If you haven’t heard of public shaming, it’s a controversial new form of discipline that some parents are using. If a kid has been acting up and parents really want to teach them a lesson, they’ll cut off all their kids’ hair and give them a terrible, botched cut. Some parents are cutting their kids hair to resemble that of an elderly man. One local barbershop even has a name for it — the “Benjamin Button Special”.

Some parents will record their kids getting their haircut and post the video to social media, in an attempt to embarrass them enough so that they learn their lesson. This relatively new style of discipline has caused quite the controversy. Some parents agree with this form of punishment, while others feel it’s crude and think discipline should be more nurturing.

For one Tacoma, Washington family, an act of public shaming led to a terrible and tragic event. Izabel Laxamana was a 13-year-old girl who took her own life after being publicly shamed by her father.

In a 15-second-video, which was uploaded to YouTube by a third party (according to police officials, the father says he never meant for the video to be posted, it was intended to be for Izabel’s eyes only to serve as a reminder so “she would remember and not do it again”, reports PopSugar) — you can see Izabel standing in a room with a very short and very botched hair cut.

In the background of the video you can hear her father say, “The consequences of getting messed up. Man, you lost all that beautiful hair. Was it worth it?”

Izabel quietly responds, “No”, with her head hung in shame.

Just days after this video was taken, Izabel committed suicide. She was driving with her grandmother on a highway overpass when she got out of the passenger seat, climbed over the fence, and jumped, and landed on a car below. She died two days later from the injuries.

Izabel was reportedly bullied at Giaudrone Middle School and struggled with depression and anxiety. Her death has caused some heated debates with some saying her punishment was taken too far.

After this horrible and tragic event, maybe parents will think twice about publicly shaming their kids and find different, more supportive forms of discipline. My heart goes out to her friends and family during this difficult time.

What do you think of this story? Do you think public shaming is taking it too far? Watch the video below and let us know what you think.

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