Why I Keep Posting My Daughter "Bagelface" on Instagram

June 23, 2026 - 19:47

I will never stop sharing photos of my child on Instagram, no matter what anyone thinks. At least not until she is old enough to look me in the eye and say, "Mom, stop."

My daughter has a nickname online. I call her Bagelface. Her real face is almost always hidden behind a cartoon bagel emoji, a pink donut, or a grinning cat sticker. I do this for a reason. I want to share the chaos and joy of parenthood without handing her image over to strangers in a way she might later regret.

People have strong opinions about this. Some say I am exploiting her for likes. Others say I am being paranoid. The truth is simpler. I am a mom who loves taking pictures of her kid eating spaghetti, making mud pies, and crying because her sock is "wrong." I also know that the internet does not forget. A single photo can be screenshotted, reposted, or used in ways I cannot control. So I cover her face with a silly sticker. It is not perfect, but it is my compromise.

I have read the think pieces. I know the arguments about consent and digital footprints. I agree with most of them. That is exactly why I use the emoji. I am not pretending my daughter is anonymous. Her name is not public, but her life is visible in fragments. I am trying to give her a childhood that exists online only in a blurry, cartoon-filtered version. When she is old enough to understand, she can decide what stays and what goes.

Until then, I will keep posting. I will keep the bagel emoji handy. And I will hope that when she finally tells me to stop, she will also understand why I started.