Is Vogue Cover Racist?

[OlderButWiser]

Is Vogue Cover Racist? The April cover of Vogue magazine has an image of LeBron James and model Gisele Bundchen that is significant — and controversial.
http://www.ohio.com/entertainment/16807086.html

I looked at the cover and had absolutely no negative thoughts in my head. What does that say about me?

[babylonsister]

1. Why would that be considered racist? nt

[Bucky]

14. to quote from the article....

"On Feministe, writer Ali Eteraz bluntly referred to ''King James Turned Into King Kong'' and declared that the cover ''fulfills every racist stereotype in the world: primal screaming, white-girl carrying, black beast.''"

I dunno about every racist stereotype. I'm old enough to remember when they still showed the uncensored Bugs Bunny and Three Stooges material from the 1930s and quite a few hate-memes are missing from this photo. He looks in charge; he doesn't look superstitious or unalert or lazy; he certainly isn't working as a railcar porter or a share cropper.

I suppose we could cure what latent racism someone might find in that photo by, say, passing a law that forbids ever showing black men as being excited about anything ever, no matter how many supermodels they happen to be holding onto.

But seriously... "King Kong"? You gotta wonder what's going through that writer's mind to read that into it.

[Barb in Atl]

25. Just because it plays into the old stuff...

It's 2008 and folks eat watermelon all the time, right? You're still going to find some black folks squeamish about eating watermelon in public.

That picture really does play on some of the old stereotypes - black man as beast. Yeah, I know he's gotta basketball. I know she looks happy, whatever. But it's the old stuff that isn't forgotten no matter how stupid it is.

I see the image of Barack on Keith Olbermann and keep wondering why they keep choosing the picture of him with the chicken bone in W VA (I think) discussing college basketball.

Make sense? Nah. But these are knee jerk reactions on my part. Hopefully, there's a whole new generation of black folks coming up that will never see the underside of these images. They'll just be... images.

[Warpy]

26. Stereotypes are always going to be jarring

However, one point being missed about that Vogue cover is that it would have been unthinkable just 30 years ago to have a big black guy with his hand around some blonde supermodel's waist.

Yeah, it was a little tacky to have his mouth open like that, but that's what Vogue goes for, shock value.

[mountainvue]

2. I saw this at the store last night.

Racism was the furthest thing from my mind. I thought they looked like they were having fun.

[notadmblnd]

3. I'm not seeing it.

[OlderButWiser]

5. From another editorial...

But the image is stirring up controversy, with some commentators decrying the photo as perpetuating racial stereotypes. James strikes what some see as a gorilla-like pose, baring his teeth, with one hand dribbling a ball and the other around Bundchen's tiny waist.

http://canadianpress.google.com/article/ALeqM5gWaMDbRUCgZF2-v1DAiHnJ-lrdig

If she had a face of mock horror maybe I could see the smear. But it's just a picture of two adults hamming it up for the camera.

[TheDebbieDee]

9. I thought it looked like a King Kong-Fay Wray pose

before I even read that article linked.

Beauty and the Beast! The people that decided to put this picture on the cover HAD to know what images that picture would conjure.

[OlderButWiser]

15. Even given that as fore-knowledge...

...I don't find it racist.

[TheDebbieDee]

24. You don't find it racist that the photo's composers

would use a blonde to represent the (defenseless) Beauty while using a black man to represent the (menacing)Beast?

I'm a 46 African-American female. Maybe I've just been exposed to these subtle forms of racism more often than others so it's easier for me to identify it.

Even though someone may try to deny that this concept or that idea is racist or discriminitory, I know racism and the perpetuation of negative stereotypes when I see it!

How old are some of the other people posting in this thread?

[Barb in Atl]

34. I'm 43, DebbieDee

And I IMMEDIATELY had a unpleasant gut reaction to the image.

Now, I've got this theory about us black folks being particularly sensitive to racial imagery / stereotypes. I think it makes us a little nutty because even when folks aren't doing it purposefully, we still see it. And even when it's there some non-black folks choose NOT to see it. I don't know if the cover was "racist" or not, but it's not all that different from when some italian-americans caught 'tude about the Sopranos. Nuts, right? Yeah, but I'm not italian-american bombarded with the mafia thing all the time either.

But LeBron is young, maybe he chose that pose rather than being directed and he was just showing joy. I don't know. But that pic bugs me.

[Karenina]

35. It's TOTALLY racist, DD!!!

But it was DESIGNED to jerk our chains and SELL MAGAZINES. The kids are laughing on their way to the bank! Aren't they cute? Let's see how many copies of this issue are sold.

[rucky]

20. Even though I'm a LeBron fan, that was the furthest thing from my mind.

I really don't think most minds are going there without prompting, and seriously doubt that was the intention - and double-doubt LeBron would go along with it if it were.

[babylonsister]

12. That's ludicrous; he's bouncing the ball, mugging for the camera.

People try to be too damned politically correct. Sometimes a pose is just a pose.

[notadmblnd]

16. yeah, I read that and what I see missing from the equation is the look

of fear on Fay Ray's face. Is that what is controversial? They're upset because she is not cowering in fear?

[Fredda Weinberg]

4. I guess you're not a black female. I'd be offended n/t

[OlderButWiser]

6. Well you're right...

...but could you explain your feelings?

