There is a strong implication that only men are artists, photographers etc; and thus women are depicted not as they are.<p>This is wrong on two levels<p>On the first level: there <i>absolutely</i> are women painters, photographers and artists, throughout history. Élisabeth Vigée Le Brun almost <i>exclusively</i> painted women and was a large influence on the depictions of women throughout the remainder of the 18th, the 19th and even 20th century.<p>On the second level: outside observation is <i>a valid truth</i>, what one person sees is not the same as that person themselves sees.<p>There was a hair dye ad in the 90s that covered this notion pretty nicely: a man is riding up an escalator feeling himself quite handsome, believing that his grey hair makes him look distinguished! A woman rides down the escalator, they lock eyes, she thinks he looks tired and unkempt.<p>The things we see as strengths can be seen as weaknesses and the things we see as weaknesses can be seen as strengths; but a self-portrait is rarely true to what people actually see.