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Monae Johnson’s New Profile Pic Reflects Retreat from Openness

Secretary of State Monae Johnson has updated her banner photo on the Secretary of State website:

South Dakota Secretary of State website: top image shows banner as captured by Internet Archive Wayback Machine June 19, 2023; bottom shows sdsos.gov screen cap retrieved 2023.07.19; annotated by CAH/DFP.
South Dakota Secretary of State website: top image shows banner as captured by Internet Archive Wayback Machine June 19, 2023; bottom shows sdsos.gov screen cap retrieved 2023.07.19; annotated by CAH/DFP.

Is it just my eyes playing tricks on me, or does the new photo blur Secretary Johnson’s face more than the old one? If so, that would fit with the less open smile and the more oblique posture, representing Secretary Johnson’s retreat from her campaign promise of transparency and her movement toward secrecy.

16 Comments

  1. cathy

    She probably used Kari Lake’s blurry filter.

  2. jerry

    She is kinda cute, like a baby rattler.

  3. All Mammal

    Why, with her lack of transparency and a woke name like that, she is quite the enigma of the state… er maybe enema of the state… enemy of the state? Anyhoo, I wonder if her old boss, the AG, paid for those…

  4. More concerning is how many states will allow RFK, Jr. onto their primary ballots.

  5. Bonnie B Fairbank

    Does this image remind anyone else of those old glamor shots regular people used to use in their ads for everything from real estate to escort services? And aren’t they getting really old? Why should we care what some self-absorbed twit looks like, as long as it does its job?

  6. P. Aitch

    The photographer turned her to the right. This change in perspective angle affects how light falls on the face, highlighting different features and casting distinct shadows.
    The position of the subject’s body and the way they hold themselves can also influence the overall mood or feeling conveyed in a portrait.
    Turning to the right conveys the following politically:
    1. Traditional values
    2. Confidence in leadership
    3. Commitment to Conservative Ideologies
    4. Familiarity
    Gauging the particular audience’s preferences and beliefs is crucial to accurately gauging the intended perception. In South Dakota it’s elementary, though. The vast majority of voters think the same way.

  7. Bonnie B Fairbank

    I should clarify my last rant. Monae’s image is as phony as a three dollar bill, and the comments are far too kind. Why some simpering nonentity feels compelled to post a smudgy piccie of herself on a state website is beyond me.

  8. Dave Spier

    Pictures and words are cool. Kinda introduces you. Actions I see, especially lately, are closed meetings, meetings that are public are consistently held in small rooms where “outsiders” have to stand in the room or hallway, the deputy SOS pretty much runs the meeting, and after the meeting, the SOS and her deputy are escorted to their vehicles by armed security. What is going on??

  9. 96Tears

    Blurring the photo is a lot cheaper than all of that cosmetic surgery Kristi Noep uses. As soon as Monae can sell her double-wide, she can start setting aside money to pay for surgery and botox injections.

  10. Arlo Blundt

    Mr. Aitch is on to something…Ms. Johnson has been to some workshops on campaigning, I suppose….the picture looks to me like it was shot through a filter…maybe the photographer smeared vaseline on the lens.

  11. grudznick

    grudznick likes the old picture better.

  12. Jeff Barth

    I agree with grudnick.

  13. O

    Bonnie, I was JUST going to write a Glamour Shots comment myself! They always seemed to pop up in contexts not quite in sync with “glamour.”

  14. grudznick

    Thanks, Mr. Barth. Fellows like you and I care less about glam than most.

  15. Want to sell a car or another christofascist agenda? Get a pretty girl to sell it!

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