Hellobee Boards

I think the pictures are weird. Especially the one where the sons appear to be lacing up her thigh high stockings. Just... Weird. And I'll admit it does skeeve me out a bit.

I don't think we have to worry about the kids' consent or anything like that but I still think it's weird a mom would want sexualized photos like this with her sons. Whatever I guess.

@BananaPancakes: haha!
Yeah... what the...?

Did anyone else think that maybe they are doing it to GET these sorts of reactions? Down at the bottom where it said that people have read into pictures of her and her sons before... made me think maybe they did this on purpose to push buttons. I could see doing something like that (in another context anyway).

@Mrs. Twine: Yeah I definitely think this is a ploy to get more people to buy a magazine.

@littlebug: I think it's implied, though. Sure no one said she's a terrible mother, but they've called the photos gross and revolting. I don't think any mother on these boards would like it if someone commented on photos of her family with those comments.

These photos were done for a magazine, for a reaction, which is exactly what they've gotten, I am sure of that!

@looch: Doesn't make the photos any less weird and creepy though. I mean, I'm sure they made them extra weird and creepy on purpose to insure that people would definitely find them weird and creepy. So yeah, definitely weird and creepy. Surely that is the reaction they were looking for all along.

And if someone on Hellobee posted photos like this with their sons I would be disgusted, honestly. I don't see how I should feel bad for having that reaction.

@JerricaBenton: Unzipping her dress, tying up her stockings and with her butt nestled in to their crotch? Uh, yeah that would be creepy too.

@pui: Yes, probably on the magazine's end. But I was thinking on the level of their family, maybe it was just a sort of tongue-in-cheek, "people think we're incestuous? Let them look at this." Like when I was in middle school/high school if someone thought something I wore was strange I might then take it to an extreme just because. It was fun to see people's reactions. I'm not sure I could ever be coaxed into taking these sorts of pictures with, say, my dad, but I can sort of see the thought process.

@pui: fair enough! My feeling is that they're artistic photos, and of course art is subjective, that everyone agreed to do. The boys were raised by a supermodel so their experience is going to be different. This isn't just some mom walking into Picture People wanting these kinds of pictures with her sons. They're designed to evoke a response and they definitely do that!

@littlebug: yeah, totally. it was done for a reaction, not a Christmas card, but I made that point earlier, so I think we agree there.

Okay, here's a more concrete example. If people were always saying that I ate unhealthily, for example, and I decided to do a photoshoot of myself eating a giant Big Mac and surrounded by wrappers, or sitting in a pool filled with twinkies. To poke fun at that perception that other people have of me. Does that make better sense? I think that might be what's going on here. They took a public assumption about their relationship (which I'm guessing was wrong), and decided to have a little fun with it.

This is disgusting and just wrong. I can understand in the article when the son gets upset about the picture from the beach being blown out of propotion, that happens. But these, there are no excuses that they are completely out of line!

@looch: If I am posing provocatively while my child undresses me in the photo, I think I'd deserve it. I think there are times when the "if you don't have anything nice to say" rule doesn't apply.

@looch: Fair enough. It could be a "borderline" sort of thing where some people find the pose sexual while I thought it was just cute.

However, in regards of the photos we're discussing here I don't think there is much question on whether or not they are meant to be sexy. The borderline has been crossed lol.

Basically I think there is a big difference between a photo where mom has her teenage son on her lap and some people think it's gross and a photo where mom is posed in lingerie and her sons are tying up her thigh highs.

@looch: When it's a celebrity, sure. I don't really care in the end, it's just some celebrity with their antics making tons of money for it. If it wasn't a celebrity though I'd feel differently.

@pui: agree w/you.

I'm sure she was trying to get a reaction/make a statement , and it worked- I have two brothers and the thought of them in photographs like that w/my mom makes me feel verrrrrry uncomfortable.

I'm not saying anything about her as a mother, or anything about her family because frankly, I know nothing about them and it ain't any of my bizness. But these specific photographs published in this magazine , to me , are creepy and do not portray a normal mother and son relationship.

Wait, a celebrity doing something inappropriate and attention-grabbing?! Say it ain't so!!!!

@looch: public people make things intended for public consumption. And consumption implies value judgement (like, choosing whether to engage something or not requires a value judgement at its most basic level). I I don't think this is a case of mommy wars gone bad. The pics are gross, it is ok to say that. If that was what they wanted, then they also want people to have that reaction. Perhaps it seems gauche to give them the reaction that they are obviously desperate for....I'll warrant that. The sons are both highly educated but obviously pretty into the art/celebrity scene and this is probably just a step into their reality TV show or something.

@looch: also the whole 'would you judge someone's else's pic' is totally irrelevant because there are people who have their kids taken away by CPS all the time because of the way they appear around others with their kids, in photos or around strangers or whatever. In fact some of the people on these boards are probably, in their professional lives, required to report any suspicious behavior. Obviously not relevant to some 20 year olds posting with their mother (although the timing of these pics along with the Dylan Farrow controversy is unfortunate), but still...yes, the pictures with your LO that you make public are subject to judgement. They certainly would be subject to judgement by a judge in a custody case for example....your spouse can use anything on the internet to prove flaws in your character for example, including drunk facrbook pics, etc.

@looch: there are plenty of forums on the internet where people can say whatever they want to about me or anyone else on the boards who makes their lives available for public consumption. Or anywhere else on the internet for that matter! It is a risk you take when you decide to do that. Obviously these pictures were put in a magazine where they are intended for public consumption. I don't think even the people in the picture would debate that. Art is supposed to stir up conversation. If it isn't worthy of being talked about, is it art?