Wednesday, a social media influencer defended herself after being chastised for posting images of herself standing in front of her father’s open casket.
Jayne Rivera, 20, was photographed standing next to her father’s coffin, which was draped with an American flag, in a tight black one-sleeve blazer dress. In one photo, she posed with her hands in prayer.
Rivera, of Florida, told NBC News that she “understand the unfavorable response,” but said that the images were shot “with the best intentions and in a manner my father would have approved of 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,” the content creator said in a statement Wednesday. “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.”
Rivera said she posted the photos on Instagram the same day they were taken, on Sunday, more than a week after her father died on Oct. 11.
