A Recap of Northeastern’s 2025 Women’s History Month Symposium

CSSH’s Women’s, Gender, and Sexualities Studies Program has held a Women’s History Month Symposium for 11 years to facilitate important discussions on current topics affecting women and queer communities. This year, Northeastern’s Cabral Center was transformed into a space for conversation on current topics affecting women, trans, and nonbinary individuals in the media, with a focus on ways progressive social movements face misrepresentation in mainstream media and how to challenge and transform narrow viewpoints. Panelists, ranging from interdisciplinary scholars and practitioners to journalists and photographers, were welcomed to share their wide range of insights.

The Photojournalist’s Perspective

The first panel of the morning—“Frame, Focus, and Feminism”—asked “How do photojournalists bring their own experiences of gender and race to what they see?” Informed by her experience covering women in Afghanistan, photojournalist Andrea Bruce said “women often bear the weight of war,” referring to gender-based violence and discrimination. Bruce urges photojournalists to continually ask themselves, “how can we better show injustice without creating further injustice?” in order to avoid further victimization of women.

Photographer Lola Flash added that they feel a lot of imagery that reaches the mainstream is rooted in colonialism and so, their goal is to overcome this background through a highly representational body of work, focusing on black, brown, and minority groups. Their afrofuturistic series aims to “photograph the new queer,” much like their idol James Van Der Zee did when photographing “the new negro” during the Harlem renaissance.

Patricia J. Williams, a renowned legal scholar and Northeastern law and humanities professor, feels the increasing “visual tension” amongst young people must be accounted for as our world becomes more and more visually driven. She asserted that “some feel less ethical responsibility when aiming to put images in museums as opposed to using them for journalism,” highlighting the modern photographers’ dilemma of balancing ethical responsibility with career building.

Fashion, Politics, and Public Perception

With topics of representation fresh on the mind, the next panel, “Curating Gender,” brought together a group who work at the nexus of politics and imagery to talk about appearance and the body as its own medium for public perception. Robin Givhan, a fashion writer, says that “many think talking about women and their style is inherently sexist, but I argue against it. We need to talk about women and their fashion and men and theirs more.” She described the feeling many women feel of “finally arriving at the table and everyone has a recliner, but you only get a folding chair,” referring to women’s career success. Givhan feels that fashion, being a highly visually representative medium, can be a tool for autonomy and expression. The discourse over Kamala Harris’s Vogue cover – released after her election into Vice Presidency under Biden – reflected this. The portrait depicts her as an everyday person, smiling innocently as she poses in a casual outfit in front of a backdrop of her sorority’s salmon and green colors. Givhan went on to say that “the Vogue cover has the power to celebrate singularity.”

Boston City Council member Sharon Durkan shared how she’s carved her own path in a male oriented workplace by rejecting sexism and fully embodying her identity in the office and through media representation. Durkan shared that many had advised her against running a “feminine campaign” when she initially chose pink and red as her colors. She expressed frustration that even female colleagues told her to “tone it down” when she would come to work in bright pink suits and heels. Durkan expressed that, only when women can be “as mediocre as men” in the workplace will there be equity, referring to how women often must do double the work to reach the same reputation and respect as a man. She continued, “as we move forward and think about how women can lead, we need to allow them to just be themselves.”

The Visibility Challenge

Skinny white women are still the leading image in society, perpetuated throughout media, including in stock imagery used by many companies. In a visually focused society, these women have taken on the spotlight roles, giving them a vast range of opportunity and the power to set standards for appearance. Those who do not have the privilege to control their image, often black and brown women, are made invisible. Teen Vogue news and politics editor Lex McMenamin spoke about other ways that gender discrimination spreads, mentioning various writings that try to pose transgender issues and affirming care as a two-sided issue. McMenamin feels large leaps are still necessary to reach a society in which transgender people are equally represented, calling out Democrats for their unresponsiveness to Republican attacks on trans people.

The roundtable spoke about the need for deeper reflection instead of just deciding if an image is “good or bad”. Panelists felt instead that people must ask the question, “is this image disturbing in some way and why might I feel that way?” There’s also a need to zoom out to institutions and realize how they play into reinforcing ideals through imagery. Andrea Bruce shared that many young people are being politicized right now, but it is important to make sure that queer and trans people aren’t just seen as political tools, urging the audience to “do the next right thing we need to fight to stay visible.”

