Chrissy Teigen is no stranger to online controversy. The model and presenter has been involved in countless spats over the years, but this one is really something. She's now getting a huge amount of backlash for... having a bath with her own young children.
In what feels like one of the most absurd online responses in recent times, Chrissy shared a photo on Instagram on Saturday of herself naked along with her three youngest kids, who are 18 months, two and six in a bathtub. The response was a moral outrage that reveals more about her critics, than it does Chrissy.
Some of the criticism in the comments called her and the photo 'weird', while some questioned the colour of the bath water and asked why it was 'dirty'. The mum-of-four responded saying, 'It’s a coconut milk bath for sensitive skin but go off!'
Perhaps the most ridiculous were the commenters who (bizarrely) focused on whether it was appropriate or not for her to share a bath with her children. One user commented on her post, 'Your boys are too old to be in the bath with you. Not appropriate at all.' Others criticised her for sharing the image online, with one commenting, 'this a moment that should be kept private.. naked kids and a naked adult in the bath together should be the last thing someone thinks about putting out on the internet whether it was innocent or not.'
The reception to a very normal, very ordinary parenting moment, is characteristic of how unhinged online discourse has become. Let's break down the response to tackle each bit, before we lose our heads.
First, the idea that it's 'inappropriate' for a parent to share a bath with their young children is the wildest element to this situation. Let's remind ourselves that the oldest child in the image was six – not that it matters. But what exactly is the issue with a parent sharing a bath with their child? Is it because they're naked? If so, why is that an issue?
The response reveals a bizarre, and worrying, assumption that nudity is inherently linked to sexuality. The idea that a mother can't be naked around her very young children because it's untoward or strange, reveals much more about people's troubling thoughts around nakedness more than anything else. Why are critics projecting such a grim lens onto something so clearly innocent?
Secondly, the idea that Chrissy shouldn't have shared the image is none of our business frankly. Every parent will make a call on how much they choose to share of their children online, and unless it's a safety issue, why are people shaming her? Again, children in a bath with their mum is nothing but a pure moment from a day. The idea that this is any worse to post online than any other parenting moment highlights a perverse projection from commentators.
Time and time again we see parents shamed for existing. One parent's choice might not be yours, but does it warrant the barrage of predictable backlash we see every other day? I'm exhausted as a bystander. I can't even imagine being on the receiving end.