Facebook removes page after ‘Peace on Earth’ photo incites outrage

[KamaAina]

http://www.dailydot.com/lifestyle/family-holiday-portrait-duct-tape/

On Sunday, a Louisiana-based studio called Hannah Hawkes Photography posted a series of recent family holiday portraits to Facebook. Hawkes' Facebook page described her as a “(n)ewly established, local photographer” specializing in family, maternity, and engagement sessions. Among the holiday photos that Hawkes shared over the weekend, one stood out from the rest:

The photo depicts a family of five posing together, flanked by evergreen trees. A woman, presumably the mother, and two little girls, presumably the daughters, sit in a row with bright green duct tape covering their mouths and a string of Christmas lights binding their arms. A little boy, presumably a son, stands behind them raising his fist, while a man, presumably the father, kneels and holds a sign, reading "Peace on earth." The identities of the five individuals are unknown.

Though the photo perpetuates the adage of "Women should be seen and not heard"—a notion that some may find amusing to parody ironically—an image of girls and women silenced and restrained by men also suggests far darker connotations. The National Coalition Against Domestic Violence estimates that one in three women in the United States will be victims of intimate partner violence over the course of their lives, and that a woman is physically abused every nine seconds.

Given these staggering facts, it is not difficult to see why, by Tuesday morning, the Facebook fan page for Hannah Hawkes Photography had been deleted, along with the hundreds of shares that spread the photo virally. Some people, though, are continuing to post their concerns about the photograph and its photographer, indicating that they will not patron Hawkes’ business should she relaunch her page.

[pnwmom]

1. What an odd photo. They apparently thought this was funny?

[dlwickham]

2. others did as well

[PowerToThePeople]

3. Could be good or bad

It all depends on the viewpoint of the viewer.

Either it is support of hate or it is exposing hateful ideas.

I am sad that it got removed, though I never had seen it until now.

[annabanana]

4. Please explain how it could be "good"

seriously...

[PowerToThePeople]

5. it could be exposing hateful ideas

as stated in the post you responded to.

[DLevine]

6. Wow, that photo is sick. nt

[Liberal_in_LA]

7. Hateful photo

I know he was trying to be funny but.. damn

[ronnie624]

8. Oh, a misogynistic 'joke'.

How 'funny'.

[2naSalit]

9. Perhaps the intent

was not well presented and they meant it to be a snarky illustration of what's wrong in our society...

just can't tell. It could also be a crappy illustration of a sicko's view of how it should be.

Not the best idea from either standpoint.

[malaise]

10. It's disgusting

seriously,

[mwrguy]

11. police and CPS should be interviewing that woman and her daughters

[Octafish]

12. That is sick.

We really are going into some sad, sad places.

That is not art. That is a template for associating the paternalistic subtext of the holidays with sexual violence.