TRENDING

For many people, representation in the media matters. It can be discouraging if you don't see people in the media who you look like and can relate to. Representation is especially important for young women and girls. If girls don't see women doing something (playing a certain sport, holding a particular job title), they might start to think that's something girls can't or shouldn't do. 

This is why many people were upset to see that Nikon, a well-known, used and respected camera company, did not include any women in its most recent campaign. For the campaign, 32 professional photographers tested out the D850 camera. What do these 32 photographers have in common? They're all men. 

Many photographers and others took to social media to share how they felt about this. To them, female representation in photography definitely matters, and there are *more* than a few female photographers in the world taking great photos—but the campaign doesn't show that. The lack of women in this campaign made some people ask—sarcastically—if women could even use this new camera.

In response to the backlash, Nikon released this statement:

“Unfortunately, the female photographers we had invited for this meet were unable to attend, and we acknowledge we have not put enough of a focus in this area," the statement said. "We want to thank the community for raising this and challenging us to do more to support the creative talent of our female photographer community."

We're glad that Nikon responsed the way that they did. However, we don't feel that in 2017 it should take a social media uproar for companies to realize that representation matters, and that it's not OK to overlook it.

Should Nikon have included female photographers in its campaign? What do you think of Nikon's statement? Let us know in the comments.

by Paige Sheffield | 9/19/2017