“Over the last decade, the most sold images from Getty for the search term ‘women’ have evolved from photos of mostly naked models to active women to ones in which women’s appearance is beside the point. In 2017, based on the Getty photos most chosen by marketers and the media, to be a woman is to be on your own, physically active and undeterred by either sweat or circuit boards.”
Ours is a world absolutely brimming with media and the narratives behind their creation and distribution. In particular, photography and the digital revolution have shaped how people are captured and depicted on camera. This week, we explore a New York Times article published in September 2017 which discusses image search trends for "woman" on Getty Images, a popular stock photography site. What do these images individually say about our societal perceptions, expectations and sentiments towards women? What are the narratives that emerge from the images as a series, showing change from 2007 to 2017?
