Candace Cameron Bure is asking her followers to consider kindness as their resolution for the new year.
The “Fuller House” star shared her family holiday photo on Instagram over the weekend and was surprised to find it was met with harsh criticism.
The image in question was taken by photographer Melissa Coulier, who is the wife of Bure’s former “Full House” co-star Dave Coulier. Bure, 44, posted the photo on Jan. 2 — and the keyboard warriors were ready to pounce.
In the photo, Bure is pictured with husband Valeri and the couple’s three children: daughter Natasha, 22, and sons Lev, 20, and Maksim, 18. Almost immediately after it was posted, her followers began commenting on the “heavy Photoshop” and “unnatural poses,” likening the image to an album cover or clothing ad.
Commenters dug their claws into Bure’s children, claiming her son looked stoned, and that her daughter resembled an “evil Disney princess.”
Bure posted a Facebook response to the negativity that read, “Do you think it’s funny to criticize someone’s children? To make jokes about them? To critique our poses? The direction in which we are looking? Our physical appearance and facial expressions?
“I wished blessings upon everyone as I shared it in the spirit of a happy new year, yet so many of you came back with jokes about our appearance and criticism of what you thought would have been a better photo,” she continued. “Shame on you. It doesn’t matter if you’re 10 or 90 years old, rude is rude … If you don’t like something, just move on. There are people and real feelings behind every screen.”
“P.S.,” she finished, “Please don’t tell me to ignore the ‘haters.’ There were plenty of well-meaning people who thought it would be funny to point out things and share their commentary, ‘with love.’ Umm … that’s not love. That’s rude.”
Bure’s daughter also jumped in, writing in the comments section, “Oh, my god, I didn’t smile or look at the camera. Sue me!!!.”
This isn’t the first time one of her Instagram posts has come under scrutinity. In November, the devout Christian sparked controversy when she posted an image of her husband’s hand touching one of her breasts, which some users considered to be inappropriate.
“[Valeri] can touch me any time he wants, and I hope he does,” Bure responded in defense of the image. “This is what a healthy, good marriage and relationship is all about.”
How did you perceive the holiday photo? Do you think Bure was right to respond to the comments, or should she learn to roll with the inevitable criticism celebrities face when they share their lives publicly?