‘Below Deck Med’: Captain Sandy and Leah Shafer Receive Backlash For A Playful Photoshoot in the Desert
Captain Sandy Yawn from Below Deck Mediterranean and girlfriend Leah Shafer posted fun photos of the couple alone in the desert.
Shafer shared several photos playing alone in the desert with Yawn, jumping off of Yawn’s Jeep and hanging out at a deserted gas station. Shafer shared the photos and a message. “What better way to stay safe then out in the middle of nowhere and In the meantime enjoying Gods beauty, embracing what’s important, slowing down and just breathing,” Shafer wrote on her Instagram account. “There is something about nature that calms me. Thank you @lmrphotography2020 for spending the day with me and @captainsandrayawn and capturing these moments through your gift of photography!!!”
Yawn also shared a photo. “It’s so hard to watch the news and see all the Politicians blame each other for not making a decision on helping the people who elected them in the first place. Nature is calming, the ocean is calming and if you have a craft you’ve always wanted to do or try, now is the time. I am sending you all good vibes and healthy energy to help you along the way.” Although the couple took photos away from any crowds, Shafer shared that she received a number of negative responses.
Shafer addresses the negativity
While the majority of the responses were positive, some people admonished her for going out. One person remarked, “You are not 6 feet apart and it’s not just you two. You are being part of the problem. Go home.” Shafer included photos with the couple’s photographer too. But Shafer replied, “We are with family, but thanks.”
Another person thought Shafer and Yawn simply shouldn’t be out. “I like you all, but you are encouraging people?” Shafer said the photos were meant to just show that people can still go outside. “Yes get outside and walk!!! Walk your animals. Nothing wrong with getting fresh air responsibly and we aren’t in lockdown.”
She also pointed out that running errands at local stores and banks seemed to pose a higher threat. “Grocery stores , banks, post offices are WORSE than being in the middle on a desert or mountain . Just sayin” She added, “Who says we need to not have fun??? I mean, my own business was shut down, I have zero income for 2 months, I’m a single mother, I have to have another biopsy on my left breast now , ect…so yes, I’m not sitting in my house getting depressed when I could be with my babe and live and laugh in the dunes.”
Be playful (but do it safely)
Later, Shafer shared a video to her Instagram story addressing the backlash. She reiterated that the stores were busy and no one was standing six feet apart or wearing gloves. Shafer adds that people were making negative comments about the photoshoot and showing that they are having fun. “That is the weirdest comment in my opinion,” Shafer says. “Who says just because we’re in this situation we can’t have fun?”
Shafer shared her video from inside Yawn’s Jeep as they were running errands. “Right! So we’re gonna have fun. So if you don’t wanna have fun you don’t have to have fun,” Yawn emphasized. “Don’t be a joy kill and try to steal our …” Shafer says, “Joy!”
Shafer reiterated some of the comments and responses she had to the remarks. Adding that staying at home and getting inside her head is not healthy emotionally or physically. “Our way of dealing with these kinds of things in life is to be positive and play and have fun,” she adds.
