In the media, we often rely on stock photos sites to provide kind of generic images to go with articles. This works well enough when you need a picture of, say, an elk standing in a field, or a “bad guy” type looking threatening. But if you need a photo of a woman shooting a gun, drawing a gun, preparing to defend herself with a gun, hunting with a gun or basically anything that involves women and guns? God help you, because the internet’s idea of what women do with guns is downright absurd. You see the same eye-rolling poses, stupid safety violations and general WTH over the over, like you’ll find in these 10 cringy stock photos.
The Rule 2 Breaker
This is a major pet peeve of mine—photos where the gun is aimed directly at the camera. I know, the gun’s probably unloaded and the photo might have even been remote triggered, but she’s still pointing the gun at something she’s presumably not willing to destroy. And frankly I just really am not cool with seeing a gun pointed directly at my face, even if it’s just a photo. Enough of this pose already!
The Rule 3 Breaker
The old finger-off-the-trigger rule is probably broken in more stock photos than not. This particular example comes with a bonus safety violation—she’s got the gun just jammed into her waistband with no holster. Don’t carry this way, and definitely don’t draw your gun with your finger on the trigger.
The Over-the-Top Sex Fantasy
Of course, stock sites are absolutely bursting with absurdly overdone babes-with-guns photos that represent the idea that women and guns are a sexy combination. This one’s got it all—leather pants, push up (way up) bra, giant gazongas, two guns, belly button ring and red lipstick. Come on, internet, can’t we just enjoy guns without you making it weird? Plus, you know women don’t actually look like this, right?
The Black Widow
There are an alarming number of photos of women pointing a gun at a man who seems to pose no threat to her—usually the two are in bed and mostly naked. I’ve spared you those, but this particular photo specifically identifies the man as James Bond. And of course she’s holding the gun one-handed with a ridiculous sideways grip. Who is using these photos?
The Women-Shoot-Revolvers Cliché
Well, I’ll give her credit for wearing eye and ear protection, at least. But of course she’s shooting a revolver—a pink one, no less—because that’s what the little lady needs, right? Ironically, her finger isn’t on the trigger in the one time it actually could/should be, because she appears to be at the range. Also, this might be a minor quibble, but use blanks or dummy rounds when you’re posing shots with a revolver, because we can literally see that the gun she’s supposedly shooting is empty.
The Teacupper
You’ll find more stock photos than you could ever want of women using ridiculous stances and horrible grips. If they’re not one-handed and/or canted, they’re showcasing the teacup method. To be fair, I know plenty of grown people (men and women) who still think this is how you hold a pistol, so at least she’s in good company.
The Female Soldier
The photographers who think they’re really bucking the gun-bunny stereotype like to use fully-clothed models in generic military-style uniforms to show that hey, women can be serious shooters, too. Sometimes it works and sometimes it doesn’t, but it often comes off a little bit “This feels weird but I can’t put my finger on why.” In this example, it’s the perfectly sculpted eyebrows and flawless makeup for me.
The High Fashion Abstract
Why is this woman, so well-dressed with perfect hair and nails, posing like a fashion model in what looks like the construction site Kevin Bacon danced through in Footloose? And why is she pointing a gun (one-handed, of course) into thin air on what has to be at least the second or third story of an abandoned building? And what kind of publication is ever going to run this photo?
The What-Is-Even-Happening?
For heaven’s sake, Granny, put the cat down and get a better grip on that pistol, because if you fire it like you’re currently holding it, you’re likely to drop it or let the recoil bring it back to punch you in the face.
The All-of-the-Above
This cringefest seemingly has it all: Gun pointed at the camera, obvious sex fantasy weirdness, finger on the trigger, horrible grip, ridiculous stance. The photo description is simply “beautiful spy,” which…I really don’t even know what to say, to tell you the truth. This image is everything that’s wrong with the women-and-guns stock photo stereotypes rolled into one!
