READ: Billy Crawford and Coleen Garcia official Statement about their controversial Prenup Photos

Photo Credits to Owner

Manila Philippines - Billy Crawford and Coleen Garcia were criticized by netizens over the weekend after their released supposed prenup photos taken in Ethiopia. In some of the photos, they were surrounded by local women and children. Netizen quickly noticed and outraged on social media calling the prenup shoot as cultural insensitive. 

Their prenup photos taken in Ethiopia looked like they belonged in a magazine editorial, with shots showcasing both the photographers’ and couple’s artistry.

Netizens in Twitter and Facebook weighed in their opinions on how and why the Ethiopians were also included on their prenup shoot. 

Photo credits to owner

Photo credits to owner

Photo credits to owner

Photo credits to owner

Photo credits to owner

Take a look of some tweets from netizens.

“While you are being culturally insensitive, you’re telling the world how privileged you are,” he tweeted. “You can always have pre-nup shoots without being racist.”

i love creative and artsy pre-nup shoots but to use Ethiopian people as props & space fillers is very problematic

while you are being culturally insensitive, you're telling the world how privileged you are

you can always have pre-nup shoots without being racist

thanks

📷 © pic.twitter.com/kww6Bg7Bzh

— fifironi pizza 😋 (@AlfonsoLabrague) March 10, 2018

Billy and Coleen’s prenup shoot is just off on so many levels. I don’t see any [positive] underlying message. It’s like saying, “Oh, look, we’re a fancy couple who can fly out here and make you stand in the background as we show you how privileged we are lol.” pic.twitter.com/kJT6M2HFSF

— Gal Harot (@skydieme) March 10, 2018

So bawal na ba mag shoot ngayon with locals kasi it's culturally insensitive?

I honestly don't see anything wrong with billy and coleen's prenup... but I respect everyone's opinion

— angelica pineda (@gegel26) March 10, 2018

Another comment from Facebook has been shared  regarding the saying that if some might find the photoshoot nothing wrong with it, it means there's something wrong and made the problem worse. 

On Facebook, named "Jon Robin Bustamante" expressed her disappointment on the photos of Billy and Coleen. 

If you saw this photoshoot and found nothing wrong with it, you've already made the problem worse.

That problem is "Other"-ing. Simply put, by declaring a race, culture or community an Other, you immediately base their entire identity on what makes them different. They have dark skin, we have fair skin. They live in huts, we live in modern homes. They are the background, we are the focus.

And why is it so bad? Looking at the world in this way makes you lose sight of what humanity is.

This is the reason why a Florida school shooting seems more tragic than 300 dead in a Sinai mosque—because we treat Egyptians/Muslims as the Other whom we share little experiences in common. "I've never been to a mosque before, but I went to school everyday so a school shooting is much sadder!"

This is why you can look at a a slain drug user and feel indifferent, or even happy about it. "The dead man was a drug user, I am not," is where you end your story. You don't burden yourself with identifying his pain, struggles and desperation; his gutted family, his childhood friends, his favorite meal and his favorite TV program; you fear realizing you have something in common will remove the justification you had for his fate.

This is why you don't treat people as an Other.

But the celebrity couple finally breaks their silence on the issue circulating online. 

The couple immediately shared their statement to their network, ABSCBN to clear the issue. 

Billy being the gentleman on this scenario cleared immediately about using the women and kids in their photos taken by Metro Photos. According to Billy, they were invited by Ethiopian Airlines to do the shoot in Ethiopia as part of a tourism campaign. The photos he said were not yet the official prenup photos because they have yet another prenup shoot that will take place in the Philippines.

The singer and host also added that the tour guide even invited them to go around and gave some suggestions on how to the shots saying they wanted to include the people. 

"We based our layouts off of some of their suggestions. The locals were so kind, warm, and welcoming and they love meeting tourists," he said,

Billy also told on their statement that this shoot was not yet their official prenup or the final pre nup photos for their upcoming wedding. As that there will be still set here in the Philippines to shoot. 

Regarding with the women and kids that was included in their shoot, Billy said that the kids enjoyed being part of the process even though it was not part of the plan, he shared that one local scolded the children, but Billy and Coleen just insist to join them on the shoot since the children wants to be part of it. 

"Yung shot with the kids actually patapos na kaming mag shoot noon na kaming dalawa lang and we just needed to get a few shots in, but naaliw yung kids (who were already there) and they really wanted to be part of the photo so they kept coming into the frame hanggang sa sinama na nina Oly."

Billy said that while it may look offensive to some, it wasn't what the couple felt when they first saw the photos. 

"Everytime we look at the photos, we remember how we got to interact with the locals while we were there, and its something truly memorable for all of us, including the team."

At the end Billy and Coleen understand that some will jump to conclusions as they have not seen all the photos and how they are presented. 

"We never forced anyone nor wanted to disrespect any race or culture. People in the Philippines feel disrespected and offended but being there was a a completely different feeling."

"We do apologize for how it might have translated, and we're sorry again to those who we have offended. I grew up in a diverse city (Roosevelt Island), and had experienced bullying and racism in my youth because of my "being Asian." Trust me, we mean no harm."

Source: Inquirer, Twitter