Twelve Writers Share the Stories Behind Their Author Photos is an article that appears in Literary Hub and is by Rachel Krantz, journalist and one of the founding editors of Bustle.

“I’ve never liked having my picture taken, not even when I was a kid. The cognitive dissonance between the 70 percent-acceptable-person I see in the mirror, and the one frequently caught squinting like a constipated Popeye, is unnerving. Which version is the “real” me? Meaning, which version do other people see? But will they love me?

“Recently, this insecurity was heightened when I needed to take an author photo for my forthcoming memoir, Open: An Uncensored Memoir of Love, Liberation, and Non-Monogamy. With the advent of Bookstagram and BookTok, I knew that the way an author looks has never held more weight, especially for women. Cis men, unsurprisingly, do not face the same level of pressure over their appearance. Nor do they enjoy the “opportunity” afforded by the somewhat-pervy interest in the “young(ish) woman author debut,” as if this is our debutante ball, and we have one shot to charm you with our wit and feminine wiles lest we be relegated to the pile of discount-aisle spinsters. But, for god sake, not in any overtly sexy way that makes other women (who are the majority of readers, after all) view us as rivals, or tacky. No, other women should want to be us—or at least be our friend.

“If I felt this much pressure over taking my author photo as a 34-year-old thin cis white woman, what was it like for older women, people in the global majority, and/or those living and presenting outside gender norms? I was curious to hear about other authors’ experiences with their headshots, and put out a call for stories on Twitter. Below is the result; twelve writers, including yours truly, share the vulnerable and telling story behind their author photo…”

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