Another year, another poverty porn shoot, it seems.
Just recently, Solenn Heussaff came under fire after a promotional photo for her art exhibit taken in a poverty-stricken neighborhood was posted on social media. While the photo has since been taken down, it stirred up debates about poverty porn, privilege and, in her case, learning experiences. In her statement, she apologized to those she offended and maintained that she “did not want to romanticize the poverty of the everyday Pinoy or the resiliency that we naturally have.”
Still, there’s a larger conversation to be had here—for everyone, really. While it’s a bit of a head scratcher why art or photography that aestheticizes poverty is still created in 2021, these instances are not isolated cases. There’s a longstanding tradition of the privileged coming down to gawk at the marginalized under the pretext of trying to humanize these communities.
Poverty tours are a thing, for one.
In Manila, there are companies that offer what they call ‘slum tours’ that take tourists around Smokey Mountain and other densely populated areas where the country’s poorest live under the guise of showing the “real” Manila. It’s not only in this country either. It’s a global phenomenon. “Today, slum tourism has grown into a legitimate global industry, bringing in over a million tourists per year,” writes Forbes.
Let’s zoom into a more local, widespread instance. A number of privileged kids from certain universities go to marginalized communities to immerse themselves within these realities—some returning home with their biggest takeaway being “be more content with what you have” or Filipino pride.
In media, there’s a tradition of indie cinema making long-suffering epics about the plight of these communities (“Babae sa Septic Tank” mocked this). It’s pornography, not realism, when individuals are dehumanized and painted as victims with no agency. As Uganda-based organization No White Saviors wrote, “Poor people aren’t there for you to be grateful of your excess.”
Of course, it can’t be ignored that there are community-based groups such as Kilusang Magbubukid ng Pilipinas (KMP) that also organize immersions where local leaders educate about the issues they are grappling with and offering insight on how to offer campaign support. That’s a different matter altogether.
The struggles of the marginalized aren’t for us to consume or display in foyers.
I hate to be trite when it’s such a serious topic, but poverty porn just ain’t cute. I don’t need a pretty photo to be reminded of the existence of poverty. I already know. I live here.
Art by Neal Alday
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