Padma Lakshmi is sharing the thought process behind her decision to start showing her daughter's face on social media.
The "Top Chef" and "Taste the Nation" host, 49, had been in the habit of using special effects and stickers to hide her daughter Krishna's face. She recently began sharing unedited photos of the 10-year-old; on Thursday, for instance, she shared a throwback photo of the two of them togther in Washington, D.C.
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"Me and #littlehands on a trip to DC last year," she wrote on Instagram, using the nickname she's given her daughter on social media.
The rest of the post was focused on voting in 2020, ending with a call to action to her followers, but a fan had just one question.
"You used to hide (Krishna's) face. Why the change?" the fan wrote in the comments, adding, "Great photo by the way."
Lakshmi responded to the comment, saying that since her daughter has been more visible in regular life, she saw no point in hiding her on social media anymore.
"I know!!" Lakshmi wrote. "I just, in quarantine it became hard to always keep her out of the kitchen. I wanted to be helpful to people by doing the little cooking videos and she would always come in. Now I've just given up because there are tons of pics of us together from paparazzi on the streets of NYC anyway. So I'm not sure what I achieved by always putting stars in her eyes."
"And then I had her in the episode of 'Taste the Nation' because I'd be a hypocrite if I asked others to share their life with me but didn't do it with my life and I wanted to be as authentic as possible for the show," she continued. "So then it also seemed silly to go back to covering her face again. But I'm still really conflicted about it. (as evidenced by my meandering reply! lol!)"
Lakshmi's comment sparked a thread where she and other mothers discussed their feelings about posting their children's images on social media.
"I really love this honest and raw response!" wrote one user, thanking Lakshmi for the "glimpse into (her) private life."
"Not that anyone asked, but "I think"... by not covering her face any more you kind of have taken the power (and price tag) away from the photo hunters, and likely given you a little more privacy," wrote another.
Kris Sanchez, an NBC affiliate reporter, weighed in and said she felt the "same conflict" with her own daughters.
Another commenter suggested that Lakshmi ask Krishna what she felt "most comfortable with" to see if that helped make a decision.
"She is a ham!" Lakshmi replied. "In the best way but I want her to grow up as normal as she can given her life."