# Attention whore or social commentator (Obese photographer)? **URL:** \ **Category:** In My Humble Opinion\ **Created:** [May 13, 2013, 6:25pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/attention-whore-or-social-commentator-obese-photographer/658251 "2013-05-13T18:25:21Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 11
**Author:** ![Justin\_Bailey](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/justin_bailey/32/8792_2.png) [@Justin\_Bailey](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Justin_Bailey)\ **Post date:** [May 17, 2013, 11:53am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/attention-whore-or-social-commentator-obese-photographer/658251/201 "2013-05-17T11:53:50Z")
> [@Nzinga\_Seated](#): > > I’m sorry guys, I didn’t link the [shot](http://haleymorriscafiero.com/images/photos/wait-watchers/swing-set.jpg). Look at it. Just look at it and tell me that woman isn’t hamming it UP for a response. > > There is no way possible she is trying to portray a slice of life in the day of a fat girl just minding her business. Exactly. That’s a, “Daddy, is that lady OK?”, stare if I ever saw one. ---
**Author:** ![6ImpossibleThingsB4Breakfast](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/6/e19adc/32.png) [@6ImpossibleThingsB4Breakfast](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/6ImpossibleThingsB4Breakfast)\ **Post date:** [May 17, 2013, 12:34pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/attention-whore-or-social-commentator-obese-photographer/658251/202 "2013-05-17T12:34:46Z")
“That’s no lady! That’s an attention whore!” Sometimes the mediocre try to make the mundane appear outrageous. Sometimes it works. She should try to find out how. ---
**Author:** ![April\_R](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/3da27b/32.png) [@April\_R](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/April_R)\ **Post date:** [May 17, 2013, 1:56pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/attention-whore-or-social-commentator-obese-photographer/658251/203 "2013-05-17T13:56:06Z")
> [@colander](#): > > I don’t know if you guys are missing this or what, but the photos were taken in Barcelona. _That’s not in America_. It’s in the first sentence of the article. If you won’t even read the damn article, what point is there in even having a discussion about this? If you were paying attention to this thread I pointed it out at least two locations that are in Memphis not Barcelona. I live here and I’ve been there and I know where these places are. One was taken in the donut shop I frequented when I was I was pregnant with my twins. You really are skirting the line of blind arrogance ---
**Author:** ![Eyebrows\_0f\_Doom](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/eyebrows_0f_doom/32/3119_2.png) [@Eyebrows\_0f\_Doom](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Eyebrows_0f_Doom)\ **Post date:** [May 17, 2013, 3:15pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/attention-whore-or-social-commentator-obese-photographer/658251/204 "2013-05-17T15:15:06Z")
> [@colander](#): > > I don’t know if you guys are missing this or what, but the photos were taken in Barcelona. _That’s not in America_. It’s in the first sentence of the article. If you won’t even read the damn article, what point is there in even having a discussion about this? The _very first photo_, before the article even begins, is in Times Square. If you won’t even look at the damn pictures, what point is there having a discussion about them? ---
**Author:** ![JackieLikesVariety](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/jackielikesvariety/32/296_2.png) [@JackieLikesVariety](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/JackieLikesVariety)\ **Post date:** [May 17, 2013, 5:18pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/attention-whore-or-social-commentator-obese-photographer/658251/205 "2013-05-17T17:18:05Z")
if Art is to get people talking/thinking/disagreeing then she is doing an excellent job. clearly, not everyone is seeing the same thing. I consider this a good, or at least OK. ---
**Author:** ![supergoose](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/aeb1de/32.png) [@supergoose](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/supergoose)\ **Post date:** [May 17, 2013, 6:04pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/attention-whore-or-social-commentator-obese-photographer/658251/206 "2013-05-17T18:04:45Z")
> [@Nzinga\_Seated](#): > > I just realized my post was all over the place here, but I am saying that on the one hand, I agree that confidence is great, on the other hand, I don’t think this artist has an issue with confidence and on the third hand, I don’t think people should be using low confidence as an excuse to judge fat people anyway. I definitely agree with your last point, and I’m starting to think you guys are right about these photos being hammed up and staged. Damnit, I hate being taken in. (And to the posters I was arguing with about the cop photo: I agree, I was reading too much into it and assuming a negative motive on their part when there likely wasn’t one. Thanks for shifting my perspective.) > [@bldysabba](#): > > I think women who say “Women like confidence guys, so be confident” are mistaken. It’s