Erin Napier Explains Why She and Ben Don't Show Their Daughter's Face in Photos
On Tuesday, Home Town star Erin Napier shared a sweet photo to Instagram of her, husband Ben, and their three-year-old daughter Helen reading Shel Silverstein's Falling Up. The adorable family snap was taken laying down (most likely inspired by the book's title), with Helen's head hidden underneath the book as she raised it upward.
Fans took to the comments to praise the classic Silverstein title. However, a thread formed discussing how Helen's face is never seen in photos. One particular comment, which claimed that Helen's face has been visible during past episodes of the show, caught Erin's attention and she decided to address it.
The designer mama debunked the comment, explaining that what is seen of Helen on Home Town is rather "a fleeting glance" for two episodes a season, which as she explains "is very different and less useful to a predator than a library of static images of her face sitting in my IG account."
Following the interaction, Napier took to her Instagram Story to further elaborate on why she and Ben have chosen not to show Helen's face.
"It's an awful feeling to have millions of people pick apart an image of your baby's face. It's an awful feeling to see a photo of your child used to promote some sort of overseas kids clothing company," she writes. explaining that she and Ben are the protectors of her Helen's image.
She continues to shed a light on the unsolicited experiences Helen is subject to, despite all their hard efforts to protect her image. "It's unsettling when strangers visiting Laurel to see our Home Town see her with a grandmother and reach out to embrace her when she doesn't know them," she says, revealing that without Helen, her and Ben lives' "would be hollow and there would be nothing to share."
As Erin explains: her likeness is ours to protect and decide when it's okay to share, no one else's. That's our personal choice, and it's not the same for everyone." She ends the message: "We love and appreciate everyone who supports the show, but Helen doesn't owe anyone anything."
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