Close Reading of the Coulter Picture on TIME

[On the Road]

Apr 19, 2005
Coulter and Colder

--snip

Frankly, the picture of Ms. Coulter seems diagnostic. What you get is someone endlessly preoccupied with sexual and physical violence, going from riff to sadistic riff tossing off one-liners dedicated to retribution and revenge. You have someone with a history of charming and seducing men, but who seems to disavow significant emotional attachments with men and often displays flashes of hatred in response to male or female sexuality. You have someone almost pathologically opposed to revealing any personal information, especially if it conveys humanity, femininity or compassion of any kind. You have a person who insists her only professional motivation is personal amusement or the amusement of her friends. Finally, you have someone hopelessly addicted to nicotine who's greatest fear is being found irrelevant

--snip

What does the image suggest? Overall, it depicts someone who is not going to sit for getting her picture taken. By leaning forward, hunching her shoulders and giving you a stare, she's declaring herself off limits. As she does with her verbal behavior, she uses offensive maneuvers to keep you from getting near her or getting any real look at her. (By the way, isn't there some adage about not trusting a person if you can't see their hands? Or maybe, she's just not one to show her hand.)

Physically too, sexuality is a big part of the picture. The classic short black skirt and the hair dyed red at the ends -- and, of course, the in-your-face mile long legs (with shoes that suggest an evening out -- but also a little girl innocence, with the bow) is quite seductive. On the other hand, the tightly crossed legs, the elbows pulling awkwardly close to the torso, the tense forearms, the pursed mouth and, of course, the stare, all read as cold, colorless, closed, and sexually conflicted.

There is another way to look at this, however, if you take a developmental perspective. As an adult, Ms. Coulter's pose couldn't be more guarded, more defensive (in which the best defense is a good offense). The other way to understand this image, though, is if "Ms. Right" is simply a little girl. The bow on the shoes suggests that. The stockings that seem like tights also say so. The overall posture reflects it as well. As opposed to an adult who sits back and lets the camera take them in, young Ann looks like the little girl who comes into the photography studio and doesn't know how to sit, or needs to know what she should do. To this end, the gaze can also be an intense search for direction. The awkward scale reflects it also. All legs and head, arched forward with her feet hanging down into white space, she might as well be perched in a high chair.






http://bagnewsnotes.typepad.com/bagnews/2005/04/sample_coulter_.html
____________________________________

Michael Shaw always has a fascinating take on news photos. He has really gotten me to start looking at images differently.

[ret5hd]

1. she's hiding her hands...

because she doesn't want you to see she has "man-hands"

[On the Road]

2. Good One! And Hiding Her Adam's Apple §

[Warpy]

12. But look at the size of those feet!

Down the Mississippi! Toot-toot!

[Montauk6]

22. Aren't those her fingers under the cushion???

:silly:

[jean]

3. Yes - his take on images is always interesting - thanks for the link

:hi:

[On the Road]

6. Thanks --

I've posted some of his analyses before, and they don't usually get a lot of response. I come to believe, though, that people do look at them but simply just don't know how to reply. I sometimes don't either.

[jean]

8. I visit and go "Wow" most of the time.

[On the Road]

11. He's Kind of Like Marshall McLuhan

His interpretations are so subjective and so original (at least to me) that I just kind go "woah."

On the other hand, he's talked about making the interpretation a group effort and iniviting visitors into the interpretation process. .

[Stanchetalarooni]

4. So, who pulled the plug on her happy childhood?

Someone must have made her life miserable at an early age for her to be on eternal attack dog/payback mode.
Where did she grow up?
Who were her friends?
Was she ever happy?

[bushisanidiot]

5. That's a MAN, baby!

And his name is Jeremy. Former draq queen. Read all about "her"..

http://www.straponvets.com/

[Stephanie]

10. can you post an excerpt?

if it's serious i'd like to read it - but afraid to click that link at the moment! :)

[bushisanidiot]

14. ok

"We are a coalition of former friends and co-workers of Ann Coulter who are upset by her vicious anti-gay, anti-muslim, anti-feminist rhetoric and feel the truth should be told. Our organization, Strap-On Veterans For Truth, is dedicated to exposing the true past of America’s number one hatemonger.

