Travel influencers come under fire for posting risky kiss leaning out of moving train
They’re the second couple this week to adopt the dangerous pose
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Your support makes all the difference.An influencer couple have become the second pair in a week to face criticism after posting a “stupid” picture of them leaning out of a moving train to share a kiss.
Belgian travel Instagrammers Camille and Jean, better known as “@backpackdiariez”, uploaded the photo to mixed opinions.
The snap shows them leaning far out of a train door in Sri Lanka, and is accompanied with a caption in which they explain that the image sums them up as a couple because they have “blind trust in each other” and are “living on the edge (sometimes a bit too much)”.
While plenty praised the picture, which shows lush foliage in the background with the distinctive blue train curving through the landscape, others weren’t impressed by the risk-taking involved in capturing it.
“Hope you don’t fall down next time you do this stupid stunt,” said one commenter.
Another pointed out that their actions might encourage others to follow suit: “Honestly it’s a beautiful picture but isn’t this very dangerous? What if someone tries to copy it?”
The post got more than 40,000 likes, despite the controversy.
Just a few days earlier, another Instagram couple, Raquel and Miguel, who go by the handle @exploressaurus_, came under fire for striking a similar pose on the same train riding along the Nine Arches Bridge in the small town of Ella, Sri Lanka.
They were accused of encouraging people to risk their lives for the perfect shot.
“I would never promote a picture like this since there are not few people stupid enough to feel encouraged to try and recreate the idea,” wrote one commenter. “You should see your responsibility for influencing others.”
It follows an increasing number of stories of travel influencers experiencing a backlash against posts that critics claim promote dangerous behaviour.
Last month Kelly Castille and Kody Workman, who created Instagram account Positravelty, hit back after a picture of them in Bali was branded “dangerous” and “stupid” by online commenters.
It shows Workman holding Castille over the side of an infinity pool in Ubud while they kiss, with a sheer drop below.
Many were quick to censure the couple for the “terrifying” and “idiotic” stunt, but Castille and Workman, whose account has more than 100,000 followers, defended it, telling Fox News that they “weren’t going to feed into the negativity of this”.
“Our account is about creativity, photography, kindness, perspective, and above all…positivity,” they added. “Whether a photo does well or not, whether it is perceived one way or another, is irrelevant to us.
“We post what we love and what we believe showcases our happiness, our adventures, (and) our creativity.
“This has become a bigger deal than we could have ever imagined and going forward we only wish to discuss positive things and the reality behind the photo.”
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