Social media is an excellent place to post the highlight reel of your life, particularly as a parent. It can be such a fantastic way to keep out of town family and friends up to date on what’s happening in your and your kiddos’ lives. That being said, even people with a modest fan following can find themselves in the crossfires of a huge debate for all the wrong reasons, for posting something that made people angry, no matter what their intent.
Common sense generally dictates what someone should and shouldn’t display online for the world to see, particularly when these images could come back to bite their children in the future. When you add a higher profile personality to an Instagram account, it’s no surprise that the greater the number of followers, the higher the number of haters and trolls; then there are the times that the site itself steps in, taking a moral high ground.
Parenting is so chocked full of grey areas that many parents choose to stay ‘mum’ on particular controversial subjects, and they’ll even keep photos displaying these parenting philosophies offline. Others post things that are bound to cause problems, and sometimes even get their accounts suspended.
13 Megan Fox's Son Is Pictured In A Dress
One of the best things about being a kid is being able to explore the imagination, to be whatever and whoever, including dressing up as Batman or a princess at the grocery store. A lot of parents are all about letting their child dress however they like, and post it on Instagram. Megan Fox has been criticized for sharing an image on Instagram of her four year old son in a dress. The comments were a flurry of some parents shaming Fox, while others praised the star. Fox has been very public about how she won’t force her children to follow traditional gender roles. One commenter wrote, "Another Hollywood weirdo mom... so disgusting you allow your son to wear princess dresses." Fox has made it very clear, later posting other photos of her boys in dresses showing that the haters aren’t going to impact the way she parents.
12 Snooki Gives Her Daughter A Makeover
Jersey Shore star turned mom Snooki “Nicole” Polizzi is no stranger to making headlines. Nowadays it’s for her parenting choices and mommy shamers are having a field day with her decision to post photos of her applying mascara onto her toddler daughter Giovanna before a dance recital. People were quick to criticize the reality star and offer a ton of unsolicited parenting advice about make-up and kids. Other dancers and parents shared fond memories of their own childhoods and moms before dance events. Snooki decided it was time to fire back, “Instead of not posting my kids for the people who respect and appreciate their photos, I will turn off the comments section, I don't need a--h---s telling me how to raise my child and judge them. I'm a damn good mom and know what I'm doing. Well, most of the time.”
11 Jessica Simpson's Bikini Drama
Jessica Simpson is no stranger to controversy, and certainly not averse to posing for photos in scantily clad attire (whether it’s for a magazine cover or on her Instagram feed). This past summer she posted a photo of her five year old daughter riding a scooter in a bikini, with her hand on her hip and what some described as an inappropriately sultry pout for the camera. At least she made her kid wear a helmet? Many of the singer/fashion designer’s followers called the celeb out for posting an inappropriate image, while others stood by her choice to allow her daughter to wear and pose in a bikini. A month earlier Simpson found herself in a similar viral debate when she posted a family photo that included the same daughter striking a pose in a belly baring mermaid costume.
10 P!nk’s Cooking Stirs Up Major Drama
Posting an innocent photo of mom preparing a healthy dinner of vegetables for her family is pretty commonplace on social media, which is what made it so shocking and annoying when Pink was called out and widely criticized for posting her bad parenting practices. Shamers were quick to scold the mom for cooking while wearing an infant carrier and warned of the dangers of splattering oil that could hurt both of her kids who were too close for comfort to these ‘well-meaning’ strangers, while others fervently defended the singer and her choices. The internet exploded in ‘debate’. Pink wasn’t afraid to provide commentary on the heated debate between parents on the comment section of her photo, saying, “I’m relieved that most of you see the ridiculousness of the comment situation. Lord help us all.”
9 Victoria Beckham Gets Slammed For Sharing A Kiss
Many people pride themselves on being affectionate people. Both Victoria ‘Posh’ Beckham and hubby David Beckham enjoy sharing a little PDA with their children, and posting about it on Instagram. When Victoria created a birthday message in 2016 for her daughter Harper it included a picture of the two of them in a pool having a mother daughter smooch with the message “Happy Birthday Baby Girl. We all love you so much”, the internet lit up. People have panned both Beckhams online insisting it’s inappropriate and weird to kiss your daughter on the lips, and even stranger to post it online. David has also posted photos that sparked controversy. Others were quick to come to their defence. David and Victoria just ignored the many, many comments and kept on parenting the way they saw fit.
8 Mom Gets Bullied Over Her School Attire
Sydney Australia mom Bella Vronos proudly wears the label MILF (sometimes literally on the clothing she’s wearing). The mom, Glamour model and boutique model is proud of her transformation into a lean, mean, parenting machine, which includes fitness, healthy eating, and some post children surgical enhancements. Parents have been cruel towards the mom, both in person and online, and even advertised the mother of three as an escort on Craigslist in a mean spirited joke. When the mom posted a photo with her kids in front of their school in a low cut dress, she received furious criticism. Bella said, “I posted a photo on social media of me and my kids at school with their awards and the photo went viral because apparently the way I was dressed wasn’t appropriate for school.” Bella keeps on reposting the photo on Instagram to now mostly positive, but some mixed reactions from fans and foes alike.
