@Munish well .. she is going to cost us dearly!!
It was more the photo … which I note that Microblog has cropped so you don’t get the full effect. She is clearly an awkward person and not comfortable in her own skin … and the original photo … that I will try to reload …clearly shows that.
@JohnPhilpin haha totally get what you are saying. There are very few leaders who have that sense of presence and able to own the room. She is currently, not one of them.
@JohnPhilpin I'd like to understand the wider context of that photo in which it appears she may be in the process of curtseying. Given it's standard practice in the world to criticise female leaders appearance, voice, hairdo, clothing and any and all other physical characteristics as part of routine discrediting of females it would be wise to know more and to maybe just judge her on performance rather than out-of-context presentation.
@odd Unless you've taken a photo yourself you have no way of knowing how it might be accidentally or deliberately misrepresenting what went on. We are so easily manipulated…
@Miraz The British tabloid press has a long history of taking photos of mainly left wing politicians out of context to make them look “mad” etc.
@JohnPhilpin Still leaves the question of whether 'gracefulness' belongs on the job description… I'm not convinced it does.
@stefp I've been thinking more about this, especially with reference to women leaders. A climate and culture of sexism may lead to a photographer who consciously or subconsciously chooses to take photos that 'lean' a certain way. Then in the production process someone chooses photos to use, may edit or crop them to achieve a particular look, and then may place them in such a way in the publication that surrounding material may also impart a 'flavour'. At every step conscious or unconscious bias plays a part. I'm sure political leanings play a strong role, but for women and for 'minority' groups (ie non white males) this doubles down, or perhaps triples down when more than one factor is in play.
@Miraz I appreciate your thoughts on this. (Although I am not a photographer, I'm very interested in iconography and the power of images.) I can think of many photos of male leaders which are flattering and which convey the idea that this person should be in charge. This got me wondering about what would be an example of a strong, positive photo of a woman leader, where the viewer would think, "I'm glad this person is in charge."
@annahavron That's quite a thought-provoking question. I wonder: With an enormous history and current presence of all kinds of discrimination (against women, queer or trans people, folks with appearances that differ from white male), ethnic groups and so on, can we even ask that question with the word 'person' in place? I think (in my world at least) we all have a starting point that the man is the leader and the woman or other person some kind of adjunct, so we probably tend to assume that a man is 'in charge'. Would the qualities of what makes a person seem in charge differ from one 'person' to another? These are things well worth pondering. Refer also all those 'blind' studies that show academic papers written by an author presumed to be male are 'better' than the same paper written by someone presumed to be female. Thank you for posing the question and causing me to realise these things. 😀
@Miraz Thanks for posting your thoughts, and I totally agree! When I first saw the Liz Truss pic I'll admit it gave me a smirk of amusement before I scrolled on… but it's super easy to make anyone look bad just by selectively picking what pictures you use of them (no one looks great 100% of the time), and/or editing them badly. It's a cheap tactic that says nothing about her policies or her ethics or anything (which seem bad enough, no need to use bad photos to smear her). And as you say, it's a cheap tactic which seems more damaging against women and oppressed minorities. It's valuable to remember I should probe my gut reaction a bit more sometimes 🙂
@Miraz That is true. Especially in the years before the Crimea annexation until now. You are also right about looks and clothing for women leaders or public figures in general being the topic often more than their views and opinions. I think myself that I am balanced between the sexes, but I ought not to comment negatively or make fun of looks or quirks at all. After all, I’m not exactly a bowl of fruit myself.
Well look at the thread we have here. Let me answer a few comments ....
@Miraz - you were absolutely right - the image - which I originally grabbed from the Guardian was of her doing a curtsy. Good call.
@jayless .. Here's the full video: twitter.com/theipaper... - and I stand by my position ... even more so - she is awkward.
@Miraz I did not use the word 'gracefulness' - or imply that she was 'graceless' - just awkward ... specifically
She is clearly an awkward person and not comfortable in her own skin
.. again - see video above ...
I made no comment about her clothes, appearance, stature etc - I will reserve all of that for what she has done and will continue to do so - until she is stopped - and stopped she must be.
We thought BoJo was mini-Trump - but turns out Trump to Truss is a much shorter step an Truss and the Trussians are a whole lot worse - and I will be writing on that as she continues the disaster of her leadership that I fully expect ....
Why is Liz Truss sacking top civil servants? Because she wants to suppress dissent
Even Liz Truss’s Supporters Worry Her Plans Could Create Havoc for the UK
Britain’s new leader Liz Truss says it’s fair to give more money back to society’s wealthiest people
@annahavron - while ‘yes’ - absolutely not ... have you seen the fun that the media makes of Trump, BoJo, Rees-Mogg et al?
Just a few randomly found on the internet in the space of 60 seconds.
As for the expression on her face … people in the UK will be aware of a fine organ known as ’Private Eye’
Its been a while since I turned the pages of one - it doesn’t easily make its way internationally - but as an idea … here’s a cover …
For the longest time it had a section called ’Separated At Birth’
Which leaves me with one final question …
Take a look at that picture of Liz T again …
Doesn’t she remind you of a blonde Morticia Addams?
@JohnPhilpin My brain immediately rewired your title to Oh Dear. Our Leader. Absolutely nothing to do with the image but her politics. I fear for the UK in the immediate future.
@JohnPhilpin As a provincial American, I can attest that Trump has been photographed in flattering ways that staged him to look like a leader. And ... as a provincial American ... I can only assume that the men you mention who are not Trump, have also been photographed in flattering ways that staged them to look like leaders. But now I'm distracted by another question. How come none of your politicians are photographed cradling their assault rifles? Weird.