Florida

Model Posed on Instagram by Dad's Casket. She Wasn't Prepared for the Backlash

In the photos, Jayne Rivera, 20, was wearing a fitted, black one-sleeve blazer dress as she stood by father’s coffin

Florida Open Casket Jayne Rivera
Courtesy of Jayne Rivera

A social media influencer defended herself Wednesday after she was criticized for sharing photos of herself posing in front of her father's open casket.

In the photos, Jayne Rivera, 20, was wearing a fitted, black one-sleeve blazer dress as she stood by her father’s coffin, which was adorned with an American flag. She posed with her hands in prayer in one picture.

Rivera, of Florida, told NBC News in an interview that she “understood the negative reception,” but clarified that the photos were taken “with the best intentions in a manner my father would have approved with had he still been alive.”

She said she put the photos on Instagram the same day they were taken, on Sunday, more than a week after her father died on Oct. 11, and she "stands by" what she posted.

While many denounced her decision to share the photos on social media, some noted that the outcry was just as insensitive as the post itself.

Read the full story on NBCNews.com here. 

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