“The camera cannot lie, but it can be an accessory to untruth.” — Quote by Harold Evans.
Whilst reading through comments left on news items about Epstein, Andrew and Virginia Giuffre the most repeated and applauded opinion is that of Virginia looking happy in the photograph and that equating to her complicity and perceived enjoyment and that in turn negating any suggestion of grooming or coercion.
Comments including perceptions such as her
‘certainly not looking traumatised or coerced in the photograph and that she knew what she was doing, that she didn’t look too bothered even with his arm around her, no signs of trauma in that picture, she looks happy, she wasn’t being imprisoned or forced’.
Have you ever had a photograph taken that didn’t show your true emotions at the time?
Have you ever put on a smile for the camera, for the person taking the photo or for those near you at the time?
Have you ever felt pressured to “smile” when you really didn’t feel happy?
Have you ever put in a mask of comfort or happiness to avoid conflict or upset?
During my life experience of abuse, grooming and sexual exploitation as both a child and adult I know that there were countless times when to an observer I would have appeared happy should someone had taken a snapshot.
My school photos showed me smiling when in reality I would have recently been abused and would have been expecting to be abused, hurt again soon.
Childhood photos were taken of me looking happy in the company and close proximity to my abusers.
Pictures taken of me when on family holidays would show a smiling, joyful child when at that time I was being groomed and sexually abused by people I trusted.
Pictures of me messing about with my friends as a teenager would show a happy, carefree kid, when in reality I was being groomed, raped and exploited, as were some of my friends.
Snapshots of me at college, in employment in offices, bars and shops would have shown a smile, a relaxed posture.
Photos of me on adult nights out, celebrations and events would show a happy relaxed person, no fear or terror visible, whilst in reality I was juggling normality and exploitation in my life.
A picture of a person smiling and appearing relaxed does not mean they were. It also gives no indication of the life that person lives.
My abusers took photographs of me, the members and participants in the grooming rings took photos of me, my rapists and those using violence to intimidate me, took photographs of me.
Some of those where to manipulate, shame and control and were taken when trauma and harm was extremely evident but many were taken to convey an image, to paint a picture of contentment and willing participation.
How would it be possible to show the truth in those pictures? What would I have needed to do?
In front of the abusers, a photo taken for their benefit and use, a photo likely shared with others, a photo held as a tool of control.
Visibility and exposure is a huge threat to abusers and groomers. How would it be safe to show true emotion or reality in a photo taken along side abusers? How would it be safe to show the fear, panic, sadness, nausea, pain, dread, confusion, emotional numbness?
What does a photo of a survivor look like?
Judging the truth of someone’s life by looking at a second of it in a constructed portrait is insulting and dangerous to survivors and shows a lack of knowledge, understanding or awareness.
People wear masks, personas, to survive, to convince and to connect. There will be countless times in our lives when if someone took a photograph in that moment , any onlooker could come to conclusion that our lives are happy, fulfilled and we show no signs of distress, anxiety or sadness.
Cameras can tell the truth but never the whole story.