Algorithms, Social Media, and Bias

After lunch, the next table discussed “Weaponizing Information,” tackling the complexities of how modern algorithms, social media, and new technologies shape and distort the representation of gender and race. The panel featured Alejandra Caraballo, a Clinical Instructor at Harvard Law School’s Cyberlaw Clinic; Michael Ann DeVito, Assistant Professor of Computer Science and Communication Studies at Northeastern University; and Joan Donovan, a professor at the College of Communication at Boston University.

The panelists delved into how algorithms, often marketed as neutral, actually perpetuate and amplify systemic biases that deeply affect marginalized communities. Caraballo explained that while algorithms could theoretically be re-engineered to address these biases, the real challenge lies in who holds the power to shape these systems.

This power dynamic, according to Donovan, plays a central role in how online discourse evolves. She emphasized that in the current media landscape, “science ceases to exist and hold true,” as the viral spread of often misleading or harmful images and slogans dominates online spaces, particularly in platforms designed to promote sharing.

Misinformation, used as a tool for political and social manipulation, has targeted LGBTQ+ communities. Caraballo described how trolling on social media platforms, like posting memes to stir toxic reactions on LGBTQ+ business pages, is a form of “tech-enabled discrimination.” The ease with which such content spreads, and the potential for these algorithms to enhance the reach of political figures and corporate interests, was also a key concern. As Caraballo noted, “If DOGE is successful, Elon Musk will have access to everyone in America’s most personal data.” With this kind of control, she warned, the future of social media platforms could give immense advantages to the powerful few—an imbalance that could shape political power for generations.

DeVito expanded on the psychological toll of this toxic climate, noting that it is increasingly difficult for young women, especially, to maintain grace and community in the face of online harassment and misinformation. “It’s hard to even get through the day without dissociating through half of it with all the stress we are under,” she shared.

New media has created an increased struggle to manage both the technological and sociological challenges. As Donovan put it, this “disentanglement” of the issues is not just a matter of reworking algorithms but involves shifting the power structures that govern the platforms themselves. Without a collective effort to address these problems, it will be impossible to ensure that social media can fulfill its promise of fostering more inclusive, equitable communities.

Media Portrayal and Its Real-World Impact

The symposium resumed after intermission with the “Press(ing) Issues” panel, moderated by journalist and educator Meg Heckman of Northeastern University, and focused on the real-world effects of the media’s portrayal of gender, race, and marginalized communities. Journalists Errin Haines from The 19th*, Donna Ladd from The Mississippi Free Press, and Lewis Raven Wallace from The View From Somewhere, were joined by the audience in conversation about the impact of mainstream news in either advancing or hindering progress on issues critical to underrepresented groups.

Haines shared how important it is to break through the traditional frames of journalism, where truth is often distorted or sidestepped in favor of maintaining a particular narrative. The panel discussed how coverage of marginalized communities frequently falls short, often reinforcing stereotypes or ignoring important issues altogether. A pressing example being the mainstream media’s failure to fully address the intersectionality of identity, particularly when it comes to the complexities of gender and race.

“We have to push against the framing of inconvenient truths and the way certain uncomfortable topics are treated in mainstream news,” Haines emphasized. Wallace echoed this sentiment, reflecting on the ways in which news outlets often fail to cover stories that directly affect marginalized communities, not because the stories are not there, but because they are seen as “embarrassing cousins” that may disrupt the status quo.

Ladd added that while the mainstream press often overlooks the voices and stories of Black, Indigenous, and people of color (BIPOC) communities, the rise of alternative media outlets like The Mississippi Free Press has helped create a platform for more accurate and nuanced reporting. Still, these outlets face an uphill battle in competing with the overwhelming reach of corporate-backed media institutions.

As the panel wrapped up, it became clear that the press plays a crucial role in shaping public discourse and advancing social justice, but there is much work left to be done in achieving accurate, inclusive representation. The discussion also underscored the ongoing challenge of ensuring that underrepresented groups are not only seen but truly heard in the media.

The Ongoing Work of Media Representation

The symposium concluded with an engaging roundtable discussion on “Words”, bringing together the earlier panelists to continue the conversation about misinformation, disinformation, and media representation. The dynamic exchange between journalists, academics, and activists highlighted the need for a more reflective approach to how news is created, shared, and consumed.

The symposium imparted a sense of urgency regarding the topics it covered. While progress is being made, the work of ensuring equitable representation in the media is far from finished. The role of media in shaping societal norms and perceptions is powerful, though at times, dangerous. It is increasingly important to create spaces for critical examination of media phenomena and to urge on the fight for truth, empathy, and diversity to be realized.

Written and photographed by Sierra Desai.