Vanity

As reported in the Washington Post on March 11, the Pentagon has banished press photographers from taking ‘unflattering’ photos of Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth.

Secretary Hegseth and his staff aren’t thinking clearly.

They are missing an opportunity by not publishing snarky, snarling, stare down photos of Secretary Hegseth in action.

Can you imagine the impact such ‘unflattering’ photos might have on Xi Jinping, Vladimir Putin, and Miguel Diaz-Canel?

Maybe if Xi, Vladimir, and Miguel have a makeup studio by their press briefing room like Pete does, then they could share some of their makeup tips with each other.

Who knows, maybe casting Secretary Hegseth in a bad light with these photos triggered the unforgotten trauma he experienced with ‘unflattering’ school pictures while a student in elementary school.

Conversely, with America’s struggles, Secretary Hegseth and his staff should be ashamed.

Consider some recent ‘unflattering’ photos related to Secretary Hegseth’s work.

I wonder if he has seen the post-attack photos of the six American service members who lost their lives as a result of our attack on Iran?

What did he see in the faces of the parents of these service members when their bodies were returned to America at Dover Air Force Base?

More importantly, what did those families see in Secretary Hegseth’s face?

Since the beginning of our country, Americans have known the horrors of war for both sides.

In our attack on Iran, an Iranian school building was hit killing 150 innocent people. If American Tomahawk missiles were responsible for this tragedy, I wonder if Secretary Hegseth’s conscience will be troubled?

I know whose hearts will be troubled forever by this ‘unflattering’ loss of American and Iranian lives—their parents.

Leaders more concerned about the vanity of their appearance have no business leading America.

This letter was submitted to the Washington Post on 3/12/2026 for consideration as a letter to the editor. The letter was not accepted. Bill Pike March 27, 2026.