​Influencer Defends Posing in Front of Father’s Open Casket For Instagram Posts

An influencer has defended photos of her posing in front of her late father's open casket, saying there is 'nothing wrong' with what she did.

Jayne Rivera, 20, recently posted a series of snaps from her dad's funeral, having posed for the camera alongside his casket.

She added a caption that said: "Butterfly fly away. Rip Papi you were my best friend. A life well lived."

One of the eight pictures showed the social media star smiling, while in another she was looking smoulderingly over one shoulder and in a third she had her hands clasped together in prayer.

In the background, her father's coffin could be seen directly behind her, an American flag draped over it.

While Rivera thought it was a touching tribute to the patriarch of her family, many of her followers called it 'vile' and 'disgusting' that she would turn a funeral into a photo session.

One person wrote: "Not cool Jayne, ur dad was a decorated vet, a photo shot by his casket should be beneath you. May he rest in eternal peace."

Another added: "S**t is just vile, and down right disgusting."

A third said: "The fact that u would post something like this tells us everything we need to know about you."

Jayne Rivera/Instagram

However, it seems Rivera is prepared to 'stand by' the images, having now responded to the backlash to say she hadn't done anything wrong.

Speaking to NBC News, Rivera said she understood the 'negative reception', but said the photos had been taken 'with the best intentions in a manner my father would have approved with had he still been alive'.

She said: "Everyone handles the loss of a loved one in their own ways; some are more traditional while others might come across as taboo.

"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."

Instagram/Jayne Riviera

Rivera added: "There is nothing wrong with what I posted, and I stand by that."

Rivera, who is a model from Florida, had built an impressive 84,000 followers on Instagram and more than 300,000 followers on TikTok through posting about fashion and travel, and also posing in swimwear.

Her Instagram page has since been disabled.

Topics: Viral, Influencer, World News, News, Social Media

Jess Hardiman

Jess is a journalist at LADbible who graduated from Manchester University with a degree in Film Studies, English Language and Linguistics - indecisiveness at its finest, right there. She also works for FOODbible and its sister page Seitanists, which are both a safe haven for her to channel a love for homemade pasta, fennel and everything else in between. You can contact Jess at [email protected].

@Jess_Hardiman