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Most journalists (especially those who write for online publications) have a headshot; a portrait-type photo usually displaying them from the waist up that is viewable on their company's website.
This is partially to verify that the writer is a real person, and also so readers can get a sense of who wrote the articles they are reading.
There is a definite trend in the pose used in these photos: subject facing slightly to their right, head tilted a bit, with a mild smile (or smirk) on their face.
@RuchoSharma on Twitter found a picture of a monkey posed in almost exactly this fashion and Tweeted it with the caption:
"this is every journalist headshot"
this is every journalist headshot https://t.co/4SxZTgpn1k— Ruchira Sharma (@Ruchira Sharma)1553004439.0
Journalists immediately began posting their headshots to confirm the statement.
@RuchoSharma Can u not? 😭😭 https://t.co/XBgsXO6IGn— Keah Brown (@Keah Brown)1553085146.0
@RuchoSharma Oh god down to the damn smirk 😭 https://t.co/fA3mudyzPj— Mary von Aue (@Mary von Aue)1553019135.0
@RuchoSharma i just need more vibrant attire https://t.co/laN9IrYveW— sydney naseef (@sydney naseef)1553014358.0
@JillKrajewski @RuchoSharma Welp https://t.co/PBHcYZg1ev— Lana Gay (@Lana Gay)1553019307.0
@RuchoSharma damn it https://t.co/6s4ODbepRt— Jill Krajewski (@Jill Krajewski)1553017389.0
@RuchoSharma goddamn it https://t.co/8FW3SG5Tk5— topical display name edwards (@topical display name edwards)1553017196.0
@RuchoSharma owned https://t.co/OHBuNyn117— Aaron Sankin (@Aaron Sankin)1553015974.0
@RuchoSharma I've been hacked https://t.co/aGc53KSVli— Rodrigo Torrejon (@Rodrigo Torrejon)1553010824.0
Some were comparing others' photos.
@KloppoMagic @RuchoSharma @PJ_Kirkham He’s got the better shirt to be fair— James Pearce (@James Pearce)1553019019.0
Several said the monkey was the one with more gravitas.
@RuchoSharma Monkey has more gravitas tbh. Need to smile less. https://t.co/eMRsFsMRMO— Hannah Al-Othman (@Hannah Al-Othman)1553017151.0
@RuchoSharma This monkey has the gravitas that I lack https://t.co/pR5InuwrfF— Amanda Katz (@Amanda Katz)1553009073.0
A few people called the skill of the photographers into question, but others didn't think that was it.
Twitter user @ReduxMovies offered an excellent explanation:
@danielletbd @RuchoSharma Aw 😔 I don’t think it’s a matter of skill. It’s just that, as the original tweet points o… https://t.co/kkuKUMGr0W— Redux Movies (@Redux Movies)1553083388.0
Will this change the poses for headshots in the future? Probably not.
The pose is pretty universally flattering and, as @ReduxMovies pointed out, it has become the standard "professional" pose.