Newsweek Cover on Silicon Valley Sexism Lights Up Twitter
Newsweek‘s newest cover story takes on an important but not-oft-talked-about issue: sexism and the underrepresentation in Silicon Valley. To get across this idea, Newsweek is running the story along with this provocative cover image:
As you can imagine, that image received quite the blowback on Twitter:
@Newsweek What an ignorant graphic. Shame on you. #2015 no progress
— Margery (@margery) January 28, 2015
@Newsweek I would call that cover, obscene, sexist & disgusting. Why I stopped reading you MANY years ago.
— Ann (@Evilpa) January 28, 2015
@Newsweek your cover does not help
— Jozsef Czapovics (@czapinho) January 28, 2015
That @newsweek cover, @jimpoco? Clickbait, designed to piss off women while pretending to investigate sexism in tech. Fail–but you know it.
— Jennifer L. Pozner (@jennpozner) January 28, 2015
Go home @Newsweek you're drunk/desperate/inappropriate/offensive RT @jimpoco: This week's cover. pic.twitter.com/KEq5hAZal5
— megan quinn (@msquinn) January 28, 2015
The cover is horrid. @KiraBind @sarahkendzior @Newsweek
— Goldie Taylor (@goldietaylor) January 28, 2015
A great cover sells a story. It doesn't undercut its credibility. @KiraBind @ReaganGomez @sarahkendzior
— Goldie Taylor (@goldietaylor) January 28, 2015
It's like a sexy wink of a cover, which is fucking offensive given the real problem of misogyny in tech.
— Jessica Valenti (@JessicaValenti) January 28, 2015
Because I'm sorry, sexism in tech is not a cheeky Man Men-esque ass-pinch. It is a vile, issue of systemic harassment & power.
— Jessica Valenti (@JessicaValenti) January 28, 2015
There were, of course, people who weren’t too bothered by the cover and actually liked the message it conveys:
I respect those who differ, but I like the @Newsweek cover because it portrays a woman becoming an object, absolutely outside of her control
— Margarita Noriega (@margarita) January 28, 2015
Local feminist disagrees with Twitter buddies; thinks Newsweek cover is pretty sharp. By me.
— Rebecca Traister (@rtraister) January 28, 2015
This @Newsweek cover doesn’t seem like something to freak out over. But hey, that’s just me!
*floats away*
pic.twitter.com/bPJ6krhg5l
— Ben Dreyfuss (@bendreyfuss) January 28, 2015
Newsweek managing editor Kira Bindrim responded to the criticism on Twitter and engaged with people who had some problems with it:
Behind the @Newsweek cover? You know, just 5,000 words about how pernicious sexism in tech is http://t.co/uRhbxtHr4O pic.twitter.com/SbWlInziAy
— Kira Bindrim (@KiraBind) January 28, 2015
@ReaganGomez @goldietaylor @sarahkendzior @Newsweek Sexism in tech, in 2015-slash-ever, is horrid. That's what's being illustrated.
— Kira Bindrim (@KiraBind) January 28, 2015
@goldietaylor @ReaganGomez @sarahkendzior @Newsweek And the story?
— Kira Bindrim (@KiraBind) January 28, 2015
@goldietaylor @sarahkendzior Maybe. I think someone can disagree with a cover and still read the 5,000 words behind it.
— Kira Bindrim (@KiraBind) January 28, 2015
@goldietaylor @sarahkendzior For sure—I think we're disagreeing about whether this one is. But I do highly recommend reading the story.
— Kira Bindrim (@KiraBind) January 28, 2015
@ReaganGomez @goldietaylor @sarahkendzior For me, the illustration inspires the same reaction the quotes & anecdotes in the story do.
— Kira Bindrim (@KiraBind) January 28, 2015
@ReaganGomez @goldietaylor @sarahkendzior Which is that viewing women as objects is prevalent and a huge huge problem.
— Kira Bindrim (@KiraBind) January 28, 2015
Now, if this has all piqued your curiosity about the actual content of the Newsweek cover story, you can read it here.
[image via Newsweek, featured image via 360b]
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