[Fredda Weinberg]

19. They're not my feelings ... just relating what I've heard from the sisters

Me? I'm the defiant one.

[notadmblnd]

7. Why?

would you also be offended it it were a white man with a black woman?

[Fredda Weinberg]

17. If I were a black female? I never heard one complain about that

scenario, but plenty sound off on "their" men chasing white women.

[notadmblnd]

18. I didn't know they belonged to them.

My husbands female cousins resented me because I was white. I never figured their reasoning out. How did I take something from them that didn't belong to them in the first place? He wasn't married to a single one of them.

[OlderButWiser]

22. White men have to deal with...

...some black men being attracted to white women. Black women should learn to deal with it too.

[Fredda Weinberg]

28. I understand it from my own tribal context, but it's not personal

Growing up, I was fully expected to breed for the sake of my people. Call it indoctrination, whatever ... I'm sure your husband's family had their version.

I don't resent the expectation, even as I defied them. But I certainly deprived my tribe of necessary members ... our religious rites depends on one to make weekly services complete.

That selection serves to drive a self-sufficiency machine that's endured - call it a community or whatever, it's real.

I hope you don't take their resentment personally ... I've learned to accept that some things don't change because others find it advantageous ... no sense attacking what works for them. If they've accepted you for who you are, then your personality must have won them over - and that's a great outcome to a challenging situation for which no one is responsible.

[notadmblnd]

30. ai think therein lies the root of the problem.

as long as we have these divisive tags and labels, as long as we use words like culture, ethnicity, religion and tribe to separate ourselves from each other we will have conflict among people.

[Fredda Weinberg]

31. Agreed but such is our natural heritage n/t

[winter999]

8. Couldn't you say the exact same thing if you were a white male?

[Fredda Weinberg]

29. You're not serious, are you? n/t

[Karenina]

33. I am, and think it's hysterical!

After clicking on the thread to see the picture, I nearly choked on my drink in an effort to save my keyboard!!! :spray:

I'd call it "racist spoof imagery" designed to sell magazines and get everyone's knickers in a twist. :rofl::rofl::rofl: L-O-V-E IT!!!

[FightTheRight89]

10. Absurd.

I don't see how this is racist.

[texastoast]

11. There will be someone who is offended

You could give them a million dollars with no strings attached and they would find some way to be offended.

I grew up watching I Love Lucy. She portrayed a stay-at-home (sort of) mom who was submissive to Ricky (sort of). Does that make her hamming humor less funny? Not to me. But not to worry--someone will find it offensive.

[rucky]

13. This is telling...

"But the Feministe Web site was one of several comparing the post to King Kong and Fay Wray (although Bundchen does not look in distress)."

I don't know if they subscribe to the interpretation that Feministe invented - but the DID invent it, then expressed their offense at their own interpretation.

Is there an echo in here?

[rox63]

21. Most straight men out there would be pretty excited to have their arm around Giselle Bundchen

Doesn't matter if they're black or white.

[xchrom]

27. I'D be excited to have my arm around Giselle! nt

[Taverner]

23. Sounds like culture jamming to me

That is, accuse a bunch of things that aren't of being racist, as to dilute the true meaning of the word.

[madrchsod]

32. well that`s one of the dumber ideas i`ve read

notice it`s the "shape issue" so there`s the probably the best b ball player in the world with one of the best models in the world. both to be on top of their game well you can`t argue with either ones "shape".

some people tend to look for things that just are`t there

[Karenina]

36. I showed it to my ESL classes today.

None immediately connected it to King Kong EVEN THOUGH their station broadcast the movie just several days ago! :rofl:
Very interesting discussions about perceptions came out of it.

[psychmommy]

37. i saw this on another website.

it said are we being too sensitive? it showed this cover side by side w/a pic from the 2nd king kong movie. same dress/kong screaming like i am sure they had him doing. it is insulting and insensitive. i also think it unfair to show the pic without the other one in comparison. very disingenuous.

[BeliQueen]

38. How many black female models have appeared on the cover of Vogue?

It would have been nice if they had paired LeBron with another African-American female model since so few have appeared on the cover of Vogue.

[Karenina]

39. Their INTENT was to jerk chains

and SELL MAGAZINES.

[drexel dave]

40. who gives a flying flatus?

really, who cares. I've got dinner to worry about, a much more important issue to me than a couple of non-working celebrities designed to lull our nation into an infantile state of mind.

[krkaufman]

41. I dunno. Is depicting LeBron James as a "mad brute" ape racist?

My nephew sent me this image, of a WW-I US military recruitment propaganda poster, evidently the inspiration for the Vogue cover...

http://www.digitaldesk.org/projects/secondary/propaganda/destroy_brute.html

[alphafemale]

42. The picture made me chuckle. Those two look like they are having fun.

Big black men don't scare me. I see nothing at all intimidating from Lebron.

He's playing with a game face that's all.

[Krashkopf]

43. That's an Annie Liebowitz photo, isn't it?

Sure looks like she was going for a "King Kong" thing, but has anyone bothered to ask her?

Has anyone bothered to ask LeBron if he was duped into posing for this, or if he feels offended?

Barack Obama has opened the door to a discussion about race. This is part of it.

Everyone needs to remember to breath. Its not good to hyperventilate.