17 Responses to “Is Lebron James Vogue Cover Racist?”

1. Kyle Posted: Mar 26th, 2008 at 1:44 pm

   1 I’m gonna go with the latter and say I think anyone who thinks this is racist is an idiot. You point em out, I’ll bring the burlap sack, and we can have a party.

2. Paul Posted: Mar 26th, 2008 at 1:52 pm

   2 You know damn well it’s a racist cover but Kudos for tring to instigate discourse.

3. Paul Posted: Mar 26th, 2008 at 1:58 pm

   3 Also, LeBron is a dumb ass for letting a magazine portray him as as animal while the model looks so intrigued and demur. It is for this reason that Obama made perfect sense when he made his speech concerning race in this country. I am beginning to consider that white people have an instinctive racist gene that does not permit them to realize their racism. I really think this white racist insensitivity is so deeply inbread thta for them it goes absolutely unnoticed and unchecked. For blacks in this country, stay vigil. There will always be more to come!

4. Archon Divinus Posted: Mar 26th, 2008 at 2:10 pm

   4 I’m on the same page as Kyle. Saying this is racist is just ridiculous.

5. VonKraut Posted: Mar 26th, 2008 at 2:15 pm

   5 People who think this cover is racist really are the racists. They are the ones that see a black man and think he must be king kong.

6. Grand Master Posted: Mar 26th, 2008 at 2:17 pm

   6 no, I’m straight backing Paul up on this one. I do agree with you - I think it was definitely neither Lebron’s intention to come off looking like King Kong nor Gisele’s to play the part of a demure civilized (read: white) woman juxtaposed with a savage man of color. They were just bit players in this. It’s not really about them: you can’t tell me that some editor, or some photographer, at some level, wasn’t thinking, at some level, about how that shot plays out. And heck, even if they weren’t, there was somebody in Vogue hierarchy who saw the potential for this portrayal to reinforce negative and damaging stereotypes and still moved ahead with it, still gave it the OK on his or her desk. Let me put it this way: if that was a cover of a white man with an asian female on a leash, or even anybody with an asian male in a submissive posture, how would you feel about it then? And sure, we could go back and forth as to whether that is a fair parallel to draw; I contend that it is.

7. Jami Posted: Mar 26th, 2008 at 2:24 pm

   7 Author Comment @Grand Master, That’s a completely fair parallel. Well, except the leash part. Lebron doesn’t seem to have too tight a grip on Gisele’s waist. I think I might react the same way I react to the cover as it is. Look, Lebron is bouncing a ball and carrying a super model at the same time. No wonder he looks hyped up! I suspect that no one in Vogue’s staff meant any harm, but does that make them racist for not considering the possible racist overtones this photo may have portrayed (honest question, not making an argument one way or another just yet)? I’m willing to bet that no one at Ebony or Jet would ever approve of a cover like this.

8. Lurklen Posted: Mar 26th, 2008 at 5:45 pm

   8 What i find more irritating than the implied racial overtones, are the strange gender roles being portrayed. First you have Mr. LeBron an athlete the current ideal male who is displayed as large strong and angry ( frankly he looks like hes shouting at a ref over a bad call or something). Then you have Miss. Gisele a model who in this image is little more then arm candy with a bubbly expression. Really i dont think this is racism as much as it is bad taste, these two people dont really look like there in the same picture, one looks like hes in an argument the other like shes running through a park on a really windy day laughing her ass off. In fact they dont really look like there acknowledging each other(except for LeBron holding her up). And really look at the article heading this isnt about them this image is about their bodies and how people should look like them to be happy, when thats what your trying to portray in a picture how can it not be offensive.

9. D-W Posted: Mar 26th, 2008 at 6:51 pm

   9 I’m all for honest expression but I really think you have to remember that others can express themselves honestly back. Sure you can blame people for being too PC or call that person a racist because they cry racism, but that sounds like a cop out to me. Calling them idiots or whatever serves no purpose. Let them make their point and if it doesn’t hold water let it be and move on. To the topic at hand, I doubt I would have drawn the parallel made up there had I seen the cover on a magazine rack. I probably would have thought, “why the heck is Lebron looking like that?” Which would have made me look and see what the cover story was (and I propose that was what Vogue intended). I can see the subtle racial underpinnings in the cover shot, but I think it has more to do with our history (individually and jointly) than malicious intent on the part of Vogue.

10. Chirri Posted: Mar 26th, 2008 at 7:18 pm

    10 I don’t think enough of the current readership is old enough to be familiar with the King Kong poster to make the association. While I don’t think the media should encourage racism, I don’t feel that the Vogue cover is malicious - I think it’s tongue in cheek at most. I can’t go so far as to call it thoughtless - someone over there knew what they were doing and knew the probably outcome (increased visibility due to free advertizing). On the other hand, they don’t have him standing there in a loincloth, nor her looking the least bit concerned about her situation. They’re poking fun, they’re not trying to brainwash schoolchildren. Honestly, this bit of artistic license is less insulting than most of the stuff the mass media in general is trying to throw at us. It’s also a slight historical reference which I kind of appreciate, and would have been utterly lost on us without the aid of controversy. As for an asian woman on a leash, led by a white man, I dunno. It’d be equally racist as sexist. I think the sexist aspect would offend me more. Mind you, this is speaking as an asian woman. People who want to be offended will find a reason for it. I think I’m less interested in finding ways to be offended, than I am in finding reasons to be impressed that more asians might be finding their way into the mainstream media (if only through print ads).

