As defined by the book Understanding White Privilege: Creating Pathways to Authentic Relationships Across Race, white privilege is “an institutional (rather than personal) set of benefits granted to those of us who, by race, resemble the people who dominate the powerful positions in our institutions”. This is a term that is only recently becoming frequent in society and many people still don’t even know what it is. Many white people also do not recognize that this is something they benefit from. There are infinite advantages that white people get in society from simply their skin tone; the scale of this ranges from little circumstances to huge ones. Some examples of these advantages are: receiving shorter jail sentences than people of color for similar crimes, not having to change their appearance for a job, and not being called a terrorist after committing acts of terror. The photo essay by Louise Siebo utilizes five images to explain white privilege. The message of the photo essay is important because it is intended to alert people about white privilege and encourage them to use this advantage to help prevent injustices done to people of color. These images show white privilege in relation to crimes, beauty, and representation. 

The first set of images out of the five focus on the justice system and incarceration. The top image focuses on the Brock Turner case. The situation depicted in the comic is ironic because a man that is clearly a rapist because it is written on his shirt, and he is the one receiving sympathy from the judge instead of the victim. The rapist is crying and frowning because he is trying to gain sympathy and an emotional connection from the audience, most specifically the judge. The tears and sad face could also represent the regret he feels for his actions. The judge appears to have a look of disgust on his face and proceeds to sentence the rapist to jail. The ironic part is that the judge speaks of how much potential the criminal has. The judge proceeds to give a ridiculously short sentence to the rapist. In the second image in this comic, the judge speaks with a woman who has the word victim written on her shirt. The judge looks extremely agitated and annoyed with the victim, as if he does not even want to be in the court. His hands are up as if to say, “what do you want from me”. The woman in the image also looks annoyed by the judge and her mouth is turned down in an intense frown. She asks him about her future, and one of her hand is pointed out in a “what are you doing” type of gesture. The judge brushes off her question and responds that she’s already been screwed, as if to say there is nothing he can do for her. The colors used in this comic are insignificant and does not have meaning. The words and facial expressions of the characters is what is used to get the message across. 

The bottom image shows a pair of black hands behind joints that represent the bars of a jail cell. The background is green to represent marijuana. This image is made to represent the black men that are imprisoned with life sentences or sentenced multiple years in jail for smoking, selling, possessing, and distributing marijuana. The arms represent African American people, because the arm is black. The hands are white due to reflection of light and because the person is clutching the joints tightly in a pleading manner. White privilege is committing a crime and getting off with a warning while people of color are imprisoned with harsher sentences for the same or lesser crimes. 

The second image of the five addresses shootings committed in the U.S. with shooters of different races. The images show how the media paints the different shooters. The background colors do not seem to have any significance. The shooters are dressed in uniform or to match the stereotype of what someone of that race should look like and wear. Each shooter is shown from behind, which makes them appear similar, but they are judged and viewed differently. The first image of the sequence is of a Muslim shooter. Whenever there is a Muslim shooter, all Muslim people are blamed. The shooter is seen in a headscarf, white top, and he has a beard. Muslim males dress like this, because it is their culture. The man is holding a machine gun, because that is the gun that terrorists generally carry, and the man is being depicted as such. The second image of the sequence shows a black man. He is dressed in a black hoodie and hat, flipped backwards. The black shooter is carrying a gun like the Muslim shooter’s. The caption says a black shooter equals gang related violence. This means that whenever there is a black shooter, media automatically associates it with gang violence. 

The next image depicts a white man dressed in a police uniform carrying a small handgun. The caption says that a professional shooter is depicted as a national hero, and in parenthesis and small letters, the words “or collateral damage” is written. This means that whenever cops commit shootings, they are excused and seen as a hero. The last image shows a white shooter with glasses wearing a white shirt carrying a hand gun like the police officer’s. The caption says a white shooter is depicted as a lone wolf, and in parenthesis, “or parking problem or emotional issues or…”. This means that there are always copious amounts of excuses to humanize the white shooter and make him appear more innocent, than the rest of the shooters. The guns held by the Muslim shooter and black hooter are similar and much larger than those carried by the professional shooter and white shooter. The size of the gun represents how media depicts the magnitude of a shooting committed by people of different races. White privilege is being able to commit a shooting and still be made to appear innocent and humanized by media while other races are desensitized and dehumanized. 

The third of the five sets of images show a black woman with an afro and a red sign that crosses her out. The sign is red because that color usually means rejection or denial, and the sign covering the woman is known to mean that something is not allowed or that it is banned. The woman with afro texture hair is being banned; this basically means that black women with natural hair are not allowed. The statement that is being made with the color of the afro is that the hair in its most natural state is rejected, not because of any bright coloring, but simply because of how it is naturally. The second image shows a white woman with brown hair and a green checkmark across her. The checkmark is green because that color is known to mean yes or approval. The colors and symbols represent acceptance and denial. The white woman’s hair color is not significant because white people have a wide range of natural hair colors; it is brown simply because a lot of Caucasians have that hair color. White people’s hair with its natural color and texture is accepted in society while a black woman’s is rejected. White privilege is not having the thing that naturally grows out of your scalp frowned upon and banned in schools or the military to fit the European beauty standards.  

The fourth image out of the five addresses representation in media. The image shows the Disney princesses, who are major role models for little girls in the U.S. Of the fourteen princesses displayed, five of them are women of color. One is Hispanic, there is an African American, a Native American, a Chinese, an Indian princess, and nine white princesses. The Hispanic princess was only created this year and the black one a few years ago. The princesses wear traditional clothing based on their culture or a ball gown. Little girls grow up basically worshiping the Disney princesses and the lack of representation of princesses of one’s race, can cause a kid to have self-esteem or confidence issues. Little girls of different races have one token princess that she could see herself in or relate to while the white kids have several. This makes it seem as if there is only one path for little girls of color or that they do not have as many opportunities as their white counterparts. It may cause a child to feel insignificant as if they do not matter as well or that they are less relevant. White privilege is having a wide range of representation in media while other races are sort of an afterthought.

The last image is a black lives matter sign that represents the injustices done to black people in this country. The background is black to mourn and remember the innocent lives that have been lost due to police brutality, racial profiling, and racism towards black people in America. The words are white to symbolize the hope for peace, justice, and equality. This image is the last in the series because it drives home the point. All the letters are capitalized for emphasis, it is making a statement and attempting to grab attention. The image is also simple because it depicts a clear, straightforward message. The images in this photo essay depict white privilege in relation to crimes, beauty, and representation. White privilege is being able to be ignorant of the daily racism people of color face. White privilege is being able to ignore the privilege that you have and completely dismiss it as a ridiculous notion.  
