On Wednesday, the IEEE Computer Society introduced to members that, after April 1, it will now not settle for papers that embody a incessantly used image of a 1972 Playboy mannequin named Lena Forsén. The so-called “Lenna image,” (Forsén added an additional “n” to her identify in her Playboy look to assist pronunciation) has been utilized in image processing analysis since 1973 and has attracted criticism for making some girls really feel unwelcome within the subject.

In an e mail from the IEEE Computer Society despatched to members on Wednesday, Technical & Convention Actions Vice President Terry Benzel wrote, “IEEE’s variety assertion and supporting insurance policies such because the IEEE Code of Ethics communicate to IEEE’s dedication to selling an together with and equitable tradition that welcomes all. In alignment with this tradition and with respect to the needs of the topic of the image, Lena Forsén, IEEE will now not settle for submitted papers which embody the ‘Lena image.'”

An uncropped model of the 512×512-pixel take a look at image initially appeared because the centerfold image for the December 1972 concern of Playboy Journal. Utilization of the Lenna image in image processing started in June or July 1973 when an assistant professor named Alexander Sawchuck and a graduate pupil on the College of Southern California Sign and Image Processing Institute scanned a sq. portion of the centerfold image with a primitive drum scanner, omitting nudity current within the unique image. They scanned it for a colleague’s convention paper, and after that, others started to make use of the image as nicely.

The image’s use unfold in different papers all through the 1970s, 80s, and 90s, and it caught Playboy’s consideration, however the firm determined to miss the copyright violations. In 1997, Playboy helped monitor down Forsén, who appeared on the 50th Annual Convention of the Society for Imaging Science in Expertise, signing autographs for followers. “They should be so uninterested in me … wanting on the similar image for all these years!” she mentioned on the time. VP of recent media at Playboy Eileen Kent advised Wired, “We determined we should always exploit this, as a result of it’s a phenomenon.”

The image, which options Forsén’s face and naked shoulder as she wears a hat with a purple feather, was reportedly very best for testing image processing programs within the early years of digital image expertise on account of its excessive distinction and assorted element. It is usually a sexually suggestive picture of a beautiful girl, and its use by males within the computer subject has garnered criticism over the a long time, particularly from feminine scientists and engineers who felt that the image (particularly associated to its affiliation with the Playboy model) objectified girls and created an instructional local weather the place they didn’t really feel solely welcome.

Because of a few of this criticism, which dates again to not less than 1996, the journal Nature banned using the Lena image in paper submissions in 2018.

The comp.compression Usenet newsgroup FAQ doc claims that in 1988, a Swedish publication requested Forsén if she minded her image being utilized in computer science, and she or he was reportedly pleasantly amused. In a 2019 Wired article, Linda Kinstler wrote that Forsén didn’t harbor resentment in regards to the image, however she regretted that she wasn’t paid higher for it initially. “I’m actually happy with that image,” she advised Kinstler on the time.

Since then, Forsén has apparently modified her thoughts. In 2019, Creatable and Code Like a Lady created an promoting documentary titled Dropping Lena, which was a part of a promotional marketing campaign aimed toward eradicating the Lena image from use in tech and the image processing subject. In a press launch for the marketing campaign and movie, Forsén is quoted as saying, “I retired from modelling a very long time in the past. It’s time I retired from tech, too. We will make a easy change at the moment that creates an enduring change for tomorrow. Let’s decide to shedding me.”

It looks like that dedication is now being granted. The ban in IEEE publications, which have been traditionally vital journals for computer imaging improvement, will seemingly additional set a precedent towards eradicating the Lenna image from widespread use. In his e mail, the IEEE’s Benzel beneficial wider sensitivity in regards to the concern, writing, “To be able to increase consciousness of and enhance writer compliance with this new coverage, program committee members and reviewers ought to search for inclusion of this image, and if current, ought to ask authors to interchange the Lena image with another.”