Rosie O’Donnell posts photo of Vivi “playing soldiers”
In what many responding her blog have called “disturbing” and others “brilliant,” Rosie O’Donnell posted the picture below on her blog. It is her youngest child, Vivi, wearing camouflage and bullets.
In response to a question about it on her blog, Rosie said that she doesn’t set up photos, she takes photos of what is before her. She has written previously that her children love playing soldiers and she said that in the photo, Vivi was playing soldiers with her brothers. She has previously posted a picture of her son Blake in camouflage, also below, but that did not get a negative reaction as far as I know. Do you think that it is the fact that Vivi is a little girl, that she is wearing the bullets, or is it her expression, which seems so sad, that is creating controversy?
UPDATE: According to The Showbuzz, Rosie wrote this to them regarding the controversy:
It’s fascinating to me
that an image of a child dressed up as a soldier
evokes so much attention
yet the real soldiers - their deaths - their wounded bodies
doesn’t seem to faze most
or make news.
Thanks to Watching the View reader Alice for The Showbuzz link.
From Rosie.com
Originally uploaded by Rosie O’Donnell
You can read many of the comments that she received in response to the photo in her blog entry “a picture says a thousand posts” here.
Rosie O’Donnell, Vivienne O’Donnell, rblog
June 26th, 2007 at 1:14 pm
I would guess that since Rosie is anti-war, that many would believe that she would not allow her children to engage in this type of play. Many might believe that she shouldn’t.
I like the picture, and I like that Rosie posted it. I think it’s just fine for children to express their immaginations,
Plus the picture is also a reminder that this is reality,…this is what war is, this could be our little girls. It speaks loud and clear.
I love it!!
June 26th, 2007 at 1:26 pm
I don’t love it, but I think it’s necessary that she shows it, to shake up those who are asleep about this war. So I admire her guts so much. This reminds me of how I scratch my head in bewilderment at the pundits who’ve said that by walking off The View, she lacked the courage to debate EH. Please. Rosie has guts in spades. And, once again, she is expressing herself in an atypical fashion. Unfortunately, it is a gift from heaven for her detractors in the press. They will have a field day with this & will have moronic commentators on, such as Donald Trump, to stoke the fire and brimstone. And she knows this, yet had the guts to post it, anyway.
June 26th, 2007 at 2:11 pm
Are those real bullets?
June 26th, 2007 at 2:11 pm
TallFreak: I would guess that they are plastic.
June 26th, 2007 at 2:13 pm
I saw it and immediately said… “this is going to make all the rounds on the news stations”. It already hit drudge. I’m not completely sure what upsets people and think the reasons are probably very personal. It has definitely hit a nerve though. I agree that I think she is very brave for putting it up, posting the comments, and then keeping it up. She is off of tv and yet she still makes the news and causes controversy.
June 26th, 2007 at 2:19 pm
Alice: I suppose she won’t mind it making the rounds on the news if it gets people talking about the war. It will depend on how they skew it, I suppose.
June 26th, 2007 at 2:24 pm
Alice, I too knew it would make the news when I saw it.They will probably make her out to be some crazy person off her meds. I bet some are even making calls to Child Protective Services or something.
The reaction of some of the posters surprised me. The one that said the picture ‘offended’ her puzzles me. Very interesting.
June 26th, 2007 at 2:29 pm
I think its disturbing 1) why would a woman who opposes guns and war let her kids play wiht toy guns and in camo outfits seems hypocrital no? 2)Its disturbing because did she do this purposesly? She had to choice not to post this. By posting she also took the risk of having her childs face all over the blogs which to me seems unneccesary esp since Vivi is not exposed onthe web where only a few might have known what she looked like. Im not a mother but wouldnt want my child to be involved in my issues or controversey.
June 26th, 2007 at 2:52 pm
I agree Winnie that that might be why she put the picture up or at least kept it up.
Stacee: I was surprised by some of the comments as well.
