As a portraait artist I can confirm these visual impacts. I had no idea she was being displayed this way during the 2024 campaign. We have lost the service of an intelligent and compassionate human being, a painful loss.
Thank you! I taught media literacy (journalism prof), and this is exactly right. I hope to see more of this.
We all need to increase our media:/visual literacy. We consume so much of it, that the implicit messages often register and influence us more than we think. We’re wary of explicit messages ( I hope), but the implicit? Those get consumed.
Lois, yes! I’ll be writing this column every other week. So subscribe and stay tuned! And send any tips of visual sexism you see to submit@contrariannews.org with the subject line SPLIT SCREEN. I want this to be created with community!
Thank you so much for the link, Azza. Being probably the world's worst photographer, even I would have thought her coloring totally fake. But all your other points are great tips for things to look out for in the future. Thank you.
I wish Kamala Harris would come out and rejoin Tim Walz and LEAD us in our fight against Trump and his doomsday authoritarian machine. I say Harris Walz for President 2028!!!
Thank you Connie! I appreciate the kind words. And if you see examples of visual sexism send them my way either to submit@contrariannews.org or commenting here on Substack. It’s important to me that this is a community effort!
Wow! This was a powerful piece. Thank you for the information I would never have known. I only know that the billionaires behind most news media have their own agenda. Thanks for pointing out how, sadly, even The New Yorker needs so much scrutiny.
Thanks so much, Ann! I was disheartened by this photo choice because I am a subscriber and big fan of TNY. They are the first publication that purchased a film of mine so it has a special place in my heart. However, we must call out how these choices affect women and our perception of them — especially from publications we love.
I appreciate the breakdown of visual elements and knowing how they affect me, as a viewer, emotionally and cognitively. Boy, could this stuff be weaponized if the boys were smart enough to do so. I'm guessing that much of the poor framing is accidental, simply, as the author says, laziness or ignorance about their subject. But the red warning image--not so much.
I think it would be helpful to this column to actually split the screen, though. Give us a positive image that shows the flip side of the biased one, so we can see how "bias" can be used for good or evil. (A chance for us to see Cohen's work?) Love this, though; I'm a fan for life.
This is such a lovely comment, thank you! I agree that most of the time this is accidental or subconscious and truly not nefarious. If I had to guess the red lens flare was seen as a cool and different image, it is visually interesting at the same time as being visually sexist. And thanks for the feedback! We will be including both images in future pieces so you can compare and contrast.
I am not well versed in these things, but to use such an odd photo, with that big red spot of light, suggests to me that it was a deliberate choice, to represent her as targeted and under attack - which is just what the article headline says. Within that "targeted" image though, the way she is looking off to the side makes her look defensive rather than strong. Thanks for the article. She deserves better.
Nancy, I think you’re spot on — I believe the image was selected intentionally to show her “under attack.” But as you also noted, it’s a choice to show her looking defensive and off rather than powerful and authoritative in the face the the attacks the article details.
Great informative post. Would like to see original but not necessary to those of us who remember her as a dynamo on all ways. Am glad she’s staying on the world stage but I’ve missed any reporting about it to keep her at our forefront. We need her in the news here!!
Thanks, Michelle! I have not personally had a conversation with her about it. But she’s brilliant and I know she is acutely aware of these systemic biases.
I don’t doubt/question your analysis of sexism. But I also wonder about a strong sense of worry being communicated through journalism, reflecting the feelings of journalists and editors as much as their subjects. Perhaps it is not only sexism they are projecting here. I read a recent article in The Hechinger Report about the decimation of data collection occurring in education. It communicated worry above all else. Not outrage that the cuts are illegal, not a sense of “we’re going to fight this legally,” not clear-eyed analysis of how it’s illegal, etc. Everybody’s worried (subjects and producers of content), and it comes through. I have gotten used to The Contrarian’s defiance of those feelings and am grateful for it. Journalists should seek out psychotherapy and explore how their feelings affect their work to support for our democracy so they can do their jobs better.
Lisa, this makes sense. I do not know why the photo editor chose this photo, but I think it’s important to point out the ways in which women are undermined through visuals. It is likely unintentional (though perhaps rooted in worries, as you say) — but even unintentional choices add up.
Agreed. I don’t mean to take away from your point. I am glad you are sharing your expert eye with us.
For all I know, the general worry/anxiety I speak of, if it is an influence, results in representing male leaders as notably and unjustifiably strong. I have some examples in mind as I write this.
