More height-cheating (2022)

I sat and looked through my gender archive and thought about which image I should analyze next. And suddenly I realized that the Moderates and KD are not the only parties that engage in height-cheating (regarding their boost of party leader Ulf Kristerssons height).

1. The Green Party does it too, but in the other direction!

Photo: the Green party

Per Bolund is 1.92 m – Märta Stenevi 1.70. But if you draw a straight line over their heads, it looks like they are the same height (or even like Märta is a little taller).

The illusion is created like this: Märta is closer to the camera than Per, the camera angle is low and the distance between them is smoothed out and hidden by depth of field and flash light.

So the Green party is also aware of Goffman’s concept of “relative size” and the visual impression of dominance. The difference is that they use the tool to give the visual impression of equality.

2. The center party also uses power height tricks.

Photo: the Center party

Have you considered that Annie Lööf (1.71 m) looks a whole average American presidential margin taller than the people in the background of the election posters? Perhaps another sign of what I wrote about in the post The New Neutral. That all political leaders, regardless of gender, should now be portrayed according to the logic of the “masculine” portrait of power. As persons who stand above us. Who we should look up to. Not that should stand by us? (Makes me think of Hillary Clinton’s “I’m with Her” campaign slogan. Which maybe should have been “I’m with You / Greetings Hillary”?)

It doesn’t get any better if the picture of Annie and her followers is photoshopped. Professional retouchers are welcome to weigh in, but I think it looks like models have been photographed separately and edited in (lower than her), to make it look like a whole village is behind her. (“We’re coming, we’re coming, from photo-shoppi-land! 🎶”)

3. The Social Democrats are… not cheating.

Photo: the Social democrats

They simply let people be as tall as they are, and expect that their authority is evident anyway. However, they mark that Magdalena is the leader in other ways: by her having a more active body language (decisively crossed arms) and more 🔥🔥 in her eyes.

In the last picture, with Lena Hallengren, she suddenly no longer needs her arms crossed, though – only when she’s posing toeghter with the men. 🤓

Photo: the Social democrats