Professor Lange Analyzes Kamala Harris Memes for Time Magazine

August 9, 2024

Victoria Claflin Woodhull (Harvard Art Museum/Fogg Museum, Historical Photographs and Special Visual Collections Department, Fine Arts Library)

Allison Lange, associate professor of Humanities and Social Sciences at Wentworth Institute of Technology, makes the case for why memes of Kamala Harris might work to her political advantage in a recently published Time magazine article.

Lange's piece discusses recent viral memes of the Vice President, which feature her laughing and dancing to pop music, countering Republican portrayals of her laughter negatively. These memes, notes Lange, are seen as a strategy to redefine her public image, much like Victoria Woodhull-the first female presidential candidate in 1872-who struggled to overcome media caricatures. Unlike Woodhull, Harris has the advantage of social media to positively influence her image, potentially turning negative attacks into strengths before they take hold in public perception.

Read the full article on the Time website.