GOOD Pictures features work by a new photographer each week, with a focus on up-and-coming artists. It is curated by Stephanie Gonot and Jennifer Mizgata.
How much does personal history inform a photographer’s work? Eduardo Rivera’s "131" series begs the question. Born and raised in a tough neighborhood of South Central Phoenix, Rivera's family moved to a nicer part of town when he was a pre-teen. As an adult, he went back to document the neighborhood of his youth. Rivera writes, "What I found was people and their spaces. Here, since the 1970s, old Mexican traditions have met new assimilated lifestyles as a search for identity and belonging persists." He says it's "a place where hope strives to live."
His photographs have a duality to them. They are infused with nostalgia, yet they’re honest. He invites us into people’s homes, showcasing warm kitchens and laundry hanging on the line. But he also photographs people who have an edge, who stand for their portraits knowing they are standing for something else as well, a testament to what it means to live in South Central Phoenix.
You can see more of Eduardo Rivera's work on his website.
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 But one sharp 8-year-old from Birmingham, England, challenged a sexist homework question designed to reinforce outdated ideas.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.
- YouTube www.youtube.com
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.
- YouTube www.youtube.com
This article originally appeared last year.