By this point, many of us who find ourselves working from home have abandoned the need to keep up appearances during video conferences. Unless a professional image is being imposed at work or school, there’s a general understanding of what kind of situations we’re in and how we’re all coping with it.
But for some, there is a need to appear professional and credible whether those who do so want to or not. While it probably shouldn’t matter how someone is dressed or where they’re situated when they’re telling us something important, many of will still carry the unconscious expectation that it does.
Of course, appearances can be deceiving and a collective of Twitter users were recently inspired to show us what’s really going on around them while they look all serious and professional.
On September 15, Research Director for the Union of Concerned Scientists Gretchen Goldman tweeted about a recent CNN appearance of hers.
She spoke to CNN about her concerns regarding the recent appointment of Dr. David Legates to a leadership position in the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, but her tweet was significantly lighter in nature.
In the interest of transparency, she shared what exactly her room and attire from the waist down looked like during this interview.
And it quickly became clear that she was far from the only one who had something to hide in the name of professionalism.
As Jon Beard here tweeted , “This is why my camera is shoulders up only during TEAMS calls.”
Ironically, I’m pretty sure that my coworkers would be angrier about him keeping that kitty to himself for so long than him featuring it prominently during every Zoom call.
And even if people do show off their pets, that doesn’t mean their colleagues are seeing all of them.
As we can see here, those who catch a glimpse of this dog through its owner’s screen are still missing out on the slumber party of puppies happening in the corner.
While some revealed themselves to be hiding a cluttered and chaotic environment, others showed just how much needed to happen to set up the Zoom call in the first place.
For instance, one woman needed her tablet to be at the right level for an acting audition and a stack of books wasn’t going to cut it on its own.
This was a job for the ironing board.
Although this man looks like anything he says should be in front of a bookshelf from the waist up, the rest of his clothes tell a different story.
The cargo shorts are obviously a big part of the quarantine chic but the most eye-catching part of his ensemble has to be the bright yellow socks.
While this man has a similar idea going on with his outfit, it seems that it’s a little too cold for shorts where he does his newscasts.
And that’s probably why his style says “news anchor” from the waist up and “skater” from the waist down.
Now that I think about it, there are probably some stories that could stand to end with a kickflip.
Although that wine rack probably isn’t in the shot for this man’s broadcasts, I can see it giving him an air of sophistication.
As for the rest of this photo, we’re basically seeing this man tear down a lot of stuffy perceptions of him at once.
Not only can we see that in his shorts and flip-flops but also in the fact that he’s willing to show us a facial expression that would make most people say, “Let’s take another one.”
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I’m not sure how many people realize just how many books it can take to get a laptop to the right level.
I didn’t need quite this many when my ex and I would try to watch something in bed but that’s largely thanks to one ridiculously bulky Public Administration textbook.
Although heavy books are tried and true, that doesn’t stop people from finding other ways to prop up a computer.
The two pails were clever on their own but people found the fact that this woman broke out an old caboodle particularly charming.
Although this economist and professor had a similarly colorful mess on her floor as Goldman, there was one detail that particularly impressed people.
Namely, the fact that she worked barefoot next to a pile of Legos. Let it never be said that she doesn’t take risks.
Although this woman’s setup seems fairly standard at this point, her facial expression really makes this picture special.
As she tweeted out, “Trying to magic up a shot at my dad’s house. On vacation. With no notice.”
With that in mind, I’m sure my face would look about the same under the right circumstances. The only difference is that I’d probably look more grumpy and tired like a cat after somebody wakes it up.
If you asked me to guess what was in this woman’s room, I probably wouldn’t have imagined so many boxes.
To be honest, I’d probably be stumped anyway because I don’t know her but it wouldn’t be the guess that someone forced out of me.
As this woman reveals, the real details of how a person lives are always on the floor.
In the interest of full disclosure, mine has an electric fan, an alarm clock, a trash can, and an N64 on it.
Nothing stops you from sleeping through your alarm quite like putting it in an inconvenient place.
For this man, there was nothing in the room or on the floor that he felt he needed to hide.
Instead, the story here is apparently under his hat as he didn’t want to show the world his lockdown hair.
At first, this scene was simply the result of a man not bothering to return his empties.
Apparently, he then grew accustomed to how they look and felt like adding to the collection until he ended up with more than the Bottle Bank would take at once.
Now, he hides them with a blanket during Zoom calls, presumably so his coworkers don’t get worried about him.
Although everyone we’ve discussed today revealed something, this woman is truly giving us a peek behind the curtain.
Not only is this green screen setup not showing everyone the laundry she has piled up, but it could very well be showing them an entirely different place than where she really lives.