The picture was photographed by
Wing Young Huie and is part of his We Are
Other 2012-2013 photo gallery. The photo depicts two African Americans
holdings signs wearing similar clothing color in a gas station. The man’s, who
is wearing athletic/casual clothing, sign states that he is stereotyped as
being gang member but in reality, he is a college student. The women’s, who is wearing
more stylish, formal clothing, sign essentially states the rules of living in a
dangerous community. When analyzing this photograph in a deeper sense, one can
notice the aspect of irony present in it. Both people are wearing identical
clothing colors showing that they are similar. The only difference is the
clothing styles that there are wearing; which is where the irony comes into
play. Since the female is wearing more lavish clothing, due to stereotypes, it
is easy for the audience to assume that she is the one attending college. In
reality, as revealed by her sign, she is part of a more dangerous community. The
audience can also create the assumption that the man is part of a gang with stereotypes
and some racism. The hat being worn backwards and the athletic brand of
clothing on an African American can, unfortunately, be stereotyped as possible
gang attire.
Just how “othering” is prevalent in The Handmaid’s Tale, by Margaret Atwood, it is also present in Huie’s photograph. In both of the works, othering takes form as classism. In the novel, members of the society are othered by their appeal. This can be seen in the book by the existence of econowives. Econowives are women that are married to poor members of the Gilead community, such as low-ranking men; as implied by the usage of neologism. In the community, they can be easily
distinguished by the dresses that they wear. They wear a stripped multicolored dress representing that they have to fulfill all the tasks of the other women, such as being a Martha and handmaid. They are looked down upon by the other members of society, especially the wives of commanders who wear lavish blue dresses. In the photograph, classism is seen through the audiences first impressions of the people in the picture. Since the women is wearing more lavish clothing, it is expected that she would be the one that is going to college. Since she is wearing the nicer clothing, she must be better off than the other person. The opposite goes for the man. Since the man is wearing more casual clothing, he does not resemble an appearance of wealth causing the assumption that is not economically sound, decreasing the possibility that he is attending college. Unfortunately, first impressions can create massive misinterpretations of people’s actual personalities.
Just how “othering” is prevalent in The Handmaid’s Tale, by Margaret Atwood, it is also present in Huie’s photograph. In both of the works, othering takes form as classism. In the novel, members of the society are othered by their appeal. This can be seen in the book by the existence of econowives. Econowives are women that are married to poor members of the Gilead community, such as low-ranking men; as implied by the usage of neologism. In the community, they can be easily
distinguished by the dresses that they wear. They wear a stripped multicolored dress representing that they have to fulfill all the tasks of the other women, such as being a Martha and handmaid. They are looked down upon by the other members of society, especially the wives of commanders who wear lavish blue dresses. In the photograph, classism is seen through the audiences first impressions of the people in the picture. Since the women is wearing more lavish clothing, it is expected that she would be the one that is going to college. Since she is wearing the nicer clothing, she must be better off than the other person. The opposite goes for the man. Since the man is wearing more casual clothing, he does not resemble an appearance of wealth causing the assumption that is not economically sound, decreasing the possibility that he is attending college. Unfortunately, first impressions can create massive misinterpretations of people’s actual personalities.
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