Image or Substance

“An Image a Little Too Carefully Coordinated” explores the deliberate shaping of the visual persona of politicians through contemporary selective adaptation to the broadened scope of contemporary political life by Robin Givhan. There’s no denying that politicians must be master image-makers, staging a scenario tried so hard to look sincere. Political observers are aware of politicians’ strategic concern with image presentation. Still, Givhan goes much further than that, pointing out the dangers of intentional and staged image-crafting, where political fakery risks overpowering sincerity and authenticity. In the present political climate, the centrality of image-crafting exercises is undiminished. Modern politics is media-dependent, with the arrival of social media and the 24-hour news cycle and politicians exploiting the media’s potential to the fullest. Political presentations are micromanaged, and even if a politician might want to have some fun, political clout forces a conformist approach to every little detail, in order not to give political adversaries ammunition to use against them. All of this is not to say that political image-crafting lacks precedence. Contemporary politicians are not the only professionals who have turned to superficial appearances as a means of achieving desired results. Let’s remember pop politician Ronald Reagan’s move that profoundly reshaped America’s politics. In an era where authenticity and transparency are valued, the disconnect between the carefully coordinated image and the reality presented can erode trust and credibility. Givhan's analysis serves as a reminder of the importance of authenticity in politics and the dangers of prioritizing image over substance.