Justice

What Happens When Men are Photoshopped Out of Important Moments

October 13th 2015

Many lament the shortage of women in high profile and powerful roles, and Elle UK highlights the brutal reality of this issue in a new video for its #MoreWomen campaign.

The clip shows a series of images of government workers, media figures, and entertainment professionals with all of the men Photoshopped out. The images speak for themselves and show just how few women hold influential roles in politics, media, and entertainment:

Here are some before and after shots in the video:

The UN before men are Photoshopped out:

If men were photoshopped out of politics and mediaElle UK YouTube - youtube.com

The UN after men are Photoshppped out:

If men were photoshopped out of politics and mediaElle UK YouTube - youtube.com

"Saturday Night Live" guest host Lena Dunham plus the band The National, before men are Photoshopped out:

If men were photoshopped out of politics and mediaElle UK YouTube - youtube.com

"Saturday Night Live" after the band is Photoshopped out:

If men were photoshopped out of politics and mediaElle UK YouTube - youtube.com

Political figures before men are Photoshopped out:

If men were photoshopped out of politics and mediaElle UK YouTube - youtube.com

Political figures after men are Photoshopped out:

If men were photoshopped out of politics and mediaElle UK YouTube - youtube.com

More political figures before men are Photoshopped out:

If men were photoshopped out of politics and mediaElle UK YouTube - youtube.com

After men are Photoshopped out:

If men were photoshopped out of politics and mediaElle UK YouTube - youtube.com

"Smart, successful women are too often portrayed as one-offs: fierce individualists concerned with their own success," Elle UK wrote in a statement about its #MoreWomen campaign. "[I]n celebration of today's new ‘girl squads', we're urging influencers, personalities and smart thinkers to spread the word."

Elle UK went on to ask fans to post photos of themselves with successful women alongside the words, "One woman's success makes EVERY WOMAN STRONGER. More women for #morewomen #ELLEFeminism." Here are some social media responses to the call to action:

Two years ago, House Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi told Feministing writer Chloe Angyal that politics needs more women:

"If you reduce the role of money in politics and increase the level of civility, you’ll have more women elected to public office, and sooner, and that nothing is more wholesome to the governmental and political process than increased participation of women. I’m very proud of what we’ve done, we’ve increased the number of women in the House, especially on the Democratic side, but it’s not enough. We’re talking incrementally all the time and I think we need to be talking in a different way; we need to make our own environment. We can’t just sit back and say, 'Well, we got ten more, and soon we’ll have eight more, and in two hundred more years we’ll be at parity.' No, I think we say, 'What are the factors that inhibit the increased role of women?'"

She added that the challenge to balance home and one's professional life can push some women out of the demanding line of work:

"[I]t’s important for young women out there who are balancing home and work and raising kids and all the rest of that to see women who share their experience in positions of decision-making, so that they have a seat at the table," Pelosi said. "Well, now we have so many more [women in Congress than when I started], but still not enough."

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