Netizens slam, make fun of Crawford-Garcia photoshoot

Billy Crawford and Coleen Garcia went all out in a photoshoot, flying all the way to Ethiopia for it. Netizens thought it was their pre-nuptial shoot.

Unfortunately, the use of locals as “props” did not go over well with netizens, who criticized the couple for being “inappropriate” and for “cultural appropriation.”

“It’s unfortunate how it was taken out of context. It’s far from what we intended. We were invited and sponsored by Ethiopian Airlines to do our shoot there for their tourism and capture their natural environment because we were told that tourism helps their econo- my. That’s why we were in Ethiopia,” the couple said with a statement to ABS-CBN.

They also explained that the shoot with the kids was not planned. They were about to finish shooting with Metro Photos when they noticed the children enjoying their shoot and really wanting to be in the photos.

“We never forced anyone nor wanted to disrespect any race or culture. People in the Philippines felt disrespected and offended, but being there was a completely different feeling,” Crawford, 35, and Garcia, 25, said.

The controversial photos were already taken down by the couple.

But they were still not off the hook as netizens turned to their clothing and made fun of them. Some showed off photos of their bag and couch with similar prints.