Posts Written by Ms
By Ms Anthropia • 13 years ago

Inappropriate New Yorker Cover

I got the newest issue of the New Yorker today, and was really shocked to see the cover. Check it out here.

The image is of a female TSA employee kissing an airline customer as she gives him the pat-down search.

Why would a magazine depict a sexual assault on the front cover? What were they trying to say with this image? Were they trying to make light of the discomfort many feel while undergoing these invasive frisking procedures?

I think they were trying to be clever, but once again missed the mark. TSA employees have a lot of power over travelers. They can have you detained. They can report you to Homeland Security. They can give you a full body cavity search. In short, they have the power to make your life REALLY UNPLEASANT.

Under those circumstances, I cannot read this New Yorker cover as anything other than a sexual assault. There’s a severe power imbalance in this situation. Most likely, such contact was unwanted.

To the New Yorker editors: You’re not being clever. Your magazine cover is inappropriate, tasteless, and insensitive. I’d really like to hear your thoughts on the matter, and your reasoning behind running such an offensive image.

Thoughts?