Essay critiques photography's exploitation of marginalized subjects through historical and contemporary examples

Roma Estrada's essay, published on August 1, 2025, in Afterall's New Writing series, examines the ethics of photographing marginalized individuals. It begins with a personal anecdote about a sepia-toned Facebook portrait of an unnamed elderly woman, titled 'persona ambrosia', which sparked debate over potential exploitation. The discussion references Susan Sontag's 1973 critique in The New Yorker of Diane Arbus's work, arguing it turns subjects into spectacles without compassion. Art critic Sebastian Smee defended Arbus in a 2022 Washington Post article, suggesting pity is unnecessary. The essay compares the woman's photo to Steve McCurry's 1985 'Afghan Girl' portrait of Sharbat Gula, later criticized by photographer Tony Northrup as exploitative. It extends to journalistic contexts, citing John Berger's 'Photographs of Agony' on war imagery and Jacques Rancière's The Emancipated Spectator on nameless bodies in media, specifically referencing photos of victims under former Philippine president Rodrigo Duterte's 'War on Drugs'. The analysis includes a visit to the War Remnants Museum in Ho Chi Minh City, viewing images of Phan Thị Kim Phúc and Agent Orange victims. It concludes by discussing the passive gaze in consumer culture, referencing John Carpenter's film They Live (1988) and Slavoj Žižek's ideas, urging critical engagement with images.