04 August 2010

A Cover In Controversy

This week's cover of TIME magazine shows an image of a young Afghan Women who was mutilated by the Taliban.
It is a portrait of Aisha, a shy 18-year-old Afghan woman who was sentenced by a Taliban commander to have her nose and ears cut off for fleeing her abusive in-laws. Aisha posed for the picture and says she wants the world to see the effect a Taliban resurgence would have on the women of Afghanistan, many of whom have flourished in the past few years.
The image is backed up by an article that discusses the lives of women in this area of the world. The cover is shocking and disturbing but does help explain just what we have been fighting for the last ten years. The Managing Editor, Richard Stengel explains his decisions to go with such a strong cover image at this link. It is well worth the read to gain a better understanding of just how much goes into a decision.

Photographer Jodi Bieber talks about her approach in making the photograph of Aisha, the Afghan woman on TIME's cover in a video.

The cover image reminds me of the National Geographic cover below. One image from the past inspiring today.

No comments: