A mom has been applauded for getting a hairstylist fired after he suggested her daughter had crabs.

The parent shared the saga to Reddit's popular "Am I The A**hole forum," under username u/Cautious-Damage7575, explaining they visited their regular salon, where the whole family has been going for nearly two decades. The post, which can be read here, has amassed nearly 9,000 comments and upvotes, combined.

The mom took her daughter, who she called Tia, as she explained she's 25, but due to cognitive delay has the "intellectual and emotional capacity" of a 12- or 14-year-old.

But this time, the appointment quickly turned sour after the hairdresser, who she called Alejandro, discovered Tia had headlice.

"Instead of telling her quietly, he caused a big scene that left Tia in tears," u/Cautious-Damage7575 said. "His reaction was so loud and exaggerated, it caused everyone in the salon to stare. He gasped audibly and took two steps back. Throwing his hands in the air and tilting his hip, he shrieked, 'Oh Jesus! Girrrlll, you're crawling with piojos! They probably went south, so you better get checked for labia lobsters!'"

"My daughter was dumbstruck. She didn't understand the words he was saying, but she sensed his tone," u/Cautious-Damage7575 continued. "By the time I got to his booth from the waiting area, her chest was hitching and tears were streaming down her cheeks."

Crabs, otherwise known as pubic lice, are defined as "small parasites that feed on human blood," according to the American Sexual Health Association (ASHA).

They can also be found on other parts of the body, such as eyelashes, armpits and in facial hair. Crucially, they are different from headlice.

"Anyone can get crabs and they are very common," ASHA reported. "Millions of people are infected with pubic lice every year. Although crabs come from the same family of parasites as head and body lice, they are not the same thing...Crabs do not usually attach to head hair."

They are treated with a cream or shampoo, with anyone infected advised to wash bedding on a high temperature and abstain from sex.

After the comment was made by the stylist, the mother said she put a towel around her daughter's head, guided her out of the chair and salon, and made an excuse for them to leave.

"Alejandro and I locked eyes, and I gave him a look of utter disdain," she wrote.

After calming Tia down, and getting ice cream, the mom says they went to a different salon, where she "surreptitiously advised the stylist that she needed a lice treatment."

But the incident angered her, as she wrote: "By the time we got home, I was steaming mad. It haunted me all evening and into my nightmares. The next day, I searched the internet for the name of the salon's CEO. I called his office and demanded to speak with him. He wasn't available, but his assistant took my complaint and promised to pass it on.

"FF [fast forward] a month later, and I had heard nothing from the salon. It was time for my son to get a haircut, so I called to make an appointment—with anyone but Alejandro. I asked for three different dates, but the stylist who answered the phone (Alicia) told me they were booked. Her tone was curt, which made my 'spider senses' tingle.

"I just came out and said it. 'Alicia, is something wrong?' Her response floored me. She said, 'Yes, something is wrong. You got Alejandro fired. You could have handled it with the store manager, but you didn't. Your family isn't welcome here anymore.'

"My jaw dropped, and all I could manage was a timid 'okay.' I hung up and began to reflect. Am I the a**hole for reporting Alejandro to the CEO? Am I a Karen?"

Many commenters backed the mother, including Spare-Article-396's top-voted comment with more than 18,000 upvotes alone.

"NTA," Spare-Article-396 said. "Call that CEO again, Alicia needs sorting, too. I can't even fathom Alicia's part being true but if it is, she needs to go too. Alejandro is an absolute AH and got what he deserved."

While another, from Emergency-Fox-5982 agreed, with their response amassing more than 13,000 upvotes.

"This. Even just an email saying 'Thanks for taking my previous complaint seriously, disappointed it's meant I'm not welcome at your stores anymore though,'" Emergency-Fox-5982 said.

Others also agreed the mom was in the right, as Yrxora wrote: "Also like, the comment was INCREDIBLY inappropriate yes, but there's also the fact that head lice and pubic lice are completely different species. Head lice cannot "migrate south." So not only was he rude and inappropriate, he was also insanely uneducated about a topic that I feel like should be a common subject to a hair stylist."

"Honey, you're not an a**hole at all," CarelessPath1689 said. "You did what you had to do. No one should cross the boundaries of somebody else in that manner, he honestly had it coming."

"Plus you were looking out for your child!" Cplmomma2004 wrote. "He got what he deserved and hopefully doesn't work in another salon anywhere in your area or anywhere period."

"One would think if only for the sake of the other customers, the stylist would have discreetly said something to the client and her mother," GibsonGirl55 said. "His behavior was highly unprofessional and warranted a complaint. NTA."

"'Labia lobsters' would make me laugh in any other context but this is not funny at all," HerefsAndrew said. "Alejandro was grotesquely unprofessional and got what he deserved. So was Alicia and she should get the same. NTA."

The mom, who wished to remain anonymous, told Newsweek: "I'm still chewing on it. Haven't decided whether to report Alicia. I don't know if I can live with two firings on my conscience."

She confirmed Tia got treated for headlice and is "clear," adding: "As far as I know I'm banned from the salon. And I'm still deciding about Alicia."

Update 7/26/22, 11 a.m. ET: This article was updated with comment from u/Cautious-Damage7575.

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