Playboy image from 1972 gets ban from IEEE computer journals
IEEE’s move to ban the classic 1972 “Lenna” Playboy centerfold image from its computer graphics and signal processing journals has reignited debate over ethics, consent, and professionalism in research. Commenters weigh whether using a cropped image from pornography perpetuates objectification and exclusion, note that the model has asked for its retirement, and argue that the image is technically obsolete anyway. Others see the ban as symbolic “cancel culture” or unnecessary moralizing, even as many agree the field should adopt modern, well‑licensed benchmark images instead.
Technical suitability of the Lena image
- Many argue the image is technically obsolete: low resolution, poor color, line noise, print-screen artifacts, and not representative of modern digital cameras.
- Specific criticisms: ~250k pixels, scanned from halftone print, unsuitable as a serious modern benchmark.
- Some note it still has useful characteristics (textures, edges, gradients, skin tones, contrast) and that finding a single replacement with all these properties is surprisingly hard.
- Others suggest moving away from a single “canonical” image toward curated image suites and large corpora for both quantitative and qualitative evaluation.
Ethics, pornography, and professional context
- A recurring concern: the image’s origin in a soft‑porn magazine and the field-wide in‑joke about that context, which some say creates an unprofessional or exclusionary atmosphere, especially for women.
- Counter-argument: the cropped image is “just a pretty face,” and being offended is seen by some as hypersensitivity or puritanism.
- Several distinguish between private consumption of porn and bringing porn-derived material into professional/academic settings.
Consent and the model’s wishes
- It’s repeatedly stated that the model has asked for the image to be retired.
- Some say that alone is sufficient reason to stop using it; ignoring this is seen as disrespectful.
- Others argue she was fine with it for decades and only changed her mind under activist pressure; they question how much weight that should carry.
Alternatives and replacement proposals
- Suggested replacements include male models (e.g., a famous male glamour shot), artist-created analogues, Wikimedia “Picture of the Year” photos, test images with color charts, or entirely synthetic/CGI scenes.
- Some propose AI-generated or stock-photo-based images; others insist on real photos for realism.
- A few note that multiple specialized images (e.g., for skin tones, dynamic range, fine texture) may be better than one “perfect” image.
Policy, bans, and “culture war” framing
- Debate over IEEE’s ban:
- Supporters see it as a minor, sensible policy aligning with modern ethics and technical reality.
- Critics frame it as ideological “cancel culture” or a symbolic win for “moral crusaders,” not a technically motivated change.
- Some lament needing formal rules instead of organic community evolution; others say rules are necessary because individuals feel unable to buck entrenched norms alone.