Watching Carol kill Lizzie in The Walking Dead was traumatic enough to see the first time around, so no, the internet does not want to relive that moment — especially if the scene is staged using children.
A New Jersey-based photographer caused a uproar on Facebook over the weekend after she shared a Walking Dead-themed photoshoot starring zombie kids.
Photographer Alana Hubbard decided to recreate popular scenes from season 6 of the AMC's popular series, and even had her own five-year-old son and three-year-old daughter take part in the project as Rick and Carol.
The photos were taken on June 3 in a wooded area near abandoned train tracks in Fords, N.J. and featured a total of 24 kids (including her two children) ranging from four to seven years old. The children were neighborhood kids and those of clients.
The images include the infamous Carol holding a gun scene, Negan beating up a walker with his baseball bat wrapped in barbed wire and Daryl on his motorcycle ready to flee a pack of zombies. Others include children dressed up as the cast holding guns and weapons and a Sasha mini-actor laying on top of a pack of "dead" bodies.
The photos quickly went viral on Sunday, with the album currently having more than 45,000 views. Of course, there are some diehard fans who loved the creativity, and — dare we even say cuteness — of the shoot. The Carol pointing a gun at Lizzie scene has over 14,000 likes alone, with many people commenting how "cool" the photos are.
However, it's also understandable how some may find the photos disturbing and offensive. The mother was slammed by many Facebook users, with many even bashing her for their perception of her promoting gun violence as it relates to children.
"I think it's pretty sick for you to expose children to the show or these ideas in general. Would you let them pose or 'pretend' for Fifty Shades of Grey? Equally disturbing," one commenter wrote.
Some of the images struck such a sensitive chord that many reported them to Facebook. This caused the social network to temporary ban Hubbard for 72 hours for violating the company's policy about inappropriate photos for a photo of Negan bashing in a zombie skull and the photos Daryl on the motorcycle.
A Facebook spokesperson told the website TooFab later that there was an "error" and apologized for the mistake, and both images are back in the album.
Now that her page is back up, Hubbard included a disclaimer saying that the photos may be intense for some, although Facebook does blur out one and features a "mature content" warning before users are able to view it.
With experience shooting maternity, infant and children photography, the photoshoot seemed harmless to Hubbard, a Walking Dead fan. The photographer used toys for the weapons, and all the blood and gore was added using Photoshop after the shoot. The kids weren't even aware of the show they were recreating and viewed the project as dress-up, she said.
Hubbard stands by her shoot and said she doesn't see the controversy since she didn't make up these poses.
"All I did was reenact something that's already been seen by millions of people on TV and the internet," she said.
The images even made it onto to Walking Dead official website.
This isn't the first time Hubbard's photography went viral. Her photo of a girl with cancer dressed as princess previously gained recognition back in 2014.
Source: Facebook
