Verb.
To trotsky an image is to remove a person from an image through physical or digital manipulation, similar to how
Stalin removed Leon Trotsky from several famous images of himself with other powerful Soviet leaders.
The word can also be used to refer to manipulation of other media such as photos, videos, and music to wipe out imperfections, typically in the
name of painting a more flattering picture, or to deceive the viewer.
Ex. 1
Joe: “Did you see how Jay removed Danny from his wedding pictures with photoshop?”
Eric: “Yeah, he totally trotskied him. Makes sense after he slept with his mom, though.”
Ex. 2
“There used to be homeless people sitting on that bench in the original image. However, the city digitally removed them in order to pretend they
don’t have an affordable housing issue.”