U.K. reality TV star Dan Osborne was criticized on social media because he kissed his daughter on the lips. Yes, even an act of love between a father and daughter is fodder for trolls.
On Valentine’s Day, Osborne posted an adorable photo of himself kissing his daughter Ella, who turned 3 years old on Feb. 15. “Just put my little princess to bed,” the Only Way Is Essex star wrote. “Can’t believe she’s 3 tomorrow! So crazy how grown up she’s getting. Last night of being 2! Love you so much darling.”
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Some of Osborne’s fans called the photo “inappropriate,” but others defended the 26-year-old Osborne. A few of the negative comments were deleted, leaving messages from his supporters behind.
“Inappropriate. What is wrong with people?” one person wrote. “Please don’t EVER have kids if you think this is inappropriate you weird deluded people! This is a beautiful picture of a dad and his daughter! Happy Birthday Ella.”
“How could anyone see something wrong with this picture? Too many parents aren’t in their children’s lives and yet a man loves his child and it’s deemed inappropriate,” another person wrote. “Keep loving your children [Dan Osborne] they’ll be by your side forever while you do. Happy Birthday Ella xx.”
HuffPost U.K. polled parents on Facebook, where many more defended Osborne kissing his daughters. They could not understand how some critics could “sexualize” the kiss.
“I kiss my three year old on the lips as does her dad,” one mother wrote. “There is nothing sexual in it at all and anyone who feels that there is something sexual needs their head texting! It’s a sign of affection for someone I adore and love… I still kiss my 93 year old nanan… I don’t force my 3 year old to kiss anyone though it’s what ever she is comfortable with.”
“I just find it incredibly sad that we live in a society where kissing your child on the lips would be questioned. Sexualising this behaviour is the problem, not the behaviour itself,” another mother wrote. “I’ll continue to kiss my children on the lips for as long as they are happy to do it.”
Osborne is not the first British celebrity to have to defend his right to kiss his own daughter. Last year, soccer icon David Beckham was criticized for posting a picture of himself kissing his then-7-year-old daughter Harper on the lips. Beckham even defended the kiss during a Facebook live chat.
“I got actually criticised for kissing my daughter on the lips the other day. I kiss all my kids on the lips,” Beckham explained, reports the Telegraph. “Brooklyn, maybe not. Brooklyn’s 18, he might find that a little bit strange. But I’m very affectionate with the kids. It’s how I was brought up and Victoria, and it’s how we are with our children. We want to show our kids love and we protect them, look after them, and support them, and we’re very affectionate with them.”
Osborne is a former star of The Only Way Is Essex. He is married to EastEnders star Jacqueline Jossa, and they also have a son, Teddy.
Photo credit: Instagram/ Dan Osborne
