In July 2009, the San Francisco Museum of Modern Art exhibited the first major retro- spective of Richard Avedon’s photographs to take place in the United States since hisdeath in 2004. Sandra Phillips, curator of photography at SFMOMA and the organizer of the exhibition, referred to Avedon as “One of our great photographers, whose work will only increase in influence and resonance.”1 Indeed Avedon is one of the most recognized photographers of the 20th century.2 In describing his own work, Avedon, a champion of both fashion and fine art photography, said, “My photographs don’t go below the surface. They don’t go below anything. They’re readings of the surface. I have great faith in surfaces. A good one is full of clues.”3 Avedon’s portraits do entice viewers to linger over their beautiful, articulate surfaces. But sustained and unchal- lenged gazing also encourages readings of portrait photographs that are without critical and nuanced reflection or interrogation. This disregard for how we are actively and subconsciously interpreting what we look at is problematic. The pervasive idea that looking at the surfaces of people can reveal something deeper about them is attractive, but it is also misleading.