When I write articles for Lifehackorg, one of my tasks is to choose an image that reflects the content of the article and will attract readers. Sometimes I spend more time doing this than writing the actual words. Not because there aren't an abundance of high resolution photos on the internet, many of which are free if they are credited correctly. But because I am very conscious of the message I am sending with the photo attached to my article.
I try to be diverse and generic. I am aware of white privilege, racism, sexism, privacy, cliche and ageism to name only a few issues. I try to use pictures that don't identify a person and try to think outside the square, so that the image entices people to read the article and piques their curiosity, while at the same time reflects a diverse and equal society. I'm also conscious of the source of the image. I try to ensure that the website attached is not some bigoted or misguided site that promotes ignorance and hatred. Sometimes they use the image I have chosen, sometimes the editors replace it with one they think is more suitable.
It is incredibly frustrating trying to find an image that isn't completely inappropriate. The photo above is a perfect example. I simply searched for the word women and that was the result.
The first image is of Sheryl Sandberg, the Chief Operating Officer of Facebook in an article called Women In The Workplace from the Wall Street Journal. That's excellent, but look at the other photos.
Here are the initial observations I made. They are all white. One woman is fellating a banana, one woman's breast's are the size of desk globes. They are all young and attractive, they seem to have the same face and same expression. Human Barbie is there. That is just a very small snapshot, however it is a common frustration I face. When I look for a specific photo of a woman, I am almost always getting these results first. White, young, attractive, sexy, posing, pouty lips, white teeth, regardless of what activity they are doing.
Search for female doctor, you get sexy doctor. Woman at computer and she's suggestively chewing her pen and crossing her very long and bare legs. She is almost always looking at the camera; at the gaze, or pensively and with docility rolling her eyes at the ceiling. Like this.
My search was 'woman thinking at computer'. I could have replaced the activity with anything; 'woman cleaning a toilet', 'woman undergoing painful rectal examination', 'woman about to perform life saving brain surgery'. Same result.
If I don't specify the gender and it is an activity that embodies bold or strong qualities; intelligent, brave, tough - the first page of images will more than likely be mostly of men. White men, with very white teeth.
The most troubling experience I had was when I recently wrote an article about jealousy. I just searched for images with the word jealousy, or jealous, or envy. There were an abundance of images of women's very injured faces. Acid attacks, stitches, severe beatings. I didn't click on the images to read the sources. I understood the connection.
It's a direct reflection of the misogyny that still exists and how women are still represented and depicted through a white male gaze. It demonstrates rape culture, victim blaming, slut shaming and extreme violence - body shaming, racism and white privilege.
You'll find anything you want on the internet, any picture you can conjure. The trick is to be specific. There's no guarantee that the editors will allow my photos when I try to ensure diversity, feminism, equality and realism. For them, the important thing is aesthetics and SEOs. Just know that I'm aware of it and I'm trying to change it.
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