Former soccer superstar David Beckham has once again divided the internet after sharing a new photo of himself and his seven-year-old daughter Harper.
Beckham, who is one of the most doting and affectionate celebrity fathers, often posts photos of his children with wife Victoria on social media to give fans a glimpse into his family life.
The 43-year-old never misses a chance to show the world just how important his kids, including sons Brooklyn, 19, Romeo, 15, and Cruz, 13, are to him, but sometimes he ends up striking the wrong chord.
Beckham dad-shamed...again
This time, people are outraged at the athlete-turned-model over a photo taken at London's Natural History Museum's skating rink that shows him kissing his daughter on the lips.
The adorable photo of the pair's outing did not sit well with some social media users, who believe that a father kissing a child on the lips isn't a proper way to show affection.
"She's your daughter...why are you kissing on her lips..?" wrote one user, while another said: "That looks wrong."
Some people called Beckham "disgusting," "gross," and "inappropriate," while one user pointed out that there are other places he could kiss his daughter, but definitely not on the mouth.
"Weird - it's improper for a parent to kiss their kids in the lips; on the forehead/cheeks is cute though."
This isn't the first time that Beckham has received flak for showing affection to his daughter in this manner.
In June 2017, he posted a similar photo with Harper on Instagram and people were just as furious, arguing that a father kissing his daughter on the lips is wrong because they're the opposite sex.
Fan support
Just like his fans did a year ago, they came to his defense once again. Many slammed his critics for making a big deal out of a sweet, innocent moment between a parent and his child.
"OMG some of y'all I swear! He can kiss his daughter on the lips! I still kiss my dad on the lips! So what?!" wrote one supporter.
Another added, "If anyone sees anything other than a little girl who loves her dad in this picture it says more about the state of their mind than anything else."
Among the fans was fellow athlete Tom Brady, who expressed how he felt in the comments.
"Dad and daughter. So sweet!" the famous quarterback wrote.
Brady also has first-hand experience with this type of scrutiny.
Earlier this year, the father of three was filmed kissing his 10-year-old son Jack on the lips in an episode of his Facebook series, Tom vs. Time.
As for Beckham, he hasn't responded to the most recent comments about the photo, but after last year's controversial snap, he defended himself during a Facebook Live video.
"I got actually criticized for kissing my daughter on the lips the other day. I kiss all my kids on the lips," he said at the time.
He continued, "Brooklyn, maybe not. Brooklyn's 18, he might find that a little bit strange. But, I'm very affectionate with the kids. It's how I was brought up and Victoria [Beckham], and it's how we are with our children...We want to show our kids love and we protect them, look after them, and support them, and we're very affectionate with them."