7 Renee Oteri Gets Risky On The Gram
Renee Oteri is most famous as Bachelor Alumni, but most recently she’s made headlines after being mommy-shamed for a photo that she posted on Instagram. The mom posted a photo of her two month old infant's bare bum on Instagram and it didn’t take long for the accusations of sharing inappropriate photos. The celeb commented that the comments were, "Super unfortunate, upsetting, + incredibly disappointing. I mean, I get it. You cannot please everyone, but child p**rn? Really? C'mon." The star was forced to take down the photo because all of the hubbub from the comment section, but didn’t do so without sharing her frustration over the entire situation Tweeting, “Photos are literally split-second moments in time that evolve, I despise mommy shamers."
6 Ciara Takes A Joyride And The Internet Is Not Impressed
Ciara left the internet with jaws wide opened after posting an image of her 3-month-old daughter Sienna going down on a toboggan slide at the Great Wall of China. Ciara was vacationing with hubby, Russell Wilson, and two kids. But what was innocent moment shared online turned into a mommy-shaming frenzy. The internet, of course, was quick to judge. Even though the baby was strapped down, fans and followers slammed the singer for putting her baby's life at risk. People pointed out that the toboggan was "too dangerous for a newborn," was not a "smart decision at all," and they even went so far as to call her an "attention-seeking narcissist." This isn't the first time Ciara's Instagram posts caused major controversy online, but thankfully this time around the mommy-of-two had supporters coming to her defense.
5 Jess Hilarious' Controversial Photoshoot
Instagram star and comedian Jess Hilarious found herself under fire and scrutiny after she followed in the footsteps of many other celebs by posing for a series of near nude family photos. In the photo where Jess and her preschool son are wearing running shoes and little much else, the star commented about how amazing her life is. The rest of the internet couldn’t stop spinning as they debated about whether or not this was an appropriate photo, including a fellow comedian, Corey Holcomb who said, “This is a part of what's wrong with black America! These w***es want their sons to be bi**hes. F****ng disgusting”. Thankfully Jess is totally capable for standing up for herself, but either way others had her back. One commenter posted on Twitter, “What's wrong w/this? Mothers have baths w/their kids when they're very young. Some people aren't even there for their kids”
4 Kim Kardashian's Instagram Pisses Off The FDA
Kim Kardashian is no stranger to controversy. The reality star has posted her fair share of nude selfies to her 103 million followers, but (surprisingly) there's one post in particular that caused major uproar from fans, the media, and the FDA. Back in 2015, Kim uploaded a photo on her Instagram account. It was a selfie of herself holding a bottle of Diclegis, a drug used to treat severe morning sickness. In the caption, Kim praises the drug and claims it was the only cure to her pregnancy woes. Of course, the insta-ad worked, and the post was 'liked' almost half a million times. The FDA, however, argued that Kim didn't properly explain the side effects of the drug. Kim immediately took down the post and apologized for her negligence. But the internet was not impressed.
3 Maria Kang Goes Viral For Fat-Shaming
People remember ‘What’s your excuse?’ mom Maria Kang? She had a viral fitness campaign that made parents and non-parents furious with rage for body shaming, parent shaming, just eight months after she gave birth to her third child. Everyone and their mom hated her and her sanctimonious six pack. Her supposed intent of the original campaign was to inspire people, but instead it made people want to throttle her. A few years later the yummy mummy posted a picture on Instagram featuring her, ten pounds heavier, on being proud of your body and touting the new tag line, “Just be proud of where you are in your life’s journey!” While some admire her honesty, and how great she looks, others can’t help but feel like these pictures were another set of humble brag publicity pics to get back into the spotlight.
2 When Sarah Stage's Baby Bump Disappears
If you don't know Sarah Stage, you will now. The lingerie model made headlines back in 2015 when she posted a picture of herself on her Instagram account. The photo was a selfie of herself and her nine-month baby bump. But it wasn't her pregnancy that received backlash, it was the fact that her rock-hard abs were more prominent than her pregnant belly. The photo received immediate backlash, with fans and followers quick to shame the model for being 'too skinny.' They went so far as to question her and the baby's health, and whether or not the pregnancy was real or an internet hoax. Heck, even doctors weighed in on the controversy, pointing out that although the model has a toned physique it doesn't mean she's unhealthy.
1 Mom Gets Banned Because Of Her Belly
A young mom to be and exercise expert was shocked and upset to discover that she was banned from Instagram after posting an inspiring video of herself working out in a pair of yoga pants and sports bra while baring her pregnant belly. For years Brittany Perille Yobe used the platform to showcase the secrets behind her highly sculpted physique. The video was meant to inspire pregnant women to stay fit, only Instagram thought it wasn’t ‘fit’ for Instagram followers. The mom said, “"The video stayed up for a few hours. I noticed the next day my account had been deactivated. I was devastated.” She believes it was only deactivated because of the baby belly since she’d posted numerous other bare bellied pics and videos prior to becoming pregnant, with no issue. The fitness guru confirmed that only after the media got involved and fans became vocal that her account was reactivated.
Sources: Life and Style Magazine, Mom.me, Pop Sugar, Providr, Daily Mail, Scary Mommy, Independent, In Touch Weekly, Women's Health Magazine, Redbook