Kiki: I see your point and I’m sure many share it. I can see the other point as well though too. How much of one’s own personal beliefs should be thrown at a child? Many young boys play “Army” and Vivi wanted to play with her brothers so her in the get up means nothing. I had 5 brother growing up and I wanted to take after them. My Mom was against me playing baseball because she didn’t think it was something girls do but she let me anyway. I always liked that. Some parents do that with religion. They don’t press their religious beliefs on to their kids and while some may not agree, I can see their point. It is a personal decision and I think this is one of those types of decisions. I can appreciate the fact that she isn’t being militant about her views and preventing her children from developing their own.
Also, she has been sharing her kids pictures on the website for forever. I don’t think I would personally do it but I’m sure it stops from papparazzi from stalking her kids to get money for photos. Also, she mentioned in a previous blog that she recently got 2 million original hits in a day. I think her kids pics are definitely out there.
June 26th, 2007 at 3:04 pm
Just did a quick google search before I go and cook some dinner. Anyhow, here is an article already with Rosie commenting on the photo at Showbuzz. Go here to read it:
http://tinyurl.com/ytk4mu
June 26th, 2007 at 3:44 pm
I agree that there is no harm in a girl playing Army with her brothers. My brother and I used to pretend that we were police when we were children. My uncle is a cop so we had holsters and real hats. Of course, we didn’t have real guns. We had fun and my mother took lots of pictures that she shared with relatives.
Of course, this is a sensitive subject because we are at war. And, yes, Rosie knows the implications of putting this photo on her blog.
With all of the distraction in the media, it is easy to forget that people’s sons and daughters are fighting in a war. The news stations care more about Paris Hilton getting out of jail. Larry King bumped Michael Moore’s appearance to interview Paris Hilton. This picture may remind us that people’s children are risking their lives for our country.
The news stations will spin the story every which way. Hey, if it creates a political dialogue, rather than a junk dialogue, I’m all for it. The spin is terrible, but perhaps it will wake people up from their apathy.
I don’t understand why CPS would bother with a call over this photo. Shouldn’t they be spending their time helping the severely abused children who are trapped in an unsafe situation? This is a mother who is publicly sharing a photo of her daughter at play. It is not a crime.
June 26th, 2007 at 4:36 pm
LIz, my CPS comment was entirely facetious, lol.
I hope people would really not call them over a picture of a kid dressed up in military gear, but who knows.
Thanks for the article link regarding the latest blog entry Alice.
June 26th, 2007 at 5:43 pm
Whoops, I spoke too soon. People on TMZ are calling it child abuse and saying her kids need to be taken away.
One said WILL CHILD SERVICES BE VISITING THIS HOME? I THINK THIS POICTURE SAYS THEY SHOULD!
Goodness.
June 26th, 2007 at 6:29 pm
There’s nothing wrong with a child dressing up and playing war. There is a problem when the parent uses her 4 year old to try to make a political statement. Come on for the last few weeks all the media outlets have obviously been reading her blog, she knew they would see this and it would make controversy then she acts surprised that they’re reporting it.
She also criticizes parents allowing their kids to go on the web yet she posts her kids picture on her website for the whole world to see. This is a child of a celebrity. Not to mention she doesn’t look to happy in the picture almost like she was forced to dress up.
June 28th, 2007 at 10:12 am
[...] in the picture, so maybe one of her brothers has a similar costume? If you go back and look at the picture of Vivi, there are empty velcro patches where the stars and Army patches are on this [...]
June 28th, 2007 at 12:28 pm
I have to agree with Kenneth, Rosie knew this was going to make the media, and i’m sure she wanted it too.
She has been putting her children’s photo’s on her web-site for a long time. I think that’s her & Kelli’s choice. Rather it is a good idea or not..
As to her not looking too happy, one can’t say why that it. Perhaps she just got shot or killed by one of her brothers. Now isn’t that a statement.
June 28th, 2007 at 4:04 pm
Her son was in a military costume within the past week on her site and there was no uproar then so why when Vivi was put there did people react? That is why I don’t agree that she purposely did it to get media attention.
Alice
June 28th, 2007 at 9:29 pm
Viv, to me, looks like she is concentrating in the picture. She looks serious. Maybe her brothers have the same look and she is emulating them?
It is a rather powerful picture but I could hardly say it’s child abuse, as I saw some people alleging.