Image Attribution: “Passive and Active Representation of Gender” by Marie Bartlett is licensed under CC BY-SA. Kladno-město, Kladno, Czechia (See interactive map)
These magazines show very different versions of masculine and feminine display. The man is featured central to the front page of Forbes, a business and financial advice magazine. Unshaven but dressed in a suit jacket and crisp white shirt, he looks back at the viewer of the magazine with composure and determination. The woman featured in profile on the cover of Vogue, a fashion and lifestyle magazine, has her eyes closed, her head tilted back and mouth open in a passive manner. She is not shouting or singing, but appears to have just surfaced from under water outdoors. Only her strap from her bathing suit shows in the photo. Because she is not looking at the viewer, it is easier to gaze at her in what otherwise would be a unrehearsed moment. When the person portrayed is staring back with confidence it is more difficult to gaze conscience free.