classic implicit association bias. People who are confident usually have something to be confident about. It could be humour, it could be good looks, it could be an ability to engage with people easily. That underlying aspect is what women actually like, and they mistake it for liking confidence. That I disagree with, though, unless this is a matter of you defining confidence differently than I do. To me, having confidence means self-esteem and self-like, and that most definitely makes it an attractive quality in itself\*. \*IMHO: Dealing with people who dislike themselves or have a huge amount of self-doubt can really suck. A little bit periodically is fine (and actually makes me feel closer to and like the person more for exposing their vulnerabilities), but when you’re frequently having to hear someone bash themselves and reassure them, interacting with them can be really draining and unpleasant. ---
**Author:** ![Drunky\_Smurf](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/drunky_smurf/32/449_2.png) [@Drunky\_Smurf](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Drunky_Smurf)\ **Post date:** [May 17, 2013, 6:26pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/attention-whore-or-social-commentator-obese-photographer/658251/207 "2013-05-17T18:26:16Z")
> [@colander](#): > > You’ve succeeded in convincing me that there is pretty much no photo that you, personally, will interpret as support of her thesis. I find this interesting. I find this interesting. ---
**Author:** ![GrandWino](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/grandwino/32/67_2.png) [@GrandWino](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/GrandWino)\ **Post date:** [May 17, 2013, 6:51pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/attention-whore-or-social-commentator-obese-photographer/658251/208 "2013-05-17T18:51:37Z")
> [@FaerieBeth](#): > > At this point you may as well eat the ham. Spoiler Alert: She’d already eaten the ham. ---
**Author:** ![Leaper](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/4bbf92/32.png) [@Leaper](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Leaper)\ **Post date:** [May 17, 2013, 6:56pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/attention-whore-or-social-commentator-obese-photographer/658251/209 "2013-05-17T18:56:46Z")
> [@supergoose](#): > > \*IMHO: Dealing with people who dislike themselves or have a huge amount of self-doubt can really suck. A little bit periodically is fine (and actually makes me feel closer to and like the person more for exposing their vulnerabilities), but when you’re frequently having to hear someone bash themselves and reassure them, interacting with them can be really draining and unpleasant. And when you drift away, that then proves to them that they’re unlikable and terrible, which only deepens the cycle. (Not that that’s your fault; just noting the cruel irony of the self-fulfilling prophecy.) ---
**Author:** ![Leaper](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/4bbf92/32.png) [@Leaper](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Leaper)\ **Post date:** [May 17, 2013, 7:01pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/attention-whore-or-social-commentator-obese-photographer/658251/210 "2013-05-17T19:01:05Z")
> [@colander](#): > > You’ve succeeded in convincing me that there is pretty much no photo that you, personally, will interpret as support of her thesis. I find this interesting. Why would there be? We are not mind readers. We should try not to judge people based on a 1/1000th of a second snapshot. Though this made me try to think of a single moment so blatant that no reasonable person could avoid taking it as mockery of another person. I’m having a difficult time coming up with reasonable ones (though I admit they may exist). ---
**Author:** ![supergoose](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/aeb1de/32.png) [@supergoose](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/supergoose)\ **Post date:** [May 17, 2013, 8:43pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/attention-whore-or-social-commentator-obese-photographer/658251/211 "2013-05-17T20:43:05Z")
> [@Leaper](#): > > And when you drift away, that then proves to them that they’re unlikable and terrible, which only deepens the cycle. (Not that that’s your fault; just noting the cruel irony of the self-fulfilling prophecy.) Yep. (Probably a large part of why I had no friends until fairly recently.) ---
**Author:** ![Fenris](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/fenris/32/498_2.png) [@Fenris](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Fenris)\ **Post date:** [May 17, 2013, 9:02pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/attention-whore-or-social-commentator-obese-photographer/658251/212 "2013-05-17T21:02:52Z")
> [@DrFidelius](#): > > I don’t see a cop “patting his stomach.” I see a cop whose hand happens to be in front of him. That being said, I have no idea why the cop with the hat is carrying on like that; he may well be doing a “Cheer up! Look, you’re an honorary member of New York’s Finest!” with a goofy face to make her smile. Yeah, largely this. 1. She’s taking like 100 frames a second or some such. You will ALWAYS get weird expressions, gestures, moments. 