Photos of Hegseth and his muscles. Actually, a really unprofessional look but seems to be a positive. Ann Telnaes shared a cartoon takedown of that look today. I then watched Lithgow read 20 lessons on tyranny (Snyder) and realized Telnaes was applying lesson #4.
Glowering Trump photos, of course. He looks scary to me and the look is not flattering — maybe that’s the point.
Trump really does look more like the Colorado portrait—kind of like a bland accountant. I didn’t notice that before but saw a photo of him signing the closure of the Dept of Ed and sure enough, he looked just like the CO portrait except he was smirking. Trump prefers scary to bland. (Telnaes created a portrait of Trump to capture how she sees him.)
The word “muscular” was used early in Trump’s regime to describe his actions. That’s when I stopped reading the NYTimes. I don’t like men being presented/accepted as strong when in fact they abuse women, and everyone knows it (he was even found guilty of abuse in a court of law.)
You write about the subtleties in photos of real people. These men are presented as caricatures in photos, and it seems that’s what they want. They don’t want to look like real people—too boring. The look doesn’t appeal to me, but it must to others.
Telnaes dispenses with their approved caricatures and creates true caricatures, which I am thankful for.
Thank you, Ted! I’m so glad you will consider this in the future. If you come across visual sexism in the media, send it my way via submit@contrariannews.org with the subject line SPLIT SCREEN. I hope to make this community driven!
As a portraait artist I can confirm these visual impacts. I had no idea she was being displayed this way during the 2024 campaign. We have lost the service of an intelligent and compassionate human being, a painful loss.
Thank you for commenting your insight as a portrait artist, Padma. I’m sure there is so much you see in the art world!
Another excellent post. Keep them coming!
I am so grateful you for the readership and engagement, Gail!
Thank you! I taught media literacy (journalism prof), and this is exactly right. I hope to see more of this.
We all need to increase our media:/visual literacy. We consume so much of it, that the implicit messages often register and influence us more than we think. We’re wary of explicit messages ( I hope), but the implicit? Those get consumed.
Lois! Wow, I am so happy you commented. From a media literacy journalism professor.
Will you be doing in more of these? I hope so. Will contrarian carry them?
Lois, yes! I’ll be writing this column every other week. So subscribe and stay tuned! And send any tips of visual sexism you see to submit@contrariannews.org with the subject line SPLIT SCREEN. I want this to be created with community!
That's great news! I do subscribe to contrarian. Look forward to it.
Thanks for the education!
Thanks for reading, Judith!
I would like to see the picture in the original version as it was published, next to the one in the article above, for comparison.
This is good feedback! Thank you. We’ll publish both side by side in the next split screen. In the meantime you can see it on TNY here: https://www.newyorker.com/news/daily-comment/the-increasing-attacks-on-kamala-harris
Thank you so much for the link, Azza. Being probably the world's worst photographer, even I would have thought her coloring totally fake. But all your other points are great tips for things to look out for in the future. Thank you.
Thanks for reading! Yeah that color is especially off. It was the first thing I noticed.
I wish Kamala Harris would come out and rejoin Tim Walz and LEAD us in our fight against Trump and his doomsday authoritarian machine. I say Harris Walz for President 2028!!!
I hope so too. But I also hope she’s resting after such an intense four years and campaign.
You have sharpened my eye. I will be on the lookout from here forward. Thank you.
Thank you Connie! I appreciate the kind words. And if you see examples of visual sexism send them my way either to submit@contrariannews.org or commenting here on Substack. It’s important to me that this is a community effort!
Wow! This was a powerful piece. Thank you for the information I would never have known. I only know that the billionaires behind most news media have their own agenda. Thanks for pointing out how, sadly, even The New Yorker needs so much scrutiny.
Thanks so much, Ann! I was disheartened by this photo choice because I am a subscriber and big fan of TNY. They are the first publication that purchased a film of mine so it has a special place in my heart. However, we must call out how these choices affect women and our perception of them — especially from publications we love.
I appreciate the breakdown of visual elements and knowing how they affect me, as a viewer, emotionally and cognitively. Boy, could this stuff be weaponized if the boys were smart enough to do so. I'm guessing that much of the poor framing is accidental, simply, as the author says, laziness or ignorance about their subject. But the red warning image--not so much.
I think it would be helpful to this column to actually split the screen, though. Give us a positive image that shows the flip side of the biased one, so we can see how "bias" can be used for good or evil. (A chance for us to see Cohen's work?) Love this, though; I'm a fan for life.
