Please stop using fantasy women as splash screens

[KCDOT.ac]

Dear Adobe,

Women are not decorative objects.

I've been using Adobe products for decades. In all of that time I can't recall seeing a splash screen showing a man. Wonder why that is? There are plenty of young - and not-so-young - good-looking men, and plenty of female (and male) artists who can create amazing images of them. And yet, the "pretty pictures" as I fire up my Adobe software are almost always fantasy females obviously created for the male gaze.

As a woman, it angers and sickens me.

Please stop it, already!

[Nancy OShea]

We're not???  Tell it to my cat who is convinced I'm an object here solely for his enjoyment. 🙃

But seriously, which Adobe apps are you talking about? 

Maybe I'm missing something but as a longtime product user of 20+ years and female well-versed in women's studies, I don't see any offensive artwork in the Adobe apps that I routinely work with.

[KCDOT.ac]

Today it's Photoshop. Here is today's model (on left), plus some other recents. A quick search of Google found zero images of men...unless you count one that shows a torso and arm that are probably intended to represent a male.

I'm not going to challenge your "women's studies" cred, but as a woman I am personally tired of seeing females - young, pretty, and wearing gobs of makeup - used over and over and over as objectified decorations. I'd like Adobe to stop doing it.

[Nancy OShea]

I disabled the Auto Home Screen from Preference settings. 

That said, I don't take issue with the creative renderings shown. I can think of far worse things to look at. 

[John T Smith]

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[KCDOT.ac]

Thank you, I will.

[Abambo]

As a man, I won't enter into this discussion, as I can only lose, but looking around for female press covers, I see mostly women… even when they are done entirely by a women crew.

[J E L]

@KCDOT.ac I think you bring up a fair point, but I don't see too much evidence of this. A look on Behance shows a few women featured on splash screens (the three you picked out) but these are few among many other types of promotional imagery. The 2020 CC splash screens only feature one woman predominately for Photoshop. To me, she looks beautiful, not exploitative, while illustrating the power of the software.

I note that at the end of fiscal year 2020, women represented 33.5 percent of Adobe's global workforce. In 2019, they employed nearly 23,000 employees. Adobe seems to take their culture and diversity seriously. More here: In Action | Adobe diversity and inclusion. I'm sure their mindset has changed in the last few years, along with a majority of large corporations. I feel certain Adobe goes out of their way today not to offend anyone, while understanding that such a feat is impossible.

[KCDOT.ac]

Some are women, some are non-human. But of the humans shown, how many are male? Of those (if there are any besides the headless one I noted earlier), how many have received the fantasy "beauty" treatment? Of the women, how many are under age 16 (I grant you the mermaid, which I quite enjoyed) or over 35? It is entirely possible to make ravishing art showing people who are NOT overly made-up nymphets. And after literally decades of seeing the latter used again and again, I'm beyond ready for Adobe to stop making young, sexualized females their splash screen of choice. There is real beauty everywhere. And there are other qualities a woman can have: strength, kindness, fierceness, perceptiveness, experience, humor, intelligence, wisdom, vision, etc. These would be so much more interesting to show than the same old empty BS.

[Nancy OShea]

I have a small collection of antique magazines from the late 1800's that featured scantly clad, buxom fantasy females with abnormally skinny waistlines to sell everything from from elixirs & laxatives to soap buckets and salves. Apart from the products sold, marketing strategies have changed very little since then. 

Humans are not rational. As much as we'd like to think we're genetically evolved, the truth is we're a couple of protein base-pairs removed from chimps. Emotionally, modern humans have the same core needs and desires as Neanderthals.  That's just who and what we are.

[jane-e · Accepted solution]

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@KCDOT.ac wrote:

In all of that time I can't recall seeing a splash screen showing a man. Wonder why that is?

Hi

You'll be happy to know that you were only looking at a small sampling, and that some of these have men. There was a time when PS always had an eye (later a feather), InDesign had a butterfly, and Illustrator had Venus. Some of us remember them fondly.

2017 Splash screens (all)

https://ajdesignco.com/2016/11/2017-adobe-creative-cloud-splash-screens

2022 Splash screens (all):

https://www.behance.net/gallery/130005823/2022-Creative-Cloud-Splash-Screens

InDesign splash screens:

https://creativepro.com/a-history-of-indesign-splash-screens/

Photoshop splash screens:

https://www.versionmuseum.com/history-of/adobe-photoshop

Adobe Illustrator Splash screen:

I hope this helps.

Jane

[KCDOT.ac]

And here we go again.

[Stellar_kindness15B9]

Despite some of the replies to your post, you do raise a good point! The latest just kinda proves your point!

One could say "I rest my case!"

And speaking of diversity, and gender inclusivity, how about a splash screen for the LGTBQ+ community?

[thorn-neverwake]

How about we go back to a time where splash screens didn't have socio-political intent?

[Nancy OShea]

How about we go back to a time where splash screens didn't have socio-political intent?

By @thorn-neverwake

==========

I don't know what that means.  Splash screen artwork is not socio or political.  It's freaking artwork, people.  It has no meaning or importance beyond what you give it. 

Don't like it? OK. Don't look at it.  Disable the Start Up screen.