Ann Coulter is actually a former drag queen from Key West named Pudenda Shenanigans. Ms. Shenanigans was famous for her renditions of “Dude Looks Like a Lady” “I will Survive” and “You Shook Me All Night Long” as well as an extensive Barbra Streisand repertoire. We who used to work with her are concerned for her as well as upset by the vile hatred she has spewed towards her former friends in the gay community. We feel that by bringing the truth to light perhaps Ann will come to grips with her past and change her wicked ways.

As Pudenda Shenanigans, she was well known on the drag circuit in Key West. Whether she actually had a full sex change or not is a matter of debate, although her adam’s apple is still visible in photos, under the appropriate light. We who laughed, cried, worked and danced with her feel her story should be told. We are not out to punish her, but feel it’s time she owned up to what she really is."

"The person known today as Ann Coulter was born Jeremy Levinsohn in the village in New York in 1960. His parents were typical latte-drinking liberals, religiously conservative, but socially and politically radical. His father taught Russian Literature at CUNY and his mother was a social worker. His childhood friend Rodger Mihalot described him, “The Levinsohns were nice people, but his father was distant, so Jeremy seemed to seek a strong male figure in his life. Although they were Jewish, he often hung out at our church, and really seemed to spend a lot of time with Fr. Donatella Nowunn. I also think he was really looking to rebel against his overly liberal parents. Otherwise he was a typical kid, he liked to play cowboy, sailor and gladiator a lot. ”

[maddiejoan]

16. you do realize that's a joke right?

the photos are faked, and I'm still waiting (since we know that Coulter was never male) to hear what your agenda is in perpetuating the myth that she is transgendered. You seem to dodge this question.

Your posts are beyond offensive, and really should have no place on a progressive message board, the fact that you seem to be able to get away with posting intolerant transphobic garbage like this in no way diminishes my point.

You are perpetuating hatred towards a minority that most people still find acceptable to marginalize.

[Nikki Stone 1]

19. maddiejoan, I love your graphic!

Made me laugh! Thanks.

[Stephanie]

18. Fr. Donatella Nowunn

Dang, I was hoping it was real...

[lavenderdiva]

7. anybody seen this version?

[maddiejoan]

17. yes I have.

It's a poorly done photoshop image that fosters ridicule of transgendered people.






ha ha ha --what fun! :sarcasm:

[dbt]

9. Excellent analysis!

I gotta read some more from this guy!

[im10ashus]

13. The Right Wing Alice in Wonderland.

Great post btw. Can she be any less appealing?

[earthboundmisfit]

15. Wasn't her very first cover on a "Tales from the Crypt" comic?

Striking resemblance there - or maybe she's the bastard daughter of the Crypt Keeper & the Old Witch from "Tales"...

[kskiska]

20. She was just on Hannity & Colmes and she hates the picture.

Boy, for someone who loves to trash others, she sure is thin-skinned when the subject changes to Ann Coulter. She especially seems irritated at the size of her feet in the photo. She seemed very subdued and gives the impression she's awfully upset. She says her friends have given her mixed reviews on the article and she refuses to read it.

[JohnOneillsMemory]

21. Simpler. Key Words: Ms.=independent woman, Right=correct choice

Images and words have an absolute value that is detached from 'for or against.'

Pretending to raise an eyebrow at this bad girl is really a promotion of her attitudes while Tom Delay, Schwarzenegger's, and Bush**s approval numbers are plummeting.

All the corporate media were co-opted by the CIA during the Cold War to shape public opinion to suit the White House and it never stopped.
(Google Operation Mockingbird.)

Time and Newsweek are front cover images with several words that lurk in the grocery store check out to be stared at while waiting to pay up.

Newspapers have the same SIMPLE key word/image messaging above the fold as you walk by the box so you get the propaganda effect without even buying or reading the paper.

Another example:
The week before the Inaug-urination where the Torture President vomited 'freedom' over and over, Time ran a cover story showing a 20-something man with the caption "He just won't grow up." or very similar wording.

The Time cover story was supposedly about men who live at home too long but it was a primer for the Emperor's recruiting speech by shaming live-at-home young men into joining the military, perhaps at their parents urging.

Pretty clever, hunh? Assholes.