“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.

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.

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.

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.

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).

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.

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.