These Stock Photo Options Are Totally Sexist and Heteronormative

Summary

The content discusses the lack of diversity and representation in stock photos, particularly concerning female physicians and LGBTQ+ couples.

Abstract

The author, a physician who identifies as gay, expresses frustration with the limited and stereotypical representation of doctors on Unsplash, a popular stock photo website. The article highlights the disparity in the portrayal of male and female doctors, with men often shown in authoritative positions and women engaged in more passive activities or in stereotypical roles. The author also points out the scarcity of images depicting female surgeons and the heteronormative bias in stock photos of couples, making it difficult to find images that reflect diverse relationships. The article concludes with a hopeful note on the emergence of more inclusive stock photos, such as an image of a queer biracial couple found by the author.

Opinions

The author is dissatisfied with the lack of diverse and non-stereotypical stock photos of physicians, particularly the limited depiction of female doctors in authoritative roles.
There is a clear heteronormative bias in the selection of stock photos available on Unsplash, which does not adequately represent LGBTQ+ relationships.
The author, as a gay physician, feels underrepresented and seeks more inclusive and diverse imagery that reflects the reality of the medical profession and various types of relationships.
The author is encouraged by recent findings of more diverse stock photos, indicating a potential shift towards greater inclusivity in the media.
The author is considering taking action to contribute to the representation of diverse physicians in stock photography.

We need more diversity.

This is driving me nuts. I am a physician, as you may recall, so I keep having to search for stock photos on Unsplash under terms like ‘medicine’ or ‘doctor’. Don’t get me wrong, there are some beautiful pictures on Unsplash, but the limited palette of ‘doctor’ photos is a bit aggravating. Not to mention, I am gay, and when I write about my partner, I keep looking for two women holding hands, or two women at all, and there are very limited options.

For example, ‘doctor’.

The first handful of pictures depict male doctors in authoritative poses.

But the female doctors are doing weird things like looking at slides, injecting vaccines, or… wearing short sleeve lab coats. I have no idea what a short-sleeve lab coat is.

It’s equally bad if you search ‘medicine’. Why is this female physician playing on her phone?

I would just like one bad-ass photo of a female physician with her arms crossed, looking directly at the camera. Don’t even get me started on the ‘surgeon’ search. Yep, all men.

It would be too much at this point, I think, to ask for some diversity in representation. An Asian female surgeon, or a black female surgeon, or a Latina female surgeon!

When I search ‘love’ on Unsplash, I come up with the usual handful of heteronormative couples.

I’ve resorted to using all the pictures of hearts, birds, and cartoon animals when I have to pick a picture of lovers. Can’t I have two women holding hands?

I’d love to go out there and take photos of a diverse physician population so that we can be representated in stock photos. Maybe that’s what I’ll do.

Until then, this image popped up in my search today under ‘lovers’. A queer biracial couple! That did my heart good. Maybe there is some hope after all.

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