11. Aegis Posted: Mar 26th, 2008 at 7:54 pm

    11 That parallel drawn in the two images is so far fetched you can’t help but wonder if the original source for the story wasn’t trying to drum up readership through this story. What’s next? Comparing a cover of an architectural magazine showing a skyscraper with a photo of an erect penis then slamming the magazine as sexiest and smutty? I think the suggestion that the cover in general is racist is a little sketchy too, I mean honestly, how can you portray someone with a basketball NOT looking like an ape or monkey of some sort? I don’t follow the game at all, but I’ve seen enough photos to know that it must be really hard to get a shot of these sporty people without making them look like an animal (that includes the white guys). Is the cover (and story) in poor taste though? Absolutely. Why the fuck is the publishing industry STILL pushing these (for the majority) unattainable bodies as the ideal? I swear if my daughter winds up an anorexic because of these sorts of articles, I am gonna go postal.

12. BAMikeyD Posted: Mar 26th, 2008 at 8:41 pm

    12 White people are the only one’s who can’t see their own Racism huh? Isn’t that in and of itself a racist statement? What if this WAS the cover of Jet or Ebony? What if every one involved with this photo shoot was a minority? I resent the fact that you would say something as blanket as “I am beginning to consider that white people have an instinctive racist gene that does not permit them to realize their racism.” and not see the racism in that very statement. Is that, or is that not the same type of sentiment as me saying “Black people are genetically better at sports than white people”?

13. Dan Posted: Mar 26th, 2008 at 10:04 pm

    13 Simple. Those who see the cover as racially charged are themselves guilty of racist thoughts. You will find racism wherever you look for it, if you are seeking it out. You know what I thought, as a white boy, when I saw it? “Hey look, it’s LeBron James, a basketball player, looking aggressive (as athletes of any color often do) while holding Giselle Bundchen, who looks about as smart as she usually does.” There are racial undertones if you’re looking for them, other than that, it’s an aggressive athlete holding a vapid model. And I’ve heard her speak, the vapid comment is not a supermodel stereotype. I’m far from naive enough to believe that racism no longer exists. But I can also see that sometimes a cigar really is just a cigar.

14. Grand Master Posted: Mar 27th, 2008 at 5:49 pm

    14 “Those who see the cover as racially charged are themselves guilty of racist thoughts. You will find racism wherever you look for it, if you are seeking it out.” Disagree in part, agree in part; some who see the cover as racially charged will be themselves guilty of racism. But some will also see it as racially charged, not because they themselves are racist, but simply because they are more sensitive to racial content and the subtext therein. A cigar is sometimes a cigar. But sometimes it is a dick.

15. Grand Master Posted: Mar 27th, 2008 at 5:51 pm

    15 And I’m guessing that a magazine with the circulation and advertising dollars of Vogue has enough layers of editorial and artistic oversight that on someone’s part the danger of this image was recognized and passed over.

16. Grand Master Posted: Mar 27th, 2008 at 5:56 pm

    16 @jami “I suspect that no one in Vogue’s staff meant any harm, but does that make them racist for not considering the possible racist overtones this photo may have portrayed…?” I don’t know if it makes them racist; but I don’t think we want a society that’s simply not-racist: we want a society that is working to remove the vestiges of racism that remain. Hmm I feel as though this is like the blackface debate: is it racist for a White (or Latino, or Asian, to a lesser degree) man or woman to paint his or her face black as part of a costume (this happens often at Halloween)? Probably not, especially if the costume, taken as a whole, is innocuous (imagine something like the Bic mascot). But is it insensitive? I’d say yes: it demonstrates an ignorance of the cultural history of blackface. Imagine a new company accidentally creating a corporate logo that - completely on accident - looks like a swastika. Are they racist? Nah. But are they to be held at least partially responsible when people misread their intentions and ask - or demand - for them to apologise or change that logo? My strong intuition is to say yes.

17. Justin Posted: Mar 28th, 2008 at 6:58 am

    17 I could see if Gisele was shot trying to get away or just looked terrified but she has a huge grin on her face enjoying the photo shot while Lebron (at least in my eyes) is flexing and doing his basketball thing. I really see no problem with this photo, but I can see how people would say it’s somewhat racist. I think someone should have caught this and said “Hmm, some people might have a bitch fit and say something about Lebron looking like a animal holding a beautiful woman. Lets try the shoot again. .” etc. etc.