Overt sexism is hard to miss, but institutional sexism? That can require a far more sensitive eye.

The subtle distinction is what makes Facebook Chief Operating Officer Sheryl Sandberg’s latest move toward female empowerment so significant. Following through on the momentum she drummed up with her 2013 book, “Lean In,” Sandberg announced last week that she would tackle ingrained societal standards that are often overlooked. Her new angle: stock photography.

Sandberg’s nonprofit organization, leanin.org, has partnered with stock photography provider Getty Images to create a collection of 2,500 images that portray women and families in more diverse and less sexist roles. Only about 25 percent of the collection is new to Getty, with the rest compiled from existing images, according to a Feb. 9 article from The New York Times. Plans are set to increase these numbers.

The Lean In Collection demonstrates that no action is too insignificant when it comes to breaking down institutionally ingrained stereotypes. Lean In and Getty accurately recognize that changing societal patterns of sexism and stereotype begins at a root level.

A customer who searches the Lean In Collection will not find typical images of white businesswomen climbing literal ladders of success in a power suit and pumps. Neither will he or she find overtly sexualized and vaguely pornographic photos of women posed in offices. Rather, the collection suggests a variety of tattooed, gray-haired or dressed-down women powering up laptops with toddlers on their laps, actively lifting barbells or posing in their bakeries.

Bloomberg Businessweek reported that 2.4 million customers worldwide rely on Getty’s stock photography for visible media, such as national magazine covers and billboards. Because of this, the company is in a clear position to influence gender stereotypes. And considering Getty’s most-searched terms are “women,” “business” and “family” — according to The New York Times — the portrayals that Getty offers in its library carry even more weight.

This is not to say that unimaginative stock photographs of harried women clutching infants in one hand and briefcases in the other directly create a predominance of men in high-level leadership roles. However, the repetitious images certainly reinforce the idea that the work-family balance is a largely feminine struggle.

This concept of reinforcing ideas at a root level makes it imperative that stock photography reflects the diversity actually present among women and families.

Equally important in the Lean In Collection is the portrayal of men. By offering images of working fathers with their daughters, for example, the collection effectively recognizes that stereotypes negatively confine people on both ends of the gender spectrum.

Stock photography is not the agent that creates gender norms, subtly pushing men and women toward different roles in work and family. But — like so many other seemingly insignificant factors that are too often denied a passing thought — stock photography does contribute to the perpetuation of institutional sexism.

Lean In and Getty Images commendably recognize this through their stock photography collection. If other individuals and organizations follow their lead in challenging the basic and unquestioned aspects of daily life that perpetuate gender stereotypes, a positive change regarding intuitional sexism is possible.

And, in the mean time, maybe we can all enjoy fewer photos of “women laughing alone with salad.”

Nicki Gorny is a junior newspaper and online journalism and Spanish major. Her column appears weekly. She can be reached at [email protected] and followed on Twitter @Nicki_Gorny.

Published on February 18, 2014 at 1:49 am