A few days after her sensational World Cup comeback, Lindsey Vonn has been criticized for a controversial Instagram photo. The US-American took a starfish out of the water during her vacation.
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- Lindsey Vonn has come under fire for an Instagram photo following her celebrated World Cup comeback.
- The 40-year-old held a starfish in front of the camera while on vacation, which can have fatal consequences for the animal.
- Vonn reacted calmly and assured the starfish that nothing had happened to it.
Lindsey Vonn was still the celebrated star during her incredible World Cup comeback in St. Moritz. The 40-year-old raced into the top 15 in her first race in almost six years, leaving Michelle Gisin and others in her wake.
That was just before Christmas. Since then, Vonn has had to get used to the darker side of being a star again. After the super-G in St. Moritz, the US American went straight on vacation. Vonn took her fans to the beach on Instagram and posted a bikini photo from the beach before the turn of the year.
The problem: in her photo, Vonn is holding a starfish in front of the camera, which she apparently found in the water beforehand. The 40-year-old is now being criticized on social media for this action. Numerous fans point out in the comments under the post that it can be fatal for starfish if they are taken out of the water and exposed to fresh air.
Marine Conservation Foundation warns: "Starfish cannot breathe in the air"
"Starfish die if they are taken completely out of the water. Oh my God," commented one user. Someone else instructs the US American: "You shouldn't do something like that, especially considering your role as an influencer. I'm really angry."
And indeed, the German Foundation for Marine Conservation also warns against such behavior. "It seems paradoxical to us lung breathers, but starfish can't breathe in the air. Only a few minutes out of the water are enough and the poor animal suffocates in agony," writes the foundation on its website.
Vonn himself reacted calmly to the criticism and suggested that the starfish had not been in the fresh air for long. "The starfish is fine, guys," she soothes in another message under her post. The 40-year-old receives support from some fans. "It's amazing how many marine biologists there are in the world, you should teach her to ski too," reads one reply.
Meanwhile, Vonn doesn't have much time to deal with the discussion. The World Cup continues on January 11 and 12 with a downhill and a super-G in St. Anton am Arlberg. Will she be able to build on her strong result in St. Moritz?