2. In at least one of the pictures, she’s provoking reaction, not just sitting there, pigeon-toed. [this one](http://media.salon.com/2013/04/titan_embed.jpg). She’s standing there, slack-jawed and drooling, looking like she needs only a swamp, an axe and banjo music to go on a rampage. If I was that girl who’s looking at her, I’d have a similar expression. 3. Given that she’s set up the reaction in one photo (above), I can easily see her kidding around with the cops and saying “How do you think _I’d_ look with a cop-hat?” and then putting on a sad face ☹ So–I’m getting a fundamental “dishonest” vibe here from this woman and the pics. Again–photograph ANYONE in motion or just talking for a few minutes with a high speed camera and you’ll _always_ get weird expressions and gestures. Do I think that fat people suffer real discrimination? Yes. Do I think that fat people get occasional weird looks and obnoxious comments? Yes Do I think this woman is constantly ridiculed and abused beyond the bounds of all reason constantly for no other reason that being overweight and that people literally recoil in horror like that little kid on the swing or the girl in the pic where the artist makes herself look like Ned Beatty in _Deliverance_? No. Do I think she’s dishonest or psycho and is either an attention whore or a paranoid (or both)? Yes. ---
**Author:** ![GrandWino](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/grandwino/32/67_2.png) [@GrandWino](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/GrandWino)\ **Post date:** [May 17, 2013, 9:18pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/attention-whore-or-social-commentator-obese-photographer/658251/213 "2013-05-17T21:18:13Z")
> [@Fenris](#): > > 1. She’s taking like 100 frames a second or some such. You will ALWAYS get weird expressions, gestures, moments. > … > > So–I’m getting a fundamental “dishonest” vibe here from this woman and the pics. Again–photograph ANYONE in motion or just talking for a few minutes with a high speed camera and you’ll _always_ get weird expressions and gestures. Yep, just ask [Beyonce](http://shot97.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/02/Beyonce-looking-unflattering.jpg). ---
**Author:** ![Kaio](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/c68b51/32.png) [@Kaio](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Kaio)\ **Post date:** [May 17, 2013, 9:38pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/attention-whore-or-social-commentator-obese-photographer/658251/214 "2013-05-17T21:38:56Z")
> [@Leaper](#): > > Though this made me try to think of a single moment so blatant that no reasonable person could avoid taking it as mockery of another person. I’m having a difficult time coming up with reasonable ones (though I admit they may exist). The photos would have to be at a much higher resolution, for one, so we could actually see a reasonable amount of detail. They’d need to be less busy so background and non-subject persons/bystanders are not distracting from the focus/subject of the photo. We’d need to be able to see the subjects’ eyes well enough to be able to clearly, or at least reasonably so, determine where they are looking, and see that there is little to nothing else within their line of sight that they might be looking at instead. So, sunglasses, blinks, looking downward, none of those work. Hell, you could even _manufacture_ that they have nothing else in their line of sight, by carefully chosen cropping, and it would still work as a piece of art to tell the intended story (although of course at that point the honesty of the work would be in dispute). It would be really hard to get all of these circumstances to come together out in the world, yeah. The photographer would need to get a lot closer to her, for one, which of course would then influence how people react. People do naturally turn to look at what the camera is pointed at, because it’s a fairly big clue that someone thinks there’s something interesting to look at. The cop photo, at least, fills the frame well enough that there’s no confusion about who the subject is, and that they are looking at/interacting with her, but then fails on the grounds of “what does a hat have to do with her weight?” > [@Bob Ducca](#): > > Yep, just ask [Beyonce](http://shot97.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/02/Beyonce-looking-unflattering.jpg). She’s clearly reacting to that fattie in the front row! How can you not see that!! 😃 ---
**Author:** ![lorene](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/65b543/32.png) [@lorene](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/lorene)\ **Post date:** [May 17, 2013, 11:47pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/attention-whore-or-social-commentator-obese-photographer/658251/215 "2013-05-17T23:47:24Z")
> [@Nzinga\_Seated](#): > > I’m sorry guys, I didn’t link the [shot](http://haleymorriscafiero.com/images/photos/wait-watchers/swing-set.jpg). Look at it. Just look at it and tell me that woman isn’t hamming it UP for a response. > > There is no way possible she is trying to portray a slice of life in the day of a fat girl just minding her business. > [@Justin\_Bailey](#): > > Exactly. That’s a, “Daddy, is that lady OK?”, stare if I ever saw one. Seriously. That looks like an ad for Zoloft or something. If I were with my kids in the park and saw her like that, I would certainly take a glance or two (and possibly ask her if she needed help). ---
