Let's talk about bias

Yesterday, I posted a quick poll on my LinkedIn feed with the view to write an article about LinkedIn headshots and how people felt about their photo. Then something happened overnight, and today I am writing a completely different article to the one I had originally intended.

This morning I woke up to an anonymous message submitted through a form on my website. I hope the sender won’t mind me sharing this, I’d like to think they sent this to give me an insight into their experience, for which I am hugely grateful.

This was the message:

My first reaction was to feel incredibly saddened by this, and also embarrassed that I hadn’t anticipated the issue and included something in my poll to cover it. On the other hand, as votes on LinkedIn aren’t anonymous, an option saying “I am not posting my photo in case my appearance plays against me” would probably not get many public votes.

Let me preempt what I am going to say with a huge disclaimer: It would simply be ridiculous for me to try and solve the issue of racial bias in one article. Crucially, I am white, average looking, and therefore I absolutely have zero experience of what it’s like to be discriminated against on the basis of my race, my weight, my age or disability. However, I would really like to say to all those who feel they have to hide their appearance, for one reason or another: I hear you.

The first thing they see

Over the years, I have captured thousands of professional headshots and met some incredible people. I always try to find out about their business, their target audience and how they would like to come across in their photo.

Because a headshot is not like a passport photo. Looking at your headshot, the first thing that should catch the viewer’s eye isn’t the feature you’d like to hide, it’s the feature you’d like to show. Depending on your line of work, this could be professionalism, creativity, warmth, strength, experience, empathy, fun, confidence. It’s the photographer’s job to bring those features out in your business portrait, through the choice of pose, lighting, background, expression.

Your difference as a strength

Another very important point is: what if what you saw as weakness could actually be perceived as a strength? What if your potential client or employer was actively looking for someone who doesn’t fit the mould, because they can bring something new to the table? What if your appearance actually made you more relatable or was seen as a sign of resilience, of succeeding against the odds? What if you showing your face could encourage others to show theirs too and normalise differences? It's not my place to give you a lecture on what you should or shouldn't do, but representation is so important, it's worth weighing this in the balance.

Finally, I wouldn't underestimate the negative impact of having no profile photo when using LinkedIn. Like I mentioned in an earlier article ( Is your profile pic damaging your reputation? ), people will find it difficult to relate to this face and may think you've got something to hide, or that you're not active on the platform:

So, to my anonymous contributor, once again I would like to say thank you, and if you ever feel ready to display a photo on your profile, please come to me, it will be an honour to photograph you. 

About the author: Stephanie Belton is a professional photographer based in St Albans, Hertfordshire. You can find out more about Stephanie's work on her website.