Source: FG Trade
Aug 28, 2026, 10:50 AM CT
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When we take a photograph, we usually do so because we want to capture something we believe is beautiful, meaningful, or worth remembering. And when we put that photograph out into the universe, there is an unspoken hope that everyone who sees it will see what we see. But a recent photograph reminded us of that's not always what happens.
Once an image leaves our hands, we no longer control what people see in it.They bring their own experiences, histories, wounds, and perspectives to the frame. Sometimes, what they see has very little to do with what we intended. That is the power of an image.
The picture of former Basketball Wives star CeCe Gutierrez and other couples at a charity event recently posted to social media was just such an image. In short, 4 black men standing alongside their 4 white wives/partners was enough to set it off!
To some, it was simply a photograph of couples enjoying themselves. To others, it became a much larger conversation about desirability and the complicated history of race, beauty, and relationships in America. And if you know me, then yes…it always leads back to slavery.
Black women's physical characteristics, to include their shape, face, hair, and complexion, have for years been demeaned and devalued. I won’t rehash the ugly stereotypes emanating from our early bondage, but I can’t deny their effectiveness. Black women have been frequently denied the protection, respect, and femininity afforded to their white counterparts. While it seems like ancient history, I’ve known this in my lifetime.
I was born in the 1960s. My grandfather and my dad understood that America had no real use for a woman that looked like me. Well, that’s not completely true. Domestic help was always needed. But these Black men, who helped to form my self-image, taught me that my Blackness wasn't something I needed to apologize for, soften, hide, or negotiate. They didn’t love me despite my color and race; they loved it because of it. Steeped deep in history and with a legacy of resilience, they were waiting for me to take my place in a resistance history that demanded equity and inclusion for Black folks.
Gutierrez’s photo tap-danced on the nerves of that history. It became a conversation about race, loyalty, love, and acceptance. I understood the reaction to the image without necessarily agreeing with every response it produced. History and life experiences can change the way you see a picture.
Look at the recent Target controversy involving a Halloween costume that many felt evoked Blackface and racist minstrel imagery. The lens through which you look at a picture impacts how you see it. Black folks familiar with Blackface, Jim Crow, and the deliberate use of exaggerated Black features to demean Black people didn’t just see a fun trick-or-treat getup.
The broader point and takeaway is that context matters. Both the photo and the costume serve as a mirror to some aspects of this nation’s history. Sometimes, it isn't asking us to judge what we see; it is asking us to examine why we see it the way we do. And while the reactions are personal, the responsibility to look at a situation from all sides should be universal.
Michelle Bryant is host of “Say Something Real with Michelle Bryant,” a morning drive political talk program on WNOV 860AM/106.5FM. She is a political strategist, president of CMB Consulting & Associates, and a weekly columnist for the Milwaukee Courier Newspaper. A former Chief of Staff in the Wisconsin State Legislature—where she also served as Budget and Policy Director and Clerk of the Senate Committee on Judiciary and Public Safety—Bryant brings decades of experience in legislative leadership, campaign management, and public policy. She is a graduate of the University of Wisconsin–Milwaukee and a longtime advocate for civic engagement and equity.
