In Memory of Lenna

I first encountered the famous Lena image in 2009 when, as a first-year Ph.D. student, I studied image processing and compression using the algorithms implemented on FPGAs. At that time, demo manuals provided examples of test images, among which was a cute young woman looking at me mysteriously, half-turned. It was clear that among boring images of salt and pepper, as well as a disgusting monkey, the girl was attractive. In addition, she seemed vaguely familiar to me, but I did not know why.

It was later, when I was teaching a course to students, that I learned the whole background of the famous image. (I won’t dwell on it here; the story has already been told.) The inclusion of the Lenna image was a clever touch to bring some excitement to the audience and grab their attention.

Later, I specialized in other fields of science and rarely encountered the image, while retaining a pleasant memory of it.

But recently, echoes of the Lenna discussion have once again touched the scientific community. Numerous newsletters from various sources, as if by agreement, joyfully reported that Lenna is now banned. For some time now, an entire paragraph has been devoted to this issue in the IEEE Author Center; IOP Science interprets Lenna as an “inappropriate image.” Similar bans exist in Elsevier and Springer journals [https://doi.org/10.1038/s41565-018-0337-2], and in many others. Some popular news outlets such as The Guardian wrote about it, too.

What caused such a revival, and why did a previously acceptable (and in some areas, even standard) image that had a rather positive connotation acquire such a negative connotation and is now banned in all respected publications?

Why have scientists become such snobs? Where has the youthful sparkle in their eyes gone?

In fact, there has always been some interest in Lenna. The model for the Lenna image, Lena Soderberg, was invited to the 50th Anniversary Society for Imaging Science and Technology conference in 1997. At one point, the copyright holder tried to prohibit the use of the image. But then a significant part of community stood up for their beloved Lenna and even called the image the “Madonna of the Information Age.”

Over time, publications suggested the use of alternative images [see “On Alternatives to Lenna” and “A Note on Lena”], and the Lenna image was removed from the original database. On the Google branch in Github, there were generally heated discussions, which the repository owners were forced to delete and advise the use of alternative images instead; and an article about Lenna in the Journal of Modern Optics cannot be found at all in Google Scholar.

So, what is wrong with this image?

We are told that the ban of Lenna is “part of a broader movement within the scientific and technical community to address issues of sexism and promote more diverse and inclusive imagery in research.” But against the backdrop of modern pop culture, TikTok, and OnlyFans, this all looks like the ultimate hypocrisy.

I do not think it is normal for images like Lenna to be widely introduced into scientific circulation. But if it has already happened, it is charming in its original history and unusualness, and it deserves to be on a par with such funny things as “Shmoo plot” or “big-endian.” Rejecting Lenna is a blow to ourselves, and an example of the cancel culture.