This is such a lovely comment, thank you! I agree that most of the time this is accidental or subconscious and truly not nefarious. If I had to guess the red lens flare was seen as a cool and different image, it is visually interesting at the same time as being visually sexist. And thanks for the feedback! We will be including both images in future pieces so you can compare and contrast.
Being accidentally sexist is like being accidentally racist. One can fix it. Thanks for busting the myths :)
Exactly!
And here is the original image https://www.newyorker.com/news/daily-comment/the-increasing-attacks-on-kamala-harris
I am not well versed in these things, but to use such an odd photo, with that big red spot of light, suggests to me that it was a deliberate choice, to represent her as targeted and under attack - which is just what the article headline says. Within that "targeted" image though, the way she is looking off to the side makes her look defensive rather than strong. Thanks for the article. She deserves better.
Nancy, I think you’re spot on — I believe the image was selected intentionally to show her “under attack.” But as you also noted, it’s a choice to show her looking defensive and off rather than powerful and authoritative in the face the the attacks the article details.
Great informative post. Would like to see original but not necessary to those of us who remember her as a dynamo on all ways. Am glad she’s staying on the world stage but I’ve missed any reporting about it to keep her at our forefront. We need her in the news here!!
Hi Wendy! Thanks for the feedback. We’ll publish both images side by side in the next split screen. In the meantime you can see it on TNY here: https://www.newyorker.com/news/daily-comment/the-increasing-attacks-on-kamala-harris
This would have never occurred to me without this post. Thank you for pointing out these visual biases!
Thank you, Christy! I appreciate you reading!
Thanks for your analysis of this photo. Has this been pointed out to Kamala? I know she’s aware of the sexism in our culture.
Thanks, Michelle! I have not personally had a conversation with her about it. But she’s brilliant and I know she is acutely aware of these systemic biases.
Nicely done.
Thank you Susan !
Fantastic! So glad I read this.
I don’t doubt/question your analysis of sexism. But I also wonder about a strong sense of worry being communicated through journalism, reflecting the feelings of journalists and editors as much as their subjects. Perhaps it is not only sexism they are projecting here. I read a recent article in The Hechinger Report about the decimation of data collection occurring in education. It communicated worry above all else. Not outrage that the cuts are illegal, not a sense of “we’re going to fight this legally,” not clear-eyed analysis of how it’s illegal, etc. Everybody’s worried (subjects and producers of content), and it comes through. I have gotten used to The Contrarian’s defiance of those feelings and am grateful for it. Journalists should seek out psychotherapy and explore how their feelings affect their work to support for our democracy so they can do their jobs better.
Lisa, this makes sense. I do not know why the photo editor chose this photo, but I think it’s important to point out the ways in which women are undermined through visuals. It is likely unintentional (though perhaps rooted in worries, as you say) — but even unintentional choices add up.
Agreed. I don’t mean to take away from your point. I am glad you are sharing your expert eye with us.
For all I know, the general worry/anxiety I speak of, if it is an influence, results in representing male leaders as notably and unjustifiably strong. I have some examples in mind as I write this.
Oh that’s so interesting! I agree with your point. Comment your examples here as I’d love to see what you’re thinking.
Photos of Hegseth and his muscles. Actually, a really unprofessional look but seems to be a positive. Ann Telnaes shared a cartoon takedown of that look today. I then watched Lithgow read 20 lessons on tyranny (Snyder) and realized Telnaes was applying lesson #4.
Glowering Trump photos, of course. He looks scary to me and the look is not flattering — maybe that’s the point.
Trump really does look more like the Colorado portrait—kind of like a bland accountant. I didn’t notice that before but saw a photo of him signing the closure of the Dept of Ed and sure enough, he looked just like the CO portrait except he was smirking. Trump prefers scary to bland. (Telnaes created a portrait of Trump to capture how she sees him.)
The word “muscular” was used early in Trump’s regime to describe his actions. That’s when I stopped reading the NYTimes. I don’t like men being presented/accepted as strong when in fact they abuse women, and everyone knows it (he was even found guilty of abuse in a court of law.)
You write about the subtleties in photos of real people. These men are presented as caricatures in photos, and it seems that’s what they want. They don’t want to look like real people—too boring. The look doesn’t appeal to me, but it must to others.
Telnaes dispenses with their approved caricatures and creates true caricatures, which I am thankful for.
Thanks for the insights. Not something I had thought of, but what is being said makes sense. I will be watching for this in the future.
Thank you, Ted! I’m so glad you will consider this in the future. If you come across visual sexism in the media, send it my way via submit@contrariannews.org with the subject line SPLIT SCREEN. I hope to make this community driven!