The Rock criticized for posting photo of his daughter's swimming lesson: 'They made bathing suits for a reason'
Tough guy Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson is known for having a soft spot for his three daughters.
The Jumanji star shared a snapshot to social media Monday morning that captured a sweet moment between him and his 3-year-old Jasmine, one of the two girls he shares with Lauren Hashian. The photo shows the little girl without clothes, perched on the side of a swimming pool, just before jumping off, and her famous father waiting to catch her.
More than 2.9 million people, including celebrity dads David Beckham and Josh Brolin, liked the photo on Instagram alone in the first two hours it was posted.
The star deleted it shortly afterward amid criticism over the fact that his daughter wasn’t wearing a bathing suit in it, but not before people had a chance to weigh in. “Why is she naked though?” wrote one person. “I love the Rock but this pic isn’t necessary for social media. They made bathing suits for a reason,” added another.
Others insisted that keeping such a photo off the internet is about protecting the child. “I'd never post a pic of my child naked in a pool on social media...I understand the message that is being conveyed but there are some messed up people out there,” one commenter wrote. “Why would you expose a young child’s body to millions of people?” another added.
But while many had harsh things to say, some argued in the comments that it’s tough to keep a toddler wearing, well, anything — and that in many cultures not wearing a bathing suit is normal. “Those who are sexualizing this picture of his daughter because she is swimming with no clothes on obviously don’t know what it’s like to grow up in the islands or in a Polynesian house hold,” one commenter wrote. “This is very normal and not sexual in any way with our culture.”
The Rock, who has yet to comment on the controversy, regularly shares sweet family photos that he takes with his daughters. In addition to Jasmine, he’s dad to 1-year-old Tiana, whose mom is Hashian, and Simone, 17, who he shares with ex-wife Dany Garcia.
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