A Brief Analysis of the Image of Luigi Mangione and His Lawyer
This is a quick analysis of this photo using a bit of my academic background.
I do believe his lawyer is trying to humanize him. Beyond showing solidarity, she is also trying to align him with his class: educated, specifically Ivy League educated, and upper-middle class, for the public where the jury will be picked. You can also argue it is also a class solidarity with ordinary Americans who wear uniforms to work, but this might be a stretch.
I do believe the idea is to place him as close to innocent as possible, especially since Eric Adams used Luigi's perp walk to divert attention from his own case. The clothing and matching outfits work well for them, and I predict they will continue this approach. It also frames them as a team. In another context, it could be interpreted as class solidarity: he is just as important as I am, and I am just as important as he is.
If the class that aligns with him can align with me, then this is a case we can beat. Again, class solidarity will play a critical role here. Image will be everything in this case, which is why Eric Adams used his perp walk (on December 19) to distract from the fact that his long-time righthand, Lewis-Martin, was indicted the same day, look it up (because I did knowing he needed that PR for something). There was no reason for Eric Adams to be there unless he wanted to seriously distract the public and try to regain a positive image and gain public trust which he has lost. That same day she was indicted was the same day Adams chose to be a part of one of the most important photos of this year, Luigi's perp walk.
Again, image is everything in this case.