Like most parents would do, photographer Wyatt Neumann took tons of photographs of his two year old when they were roadtripping across the country for a couple of weeks. Excited to share his photos with social media, he posted his favorite shots to Instagram. What he wasn’t expecting was the backlash that would ensue:
Almost instantly, people began a tirade against the photographer, saying his images were child pornography.
They began leaving angry comments and messages. They even got his Instagram account taken down. What Neumann felt were typical candid portraits of a two year old girl enjoying time with her father were met with outrage.
Neumann responded graciously to his naysayers with an art show, aptly titled I Feel Sorry For Your Children: The Sexualization of Innocence in America. New York City’s Safari Gallery, hosted the show, which Neumann hopes will “create a discourse between people on both freedom of expression as well as how society tends to sexualize the natural acts of children.”
“To me that being able to express and…document my children’s lifestyle…is my right.”
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They are “Sickos..Sickos…Sickos…” .your daughter is beautiful and innocent and you are a great father.
You have done amazing by fighting back against such prejudice. Why should you not document such a beautiful life. I am a photographer in England and will say with an English expression…”more power to your elbow….don’t let the bastards grind you down”…..Love to you and your family……..
We all add pictures taken naked taking a bath or playing on the beach when we were children ; those same pictures we were ashamed about when our mum and dad were showing the family album to people… Was it child pornography? Absolutely not. So why would it be different now ? Just because a bunch of sick people might find this kind of pictures sexually appealing we now all have to think these photos are child pornography ? Do we have to lose our innocence ? Do we have to hide our children ? In some societies they hide their women behind veils… I that what we want for our children ? I think this Dad is a great Dad. His pictures don’t reflect anything but tenderness and love. I also think it takes a lot of courage to expose his work after those terrible insults he’s received. The saddest is that this father will probably never be able to take a shot of his daughter without having in a corner of his mind a thought about how some perverted people might see it. His shots might never be as fresh, innocent and spontaneous again… :-(