During the 2016 Presidential election,  the media and photographers flocked to Appalachia to capture an image or story that represented their preconceived beliefs regarding the region. These beliefs were largely formed by the existing stereotypes and narratives, inhibiting an accurate portrayal of the region.  The place and population of Appalachia are presented to the rest of society as “a social and moral dilemma that threatens the nation’s progress” (Catte, 2018).  Most photographs of Appalachia are done in a style that encapsulate the existing stereotype.  The region and its inhabitants are often shown in black and white, signaling that they are of the past and against progress.  Additionally, most images are still shots which exemplifies the narrative of complacency that the rest of the US wants to believe to affirm their own success and put the blame of poverty on Appalachian residents. Catte argues that the media fails to represent diversity in Appalachia, blaming the omission of non white people as an effort “to satisfy a narrative fetish about the white working class and their anxieties” (Catte 2018).  An example of this obscure portrayal of the region can be found in a photo essay published by Vice in 2015, titled “Two Days in Appalachia.” It is clear from these images that the portrayal of Appalachian men during the 2016 campaign at times perpetuated stereotypes of sexism, lack of education, and homogeneity (e.g., all Appalachian men are white, working-class coal miners).  The portrayal of Appalachian women, in the Vice report at least, likewise emphasized their backwardness and deviance from nationwide ideals of fitness, beauty, and affluence. The women are portrayed as weathered, overweight, and dressed in kitsch clothing, which strays far from the youthful, fit, and fashionable women that society deems acceptable.

https://www.vice.com/en_us/article/vdxvx8/two-days-in-appalachia-0000687-v22n7