A social media influencer is facing a backlash after she posted pictures of herself posing in front of her father’s open casket.
Jayne Rivera, 20, posed in several images for Instagram wearing a black one-sleeve blazer dress with her father’s coffin directly behind her, which was adorned with an American flag.
She had her hands in prayer in one image, with the caption: “Butterfly fly away, Rip Papi you were my bestfriend. A life well lived.”
People criticised the post, with one Twitter user saying: “Is having kids really worth it?”
Other social media users pointed out that the backlash was as insensitive as the post itself.
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But Rivera, a model from Florida, stands by her actions.
She told NBC News that she “understood the negative reception”, but added that the photos were taken “with the best intentions in a manner my father would have approved with had he still been alive”.
“Everyone handles the loss of a loved one in their own ways; some are more traditional while others might come across as taboo,” she said.
“For me, I treated the celebration as if my father was right next to me, posing for the camera as he had done on many occasions prior.”
She insisted there is “nothing wrong with what I posted, and I stand by that.”