LeBron James & Gisele Bundchen- a racial controversy?

[Jill Monroe]

LeBron James Vogue cover criticized
By MEGAN K. SCOTT, Associated Press Writer
Mar 24, 7:18 pm EDT

http://blog.nj.com/entertainment_impact_celebrities/2008/03/large_cover.jpg

NEW YORK - When Vogue announced its April cover starring LeBron James and Gisele Bundchen, the magazine noted with some fanfare that James was the first black man to grace its cover.


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.

It’s an image some have likened to “King Kong” and Fay Wray.

“It conjures up this idea of a dangerous black man,” said Tamara Walker, 29, of Philadelphia.

Photographer Annie Leibovitz shot the 6-foot-9 NBA star and the 5-foot-11 Brazilian model for the cover and an inside spread. Vogue spokesman Patrick O’Connell said the magazine “sought to celebrate two superstars at the top of their game” for the magazine’s annual issue devoted to size and shape.



“We think Lebron James and Gisele Bundchen look beautiful together and we are honored to have them on the cover,” he said.

James told The (Cleveland) Plain Dealer he was pleased with the cover, saying he was “just showing a little emotion.”

“Everything my name is on is going to be criticized in a good way or bad way,” James told the paper. “Who cares what anyone says?”

But magazine analyst Samir Husni believes the photo was deliberately provocative, adding that it “screams King Kong.” Considering Vogue’s influential history, he said, covers are not something that the magazine does in a rush.

“So when you have a cover that reminds people of King Kong and brings those stereotypes to the front, black man wanting white woman, it’s not innocent,” he said.

O’Connell, the Vogue spokesman, declined further comment.

In a column at ESPN.com, Jemele Hill called the cover “memorable for all the wrong reasons.” But she said in an interview that the image is not unusual — white athletes are generally portrayed smiling or laughing, while black sports figures are given a “beastly sort of vibe.”

For example, former NBA star Charles Barkley was depicted breaking free of neck and wrist shackles on the cover of Sports Illustrated. Dennis Rodman graced the cover of Rolling Stone with horns poking out of his forehead and his red tongue hanging out.

Images of black male athletes as aggressive and threatening “reinforce the criminalization of black men,” said Damion Thomas, assistant professor in the Department of Kinesiology at University of Maryland.

But others say the image show James’ game face — nothing more. And they note that Bundchen hardly looks frightened.

“James is a huge, black beautiful masculine statue and Gisele is a feminine, sexy gorgeous doll,” said Christa Thomas, 36, a black account supervisor in Los Angeles.

“I didn’t see any kind of racist overtone to it,” she said. “I still don’t. I think there is such a hypersensitivity to race still in this country.”

Husni said it is too soon to know how the magazine is selling, though the controversy could increase sales as people rush out to get a “collector’s edition.”

If nothing else, Walker said the cover underscores the need for a more diverse workplace.

“If more people of color worked for Vogue in positions of editorial authority, perhaps someone in the room might have been able to read the image the way so many of us are reading it now, and had the power to do something about it,” she said.

Personal Thought: I agree with Christa Thomas. The april cover of Vogue is both beautifull AND historic. People will look for racism ANYWHERE these days. and HELLO, Giselle is NOT WHITE, she's Brazillian so this whole "hot button" issue about black men with white women really doesnt make sense.

[Rampage]

I agree Farrah, but I can also see what is being said by those who are concerned. Just look at this pic and tell me there is NO resemblance in pose or tone...

http://imagecache2.allposters.com/images/pic/IMC/A9739~King-Kong-Posters.jpg

Is it a stretch? Yep. Could some people do better by taking a deep breath and relaxing? Yep. But the sad fact is that race has not gone far enough forward for that pic to be completely uncommented on in THAT manner. I think it was an innocent picture. But I also would have preferred Lebron in a suit or nice outfit to match Gisele's and him not grabbing her like a rebound as he roared at the camera. I do not think the picture is racist. But I am not a fan of it overall as I wish he would have just looked a little more...mature on camera. He doesn't even look like that when he plays for God's sake.

[Jill Monroe]

I agree Farrah, but I can also see what is being said by those who are concerned. Just look at this pic and tell me there is NO resemblance in pose or tone...

http://imagecache2.allposters.com/images/pic/IMC/A9739~King-Kong-Posters.jpg

Is it a stretch? Yep. Could some people do better by taking a deep breath and relaxing? Yep. But the sad fact is that race has not gone far enough forward for that pic to be completely uncommented on in THAT manner. I think it was an innocent picture. But I also would have preferred Lebron in a suit or nice outfit to match Gisele's and him not grabbing her like a rebound as he roared at the camera.

well you have to remember, that the photo spread was featuring athletes and super models at the top of their respective games so they were SUPPOSED to b e in the own individual looks. the super models in their skirts and stillettos and the athletes in their athletic gear and the photo spread INSIDE the magazine featured MORE than LeBron and Giselle (although i think their photos were the hottest myself). LeBron and Giselle have the highest profiles of anyone featured in that photo shoot and that's why they got the front cover.