**Author:** ![AaronX](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/7bcc69/32.png) [@AaronX](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/AaronX)\ **Post date:** [May 18, 2013, 3:24am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/attention-whore-or-social-commentator-obese-photographer/658251/216 "2013-05-18T03:24:58Z")
> [@Kaio](#): > > Also, I’ll be blunt, I find her composition leaves much to be desired, despite her claims to consider it carefully. I get that self-portraiture it really difficult – I’ve always hated it because I can’t see and adjust the framing before taking the picture. But these photos don’t look composed. They look like vacation snaps, not fine art. In a lot of them, there is no clear subject, not even her. I think _that’s_ a failure of execution, too. This is what I was trying to say when I asked if she was still considered a photographer. Instead of making a name for herself through photographic skill, it looks like she’s opting for controversy instead. ---
**Author:** ![drewtwo99](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/d07c76/32.png) [@drewtwo99](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/drewtwo99)\ **Post date:** [May 18, 2013, 3:53am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/attention-whore-or-social-commentator-obese-photographer/658251/217 "2013-05-18T03:53:54Z")
> [@lorene](#): > > Seriously. That looks like an ad for Zoloft or something. If I were with my kids in the park and saw her like that, I would certainly take a glance or two (and possibly ask her if she needed help). Why do you hate fat people so much!? 😉 ---
**Author:** ![overlyverbose](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/o/9dc877/32.png) [@overlyverbose](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/overlyverbose)\ **Post date:** [May 18, 2013, 12:55pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/attention-whore-or-social-commentator-obese-photographer/658251/218 "2013-05-18T12:55:04Z")
Also, what I don’t get is what reaction she’s expecting when she has someone essentially set up a photo shoot of her in these busy places. When I see that, I definitely look. “Hmmm, a photo shoot. Is that someone famous or a tourist? Nope, no one I would know - must be a tourist. Jeez, I wish they’d get the hell out of the middle of the buy sidewalk. They’re really in the freaking way. Annoying jackass. And what a weird, blank look. Standing weird, too. I wonder if something is wrong with her. Oh, well - gotta get to the grocery.” And yes, I may throw a glare their way if they’re clearly preventing pedestrian traffic from moving along. But, she looks like shit and she’s in the damn way and someone is taking photos of her for some weird reason despite the blank looks and awful posture. With respect to all the theories and cites **colander** has thrown out, I would actually agree that fat women are seen as inferior even to fat men. BUT, this “art” doesn’t demonstrate that. It demonstrates a person in the damn way and looking really weird. With respect to the cops - yeah, they’re being annoying. Maybe they’re doing it to make fun of the tourist or the clearly clueless idiot standing in the middle of the sidewalk. Or perhaps they’re commenting on her weight. But they are the ONLY ones that remotely demonstrate her ridiculous point, and even that is ambiguous. So she failed. ---
**Author:** ![Dave\_Hartwick](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/7feea3/32.png) [@Dave\_Hartwick](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dave_Hartwick)\ **Post date:** [May 18, 2013, 1:12pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/attention-whore-or-social-commentator-obese-photographer/658251/219 "2013-05-18T13:12:38Z")
It’s a matter of perspective. Compared to colander’s attempts to whip up some outrage, she succeeded. ---
**Author:** ![Kaio](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/c68b51/32.png) [@Kaio](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Kaio)\ **Post date:** [May 18, 2013, 3:22pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/attention-whore-or-social-commentator-obese-photographer/658251/220 "2013-05-18T15:22:34Z")
> [@AaronX](#): > > This is what I was trying to say when I asked if she was still considered a photographer. Instead of making a name for herself through photographic skill, it looks like she’s opting for controversy instead. Yeah, if these are actually a representative sample of her photographic/compositional skills, it makes me wonder how she managed to get a position teaching it. (Those who can’t do, teach?) The other series shown on her website didn’t impress me either. [This guy does.](http://kylecassidy.com/)[So does this woman](http://humansofchicago.squarespace.com/new-blog/) (who also shoots street photography). [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/attention-whore-or-social-commentator-obese-photographer/658251.md?page=10) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/attention-whore-or-social-commentator-obese-photographer/658251.md?page=12)