Brett Kavanaugh: Photo of women reacting to Kavanaugh at Senate hearing goes viral

A photo showing a selection of women reacting to Brett Kavanaugh while speaking at his Senate hearing has gone viral on social media.

The picture from the hearing, during which Dr Christine Ford gave testimony in front of the Senate Judiciary Committee claiming that Kavanaugh had sexually assaulted her while they were teenagers, has gained a lot of attention on Twitter due to the seemingly disdainful expressions on the women’s faces.

A tweet featuring the photo currently has more than 130,000 retweets and more than 340,000 likes, with many people commenting on the symbolic nature of the picture.

“It’s like the last supper but for feminism,” tweeted author and political columnist Ana Marie Cox.

“You know how sometimes the camera just captures the moment perfectly? This is one of those moments,” another person wrote.

While the picture is undoubtedly eye-catching, some have pointed out that the women in the photograph are actually supporters of Kavanaugh, and therefore their facial expressions may have been misinterpreted.

The woman to the far left of the photo is Kavanaugh’s mother Martha Kavanaugh, followed by his friend Laura Cox Kaplan and his wife Ashley Kavanaugh.

Suzanne Mattan, a school friend of Kavanaugh’s, is sat on his right with Zina Bash, an attorney who previously served as a clerk for Kavanaugh, sat next to her.

However, several people have stated that the identities of the women in the photo doesn’t negate the powerful nature of the composition.

“The women behind Kavanaugh being his family doesn’t change that he demonstrated without fail why he should never sit near the Supreme Court and the GOP is manipulative trash,” wrote Twitter user Gustavo Luis, who tweeted the viral picture.

A number of people who watched the hearing have been commenting on the aggressive nature of Kavanaugh’s testimony in comparison to Dr Ford’s calm disposition.

“If Brett Kavanaugh were a woman, they’d be calling this performance ‘hysterical’,” one person wrote on Twitter.

“Ford was polite, deferential and accommodating. Kavanaugh is loud, angry and aggressive. Tells you a lot about what we expect from women and what we allow on the part of men,” journalist Alex Wagner wrote.

Dr Ford is one of several women to have come forward with claims of sexual misconduct against Kavanaugh since US President Donald Trump nominated him for a seat on the Supreme Court.

Members of the Senate Judiciary Committee are due to meet today to decide whether or not they’re going to allow Kavanaugh’s nomination for the Supreme Court to be considered.