This article originally appeared on 09.21.17
There's a good chance you're reading this on your phone or tablet right now. Most of us can't imagine going very long without looking at a screen these days. With this thought in mind, photographer Eric Pickersgill created a brilliant photo series, “Removed" that captures our addiction to these devices. To create the haunting images, Pickersgill had his subjects perform activities we see every day and then he removed the tablet or phone from their hands but had them hold their stance and stare as he took the pictures.
Pickersgill was inspired to do this project after watching a family interact at a Cafe in Troy, NY. He shared the experience on the project's website.
“Family sitting next to me at Illium café in Troy, NY is so disconnected from one another. Not much talking. Father and two daughters have their own phones out. Mom doesn't have one or chooses to leave it put away. She stares out the window, sad and alone in the company of her closest family. Dad looks up every so often to announce some obscure piece of info he found online. Twice he goes on about a large fish that was caught. No one replies. I am saddened by the use of technology for interaction in exchange for not interacting. This has never happened before and I doubt we have scratched the surface of the social impact of this new experience. Mom has her phone out now."
You can check out the fascinating photos in the gallery above.
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A group of young dancers line upCanva
A woman with a skin condition looks at her armCanva
Students at a table.Image via 
Cheerful group of mixed-age people.Image via 
Cool Boomer.Image via 
An envelope filled with cashCanva
A server takes an orderCanva
A wait staff hangs out between shiftsCanva
Grateful gif 
Father talks with son.Image via 
Dad and son sit on the floor flexing muscles.Image via 
"Now I'm intrigued." 
Celebrate the wins.Image via 
Surprised and happy mother.Image via 
A woman feeling under the weather lies in bedCanva
A Carbon monoxide alarmCanva
A happy woman sips from a coffee mugCanva
Woman applies deodorantCanva 
Newlywed leaving the receptionCanva 
A hand reaches out to touch a smart appliance on the wallCanva
A woman shows off her engagement ringCanva 
A wreath made of flowers sits on displayCanva
A collection of supplementsCanva
Problematic homework question
A student’s brilliant homework answer outsmarted her teacher's ridiculously sexist question
From an early age, children absorb societal norms—including gender stereotypes. But one sharp 8-year-old from Birmingham, England, challenged a sexist homework question designed to reinforce outdated ideas.
An English teacher created a word puzzle with clues containing “UR.” One prompt read “Hospital Lady,” expecting students to answer “nurse.”
While most did, Yasmine wrote “surgeon”—a perfectly valid answer. Her father, Robert Sutcliffe, shared the incident on X (formerly Twitter), revealing the teacher had scribbled “or nurse” beside Yasmine’s response, revealing the biased expectation.
For Yasmine, the answer was obvious: both her parents are surgeons. Her perspective proves how representation shapes ambition. If children only see women as nurses, they internalize limits. But when they witness diversity—like female surgeons—they envision broader possibilities.
As Rebecca Brand noted in The Guardian: “Their developing minds are that little bit more unquestioning about what they see and hear on their screens. What message are we giving those impressionable minds about women? And how might we be cutting the ambitions of little girls short before they've even had the chance to develop properly?”
X users praised Yasmine while critiquing the question. Such subtle conditioning reinforces stereotypes early. Research confirms this: a study found children as young as four associate jobs with gender, with girls choosing “feminine” roles (e.g., nursing) and boys opting for “masculine” ones (e.g., engineering).
Even preschoolers avoided careers misaligned with their gender, proving sexist conditioning begins startlingly young.
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The problem spans globally. Data from 50 countries reveals that by age 15, girls disproportionately abandon math and science, while boys avoid caregiving fields like teaching and nursing. This segregation perpetuates stereotypes—women are underrepresented in STEM, and men in caregiving roles—creating a cycle that limits both genders.
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This article originally appeared last year.