Bec Oakes
An influencer's holiday card photo has left social media divided over a hidden joke that some people have branded 'nasty.'
Getting the perfect holiday card photo is no mean feat.
First, there's the mammoth task of getting everyone in the same place at the same time. And don't forget to coordinate your outfits. Then, you have to orchestrate the shot, arranging and rearranging family members into the perfect configuration of bodies, and hope and pray that everyone smiles on cue.
With all that hard work going into getting the perfect picture, it'd be a shame for someone to purposefully ruin it.
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But, a US-based influencer had no idea the outrage she'd cause following a prank she pulled on her mom.
Amanda Cooper is a fashion and travel influencer with more than 15,000 followers on Instagram. Every year, her mom, Melynda King, organizes a perfectly coordinated family photo shoot.
This year, Cooper and her siblings wanted to 'shake things up' and surprise their mom. The influencer posted the results of their photo-day prank in an Instagram Reel that has since been viewed 19 million times.
In the image, her siblings all discreetly pointed their middle fingers at the camera as they posed alongside the rest of the family.
Cooper explained to Today how they used the word 'hippopotamus' as a code to cue the prank as the pictures were being taken.
"So right before the middle finger picture, I called out, 'Everyone say, I want a hippopotamus for Christmas!'" she shared.
Fortunately for the siblings, their mother took the joke in her stride, revealing: "I thought it was absolutely hilarious."
But the snap has left social media divided.
One user wrote in the video's comments: "I know this is meant to be funny, but it hurts my heart a little for moms trying to get their families together for what — less than an hour of their lives?!?!?"
Another asked: "Why? No class."
"I’ve never had a family portrait taken in my life. This hurts as someone who doesn’t have a 'family,'" said a third.
Others saw the funny side of the prank, praising the family's creativity and sense of humor.
One person wrote: "I love a family with a sense of humor and they apparently have it! And apparently seem to be a very close loving family!"
Another commented that the picture had 'so much love, personality, and humor.'
And a third said they hoped it would become a family tradition, writing: "I cannot wait for when the kids are older and get in on this tradition too!"