A representative of Colombian singer Maluma has defended him after after fans criticised an Instagram photo of him kissing his mother on the lips.
On Sunday, the 25-year-old artist posted two images on Instagram in honour of his mother, Marlli Arias, on Mother’s Day.
The caption read: “Feliz día amor de mi vida, FELIZ DÍA MADRE,” which translates into English as “Happy day love of my life, Happy Mother’s Day".
In one photograph, Maluma can be seen hugging Arias while in the other he is pictured holding her face and kissing her on the lips.
Many social media users were shocked by the photograph of Maluma kissing his mother, with some calling it “inappropriate” and “sick”.
“I know in some countries its normal to kiss your relatives on the lips but that looks like a full on make out sesh fixing to happen [sic],” one person commented.
Another person wrote: “Dude, that’s sick.”
While a third added: “Why is this man making out with his mum?”
Others defended the singer for showing affection to his mother and insisted the act was entirely innocent.
“Nothing wrong with this innocent kiss,” one person commented.
Another added: “For many cultures this is normal.”
While the debate over whether parents should kiss their children on the lips continued in the comment's of Maluma’s photo, a representative for the singer explained that the kiss is "normal in Latin culture".
“It’s normal in Latin culture especially if you’re the only son or the baby of the house,” the representative told People.
“It’s affection and a form of respect. He’s open about who he is and his cultural values, this is just part of it.
“The beautiful thing is that he has been accepted in the American music market with open arms, and I think, now, where we are in this world with music, it’s really global. Now people are going to be able to see different sides of our culture in different ways.”
In 2017, a similar debate about boundaries in parenting was sparked after football player David Beckham shared a photograph of himself kissing his then five-year-old daughter, Harper, on the lips on Instagram.
Following a string of negative comments on the post, Beckham addressed the topic in a discussion on Facebook Live in which he insisted he is “very affectionate” with his children because that is how he was brought up.
“I got actually criticised for kissing my daughter on the lips the other day. I kiss all my kids on the lips,” Beckham said.
“Brooklyn, maybe not. Brooklyn’s 18, he might find that a little bit strange. But I’m very affectionate with the kids. It’s how I was brought up and Victoria, and it’s how we are with our children.
“We want to show our kids love and we protect them, look after them, and support them, and we’re very affectionate with them."
