Beyoncé's and Jay Z's daughter, Blue Ivy Carter, got her first taste of the downside of living in the spotlight this week, when the 2-year-old girl became the subject of a cruel and inappropriate online petition demanding her mother comb her hair. The petition materialized after a photo of the sleepy toddler and her superstar parents descending a private jet in casual-wear went viral, with many claiming the objections to Blue's hair is because it is naturally "Black hair" and not tamed or treated in any way.
The petition has sparked outrage in the blogosphere, and India.Arie is the latest voice to rally against the bullying of the minor. The singer ranted against the petition in an open letter posted to her TwitLonger account. "Why does ANYone get the idea that its ok to make fun of a child?" Arie begins her post. "In public no less? This celebrity culture that hypnotizes people into thinking a person is LITERALLY NOT REAL because you see them on television is a spell the watcher HIM or HER SELF MUST BREAK."

"Blue Ivy—is a CHILD," she adds, pleading with haters to stop "DENYING any person their humanity..."

"Why NOT be a person who is loving towards human kind as a whole AND people as individuals?" she asks. "WHY NOT be a person protects the hearts of children?"
She points out that "all these people making negative comments would feel the SAME WAY if Blue Ivy's hair were TOO DONE."

"Being gentle with a child's hair is simply appropriate," she writes. "This goes the same for ALL children." Arie signs off by reminding everyone that we "ARE better than this."

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(Photos from left:  Larry Busacca/Getty Images,Splash News)