Tayari's Blog: Book Hotness or Notness or Too Hotness

Posted by TayariJones on April 7, 2009 01:47 PM
Filed under The Writing Life

There's a lot of internet chatter today about authro photos. It all started with this NPR segment. Although the segment mostly talked about men and author photos, there is always a lot of conversation involving women who feel they are judged more by thier looks than by their work.

The simplistic conclusion is that women should look at pretty as they can. The NPR piece mentioned that People magazine only likes to review good-looking people.

However, for women there is a flip side. You don't want to be too pretty. If you're too pretty, people will think that you are dumb and who wants to read a book by a dumb person. Here is an really nice Marion Ettlinger photo that I paid for, but never use because I was counseled that it is too precious, too pretty. And you don't want to be too sexy, i.e. show cleavage. People will think you're dumb! So for women there is a lot of pressure to look good in just the right way. I wonder if the ideal book-hot look is sort of like the glamourous woman who gets cast as a librarian in a movie. All that sexiness but with glasses, a high neck-line, and restrained hair.

It's a drag. Nuanced, but still a drag.

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There are 5 comments on "Book Hotness or Notness or Too Hotness". If you'd like to leave a comment, click here to jump down to the comments entry form.

Comment #1, by JCPalazzo [TypeKey Profile Page]

there is a simple solution here. don't listen to anyone, Do whatever you feel like and never apologise for it. As long as you keep writing as well as you do, it won't matter if you were the sexiest mini ever made or a potato sack

signed,

your overly flirtatious (and never apologising for it) friend in Italy....

April 7, 2009 02:26 PM

Comment #2, by Bethany [TypeKey Profile Page]

First of all. You need to use that picture. Gorgeous. And, maybe it's just because I'm oblivious to the dilemma over balancing brains and beauty, I think I'd be really interested to see what you had to say if that pic were in the back flap.

April 7, 2009 03:27 PM

Comment #3, by Jackie [TypeKey Profile Page]

I like that photo. If I saw it in the bookstore I would look further to see what the author had to say. Books without a photo I sometimes pass on because I wonder why they didn't want to be seen even as I know a photo shouldn't be the reason I choose a book...

April 8, 2009 07:48 AM

Comment #4, by carla [TypeKey Profile Page]

You can always flaunt expectations by hiring an artist, not necessarily a commercial portrait photographer, to make your image. It might not be "pretty," but it's very likely to be striking and creative.

April 9, 2009 05:44 PM

Comment #5, by rebecca walker [TypeKey Profile Page]

I love this post and the comments. I've struggled with the same thing--and with a Marion Ettlinger photo! I've been told it's "too intense" and I look like "a vixen" the "hypersexualized mulatto" which means I don't use it much--which is too bad, because I had high hopes and love Marion's work. I always wonder about Jhumpa Lahiri's Ettlinger photo, where she looks so gorgeous and has the flower in her hair-I don't think people say she looks too exoticized, or so beautiful as to not look smart. Hmmm.

I don't know if I can get the exact image on the link, but it's the bottom on the left.

http://www.rebeccawalker.com/rebecca-photos

April 12, 2009 06:32 PM

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