Another week, another Instagram couple getting slammed for taking a dangerous photo of themselves kissing in a stupid place.
Camille and Jean of the @BackpackDiariez Instagram account have shared a photo of themselves kissing while gripping onto the side of a moving train in Sri Lanka, and people are not happy about it.
The picture, which was apparently taken by Camille’s brother, was captioned, “ONE OF OUR WILDEST KISSES.” Also, woah, chill out on the caps lock.
They went on to say they couldn’t think of a better picture to describe themselves as a couple, saying, “[We] blindly trust in each other, no matter what,” also adding they’re “living on the edge (sometimes a bit too much)” and that they’re “usually on the run”. Whatever that means!
While the photo has over 40k likes, many comments on the snap are from people slamming the couples for promoting such dangerous behaviours.
One person wrote, “And then they wonder why people die by trying to get similar pics.”
Another added, “It has nothing to do with wilderness, it’s pure stupidity, I hope no one will die trying to do the same but if this happens it will be all on you!”
Someone else wrote, “Blind trust in the handrail, idiots.”
The crazy thing is that another couple was also labeled “irresponsible” for taking the same shot a few months ago.
Raquel and Miguel from Portugal of @Explorerssaurus_ shared a similar shot and also got slammed, one follower wrote, “It’s all ‘romantic’ and ‘fun’ until someone gets dismembered or thrown to their death.”
The pair defended the photo at the time, saying the train was “moving super slow” and they “respect everyone’s opinions, but it’s not risky.”
Raquel added, “The guy didn’t put me in danger, I’m pretty independent, and I do what I feel comfortable with.”
That’s all well and good, but what about the many people who will try and copy the shot and won’t be so lucky with the outcome?
In early April, another couple, Kelly and Kody of @Positravelty went viral after sharing a photo of Kelly dangling over the edge of an infinity pool with only Kody to stop her from falling.
The photo was branded “stupid”, “dangerous” and “so crazy”.
Speaking with Business Insider, the couple said, “What is probably most surprising to any audience is that this photo was actually Kelly’s idea.”
“We are both in good shape, we know our bodies and in turn, we know our limits. We had faith in each other and trust to pull this off and so we made the choice as a team to shoot it.”
It’s really great that they felt physically strong enough to take the shot, but what about all the people that see that photo and are silly enough to think they could try to replicate it and then end up hurt or dead!
Last year the Washington Post reported that more than 250 people worldwide had died while taking selfies because people are more willing to take risks to get the perfect shot. Just some of the ways people died included being hit by trains, falling from heights and electrocution.
A study done by researchers at the All India Institute of Medical Sciences studied news reports of 259 selfie-related deaths between October 2011 and November 2017. The study was published in the Journal of Family Medicine and Primary Care with the lead author, Agam Bansal, telling the Washington Post he was concerned about the how most of the deaths were victims aged between 10 and 30.
Bansal suggests there should be “no selfie zones” around certain bodies of water, mountain peaks and the top of tall buildings and to be honest, it really does seem like we need them!
Moral of the story is: don’t be stupid, a photo is not worth your life!