that, so I try not to pay attention to it,” she said. “But, I think that no one knows unless they’re in my shoes what I’m dealing with and how we have to manage certain things from the outside world or even close in our life that we have to go through together.”

She also pushed back on what she called a common misconception about their relationship.

“I think like 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.’ Like, no, Northy actually has a lot of rules. [That’s the] one area I do let her express herself,” Kardashian explained. “I love her for that, and she would do it, you know, regardless.”