Binkygate: Is 4-year-old Suri Cruise too old for pacifiers?
The blogosphere is aflame over a photo of Tom Cruise and Katie Holmes' daughter sucking on a babyish pacifier — a supposed orthodontic threat

Tom Cruise and Katie Holmes have taken heat for letting their daughter Suri indulge in grown-up accessories such as lipstick and kitten-heeled shoes, but now fashion police are condemning Suri's latest accessory — a pacifier — as too immature. A photographer recently snapped a shot of little Suri, a month shy of turning 5, walking in Vancouver with a binky plugging her mouth. Ninety-seven percent of US Weekly readers responding to a poll said Suri is too old for pacifiers. Is it time for her movie star parents to take it away?
Yes, 5 is too old for pacifiers: Suri Cruise isn't a baby any more, says E! Online. It's "a bit odd" for her parents to let her parade around town with a paci. That said, the stuffed bear that the budding style icon was carrying when the paparazzi snapped her picture "was a nice little touch and effectively complemented her peacoat."
"Is Suri Cruise, almost 5, too old for a pacifier?"
Subscribe to The Week
Escape your echo chamber. Get the facts behind the news, plus analysis from multiple perspectives.

Sign up for The Week's Free Newsletters
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
Let her keep it until college if she wants: The "pacifier police" should give Binkygate a rest, says Julie Ryan Evans at The Stir. "My son was 4 before he gave his" up, and he's a perfectly healthy 7-year-old. Pacifiers are a "constant source of comfort" for little kids. Suri should surrender her binky only when she's ready.
"Suri Cruise has a pacifier at 5 and my daughter might too"
Suri has bigger worries: Paci abuse use may result in crooked teeth, says Mike Baron at The Post Chronicle, but that's "the least of Suri's problems." Due to her parents' fame, she lives under a glaring "media spotlight with cameramen taking photographs of her every step." That is "much more likely to be harmful to her development than a little binky binge here and there."
Sign up for Today's Best Articles in your inbox
A free daily email with the biggest news stories of the day – and the best features from TheWeek.com
-
5 slow on the draw cartoons about Democrats' response to Trump
Cartoons Artists take on taking a stand, staying still as a statue, and more
By The Week US Published
-
A road trip through Zimbabwe
The Week Recommends The country is 'friendly and relaxed', with plenty to see for those who wish to explore
By The Week UK Published
-
The assassination of Malcolm X
The Explainer The civil rights leader gave furious clarity to black anger in the 1960s, but like several of his contemporaries met with a violent end
By The Week UK Published