Photoshopping Women Out of Combat
Posted by Emily in 
An Hasidic Jewish newspaper has released the now iconic situation room photo with Secretary of State Hillary Clinton and Counter Terrorism Director Audrey Tomason Photoshopped out. A statement from the Brooklyn based Der Tzitung indicated that it was the “laws of modesty” that required them to not publish photos of women, for fear that they would be too sexually stimulating for readers. “It in no way,” continues the editor, “relegates them to a lower status.” You can read the full article here.
We all know differently. Besides the obviously offensive nature of the idea that women’s bodies are so tempting they need to be hidden away (in the home, under a covering, out of history) it is a slap in the face to these two intelligent, successful and hardworking women who were in the situation room that day as vital, contributing members of a powerful government body. Writing them out of their own success and their important roles in a critical moment in America’s history belittles their enormous contributions to the nation. Airbrushing anyone out of their own lives and experiences absolutely relegates them to a lower status, that of the non-existent.
I couldn’t help but think about our servicewomen who are in combat situations everyday in multiple theaters of war but are made invisible by the precedent of the Combat Exclusion Policy. Much like the recently repealed DADT, wherein the Department of Defense didn’t explicitly ban LGBT individuals from service, but rather ordered them and their fellow servicemembers to pretend that they didn’t exist, the combat exclusion policy is outlined in two separate statements that contradict each other just enough to indicate that women are, in fact, in (and are needed in) combat zones, but cannot get recognition for or have equal access to combat related assignments (even though two women have won the Silver Star, a medal only awarded for valor in combat). You can read more about the history of women in combat here.
Just as there have always been LGBT individuals in the military, there have always been women in combat zones and, as the nature of war changes, the boundaries of combat are becoming more and more vague. Like Clinton and Tomason, servicewomen in combat roles are there, on the ground, doing the job. The Department of Defense, like Der Tzitung, would just rather symbolically ban them from being there by simply pretending that they aren’t. This isn’t just degrading; it’s downright dangerous. This invisibility leads to an unequal workforce that feeds into a deeply rooted and violent misogyny. It also leads to equipment and armor that don’t fit, training that doesn’t cut it and increased isolation and vulnerability to abuse. On top of this, combat experience is often used in promotion decisions, making it nearly impossible for women to reach the highest ranks of the military.
I have heard people out there in the no-man’s land that are the comment sections of various websites write off the situation room Photoshop slight as the work of ignorant fundamentalists or excuse it based on the centuries of religious precedent referenced by Der Tzitung’s editors. But how do we explain the legal Photoshopping that the Department of Defense does every day? Ignoring women in the military through legal precedent has led us to a military where servicemember on servicemember violence is ignored, perpetuated and in some cases encouraged. Erasing women, or anyone who doesn’t fit the masculine ideal the military (and the American public) expects, from military culture, government office and history is both cause and symptom of oppression of those groups. It has nothing to do with modesty and everything to do with discrimination.
Fortunately, Representative Loretta Sanchez of California has demonstrated courage and leadership in introducing a bill, HR 1928, that would reverse the combat exclusion policy, recognizing women for their ground combat service and increasing opportunities for advancement for all servicewomen. It is a bold step in the direction of true equality and inclusion in the military. With women proudly serving in combat and being recognized for that service, it will only be a matter of time before the image of the military reflects the true contributions of women and helps to dismantle the misogyny that fuels abuse.
Hillary Clinton Removed From Situation Room Photo By Der Tzitung, Hasidic Newspaper – Huffington Post
Women in Combat Fact Sheet – Service Women’s Action Network
H.R. 1928 – To Amend Title 10, United States Code, to Repeal the Ground Combat Exclusion Policy for Female Members of the Armed Forces – GovTrack
Couldnt agree more with that, very attractive article
nice post. thanks.