Graduate

I was at a college graduation today, and this was the cover of the program: simple, tasteful, a photo of a graduate and pretty lettering...

I'm a little curious about the particular graduate in this photo, though. One can assume that the people who put together the program did one of two things: either found a model and dressed him up and took the photo themselves, or dug through some sample photos for a picture of a graduate - in which case somebody else, at some point in the past, found the model and dressed him up. The photo is clearly posed, and headless, so that the only information conveyed about the model is that he is a graduate.

But that's not quite the only information you get. Beyond the obviousness of race and gender, there's also the watch - to me, it looks like the watch of someone who is responsible, financially stable, already has a solid job, no nonsense, no Mickey Mouse logos or aviator-style bells and whistles or funky chunky leather band.

Then there are the bracelets - hand-knotted, the type usually given by friends or worn in honor of a particular cause or organization. There aren't enough of the bracelets, and they aren't flashy enough, to be trendy or faddish, so he's clearly wearing these for a reason. So the bracelets suggest to me that this graduate is socially conscious.

All in all, I can see how this model could look, to someone (such as a university faculty member or trustee) like a good, generic graduating student. Responsible, stable, socially aware...

...and married?