"Nowhere to Hide" Cover Analysis

"Nowhere to Hide" by Barry Blitt

Every week the widely popular publication, The New Yorker, features essays, criticism, cartoons, and journalism. In addition, they are also known for their well-illustrated and often satirical cover art. The artists behind the covers utilize their art to highlight social and political issues that surround the atmosphere of New Yorkers and Americans in general. In the last week of November 2017, the magazine published a cover that addressed a certain social issue called “Nowhere to Hide” by Barry Blitt. 

The picture contains a man standing in the middle of an apartment or office room. The man is standing in the middle of the room facing the window with his robe open and exposed. From the artist’s perspective we only see the back on the man. He appears to be a white male who is bald and is wearing a blue robe with his bare legs visible under the robe. The room that he is standing in is big and extravagant, with high ceilings, a large gold framed mirror on the left of the picture, and a floor-to-ceiling window in front of the man. Similar to the color of the walls, the floor is tan. On top of the floor is an orange colored rug with a couple white spots that the man stands at the edge of. Also on top of the rug is a gray couch that is only slightly visible on the left of the man and under the large mirror. Along with a gray coffee table that is only half visible at the left corner of the picture, there is a lamp on the right side of the couch that has a white lampshade. Adjacent to the lamp there is another lamp similar to the first one, but only the lamp shade is visible. 

On the other side of the window is a huge Betty Boop character with strings attached to her head and back. Only the upper half of her body is shown, and she is wearing a red heart neckline shirt, red lipstick, and small gold hoop earrings. She is frowning and has her eyebrows scrunched inward and looks as if she is frightened. Just below her and along the window is a city skyline with multiple buildings. Under Betty Boop’s face is a floating blue boot that also has a string attached to it. Unlike the large size of the Betty Boop float, the window, and the mirror, the other details of the picture such as the man are much smaller in comparison. 

From reading the magazine title The New Yorker, it is safe to assume that they mainly cater to audiences that contribute to the culture of New York City. However, despite its title, the magazine is read nationwide. About a month before the publication date of “Nowhere to Hide” in October of 2017, The New Yorker and The New York Times  reported that dozens of women had accused Harvey Weinstein of sexual assault, rape, and sexual abuse over a period of thirty years. 

Although the Me Too movement originally emerged on MySpace in 2006, it started to spread as a hashtag on social media platforms following the allegations against Harvey Weinstein. The Me Too movement is a social movement that collectively allowed women to break their silence about the sexual harassment they’ve faced within their industry.  This movement received widespread coverage in the media, backlash, and most importantly had a global impact that reached all regions of the world. In the next month after many high profile celebrities such as Jennifer Lawrence and Gwyneth Paltrow came out with their “me too” stories, Barry Blitt published his somewhat provocative cover in light of the abuse allegations that were circulating around Hollywood. The exact date November 27, 2017 also would have been published after the Macy’s Day Thanksgiving parade which indicates that Betty Boop is a balloon float in the parade because of her strings. 

    There are some aspects of the cover that allow it to be more universally accepted by its readers. Barry Blitt stated that the small figure is no one specific and could be anyone from Harvey Weinstein, Kevin Spacey, or Louis C.K. I felt that he did this in order for the audience to easily identify with the character in the cover who is not faceless, Betty Boop. The audience can resonate with the feelings of Betty Boop’s character without being dictated by any specific figure that could cause them to not relate to the cover. I also interpreted the choosing of Betty Boop’s character in particular as an allusion to the idea that issues of sexual harassment and abuse being present in Hollywood since the beginning of time. Many pre-code films dealt with these issues and some Betty Boop films even illustrate her in a situation where she is being sexually harassed in her workplace. The title “Nowhere to Hide” is also an important factor in understanding the issue Barry Blitt is commenting on in his cover. The Me Too movement is essentially a platform for survivors of sexual harassment and assault to expose their abusers, and the title “Nowhere to Hide” represents the idea that these abusers no longer have anyone or anywhere to hide behind. Their mistreatment and exploitation of power was fully aired-out for the entire world to see, condemn, and seek justice for. Barry Blitt’s criticism of the complex and sobering harassment scandal perfectly portrays the feelings of people around the nation at the time: fear, concern, and disgust.