It’s interesting to parse the controversy stirred up by the cover of Newsweek magazine’s February 6, 2015 issue.  But it’s the art illustrating the story “What Silicon Valley Thinks of Women,” not the article itself that is causing all the stir.

The cover is a drawing of a faceless woman in a mini-skirt and heels, with her hemline being lifted up – and, some would say poked –with a cursor.

Reaction to the illustration was immediate (at least in Silicon Valley) and has been on-going. Divided opinions have been aired on blogs, social media and the Today show.

The article itself illustrates some well-documented facts about how working women fare in the tech world in Silicon Valley. Chief among them: the enormous gender gap in tech jobs and how difficult it is for women-led businesses to find funding from VCs, underscored by a dearth of women VC partners.  This thesis is supported by the recent findings of research by Babson College, among others, that I’ve also written about previously.

In a very informal polling of some of my Silicon Valley women friends, four out of five thought the cover accurately characterized the article.

For some, the woman without facial features – besides red lipstick – proved a compelling example of misogyny. For another camp, the cover illustration perpetuated a stereotype and the gender problem in tech.

The cover’s designer, Edel Rodriguez, defended himself and talked about what he was trying to achieve in an interview on the industry website, GigaOM.

“The subject of the article is how women are treated in Silicon Valley. It details the sexual harassment, jokes and treatment that women put up with in the industry. The image represents this harassment. A woman should have the right to dress however she pleases without this happening to them. These men have grown up around technology and video games their entire lives. They see women as objects that they can mistreat. The image conveys the exact moment when the harassment is symbolically taking place.” The full article/interview with Rodriguez can be found here.

Many agree on one thing: the cover art has fulfilled its mission of drawing attention and getting people to read the piece on an important topic!

My thoughts: First, I was happy that Newsweek focused on this important topic and ran a cover story on the challenges of women in tech.  Second: Art is always a matter of personal preference. But in this case, I’m in the camp of don’t blame the art. It’s art imitating real life.

But I do want to say that from my experience there are many companies in Silicon Valley who don’t participate in the harassment depicted in the article and there are many people who advocate for women. As proven with this article, there’s growing momentum in the tech world to address the gender gap. And that’s very good news.

As anyone who has followed my blog posts knows, I am a strong advocate of advancing this discussion.  It’s the basis for a conversation I look forward to leading during my session “Boardroom or Baby” at SXSW 2015.