I look at the picture of King Kong and Fay Wray and i wonder Are you saying that the movie KING KONG has racist undertones? are you saying that LeBron looks/appears like a giant gorilla? ...did anyone at the time that movie was made think that? i dont mean to sound dismissive...but that movie...is arguably one of the first seeds sewn for for the "horror film" genre and i PERSONALLY would not have IMMEDIATELY thought of THAT when looking at the picture of LeBron and Giselle. If anything, the people who compare the cover to the King Kong poster are the ones who need to examine THEMSELVES for why they are even going there with it. I look at that picture and i dont READILY see any similarity. Firstly, Fay Wray is being carried away "against her will", where as Giselle hardly looks frightened or distressed. Plus, the photos INSIDE the magazine tell a different story too.

I also think that some of the "concerns" that some people had are born from THEIR OWN ISSUES and the stereotypes THEY readily associate with some of their own fellow blacks. It's been my experience (from watching and observing) that some black folks can be just as bigoted and racist toward their own as they accuse outsiders of being and anytime a black man is seen with a "white woman" (again, Giselle is Brazillian...NOT of European decent) we get all these weeping cries of racism or some imagery. To be honest, somedays I'm able to look at the issue more clearly than others and discuss it...when i read this article, i had flashes of irritation more than anything else.

you're right...this country IS hypersensitive about racism. it's SICK with racism. the beauty of that cover is undeniable, but it seems to be LOST on many people. i'm willing to bet that is not the case overseas.

[Rampage]

The original King Kong has long been discussed for racists undertones. From the depiction of the natives to the posters and the sexual nature of Kong's interest in the Fay Wray character. So that has been out there for YEARS.

I have not seen the other photos and don not have a real problem with the cover either, but I must acknowledge that the poses are somewhat similar and LeBron's grimace is exaggerated in its fierce tone. That no one who edits Vogue pictures would notice the possible problems with it do not speak well for Vogue, unless the understood and welcomed the scrutiny.

I am certain that the pics are seen differently overseas; however, overseas is much more progressive in many ways and seems to lack the deep racial problems found here. I know that for me personally the picture is fine, but I do not think it is very well done. From following his career, it doesn't reflect LeBron the man or LeBron the player very well, and it is a very poor example of a basketball player in his element. People just don't play making that face very often if at all.

As for racism among Blacks, there is no doubt that it exists. The issues of race and skin color and interracial love for Blacks are many, varied, and extremely painful as they are implanted from years previous and reinforced from society without and our own communities within. I hat that this is so but I also understand why it is.

[Jill Monroe]

wow, i guess i am out of the loop on the King Kong/racist undertone theory. i can honestly say i've never heard that before and i never would have READILY guessed it. but then i have to ask, do the people who think that...does that mean they see LeBron or any other large black man as some kind of rampaging animal? It's mostly BLACK people...especially on the academic circuit who are saying this so what does that say about their views of their fellow men? why DO black athletes who are seen with "white" women come under such scrutiny?



Vogue is a well respected, established fashion magazine that has never been criticized for promiting racial stereotypes before. it has featured beautifull women of ALL colors on its covers and in its contents for decades. It's one of the few magazines that i STILL pay a subscription for (along with Harper's Bazarr) and you KNOW me, I'm ALWAYS willing to discuss issues of race etc but THIS time, i just DIDNT see what the fuss was/ should be about.

LeBron stated in an interview on Entertainment Tonight that the agressive face was HIS spur of the moment idea, it was meant to be a "flare" or "emotional" and that he didnt think it would be a problem.

I've looked at the picture and the King Kong poster and i can't deny that there IS a sort of similarity there...but I still don't believe that Vogue was trying to channel THAT NOR s the magazine trying to promote a racial stereotype. The photographer HERSELF said that Giselle and LeBron pretty much decided their own looks/poses for the duration of the shoot.

I guess it just comes down to personal perspectives. ( i wouldnt LeBron's arm being around MY waist LOL! )

[Rampage]

The idea of this is that Whites NEVER point out when they do racist crap, that is why Blacks do. It is not Black academics being racist to Lebron, it is the fact that they are describing the pose and its historical implications as racist, in some opinions.

I would liken it to the controversy when John McCain lost SC after leading there once a whispering campaign was waged criiticizing him for having a non-whit daughter. that was all white people, but Black people were the ones who got pissed about it.

The problem that you run into often as a black person is that in this country it is often hard to tell who is racist and who is not. Everyone knows what SHOULD be said so they say that, but then things happen that make no sense or smack of racism. This often leads to people of color becoming hypersensitive because frankly...you don't know who to trust or believe. I have had instance sin my life where things have happened and it was hard to think of any other reason than racism...but how can it be proved? There are no longer dogs biting us or water cannons on us. Now it is the "thug" label or intolerance of traditional styles of hairdo. Or the fact that Black children spend way too much time ion detention or in special ed classes.

I understand how this sounds and how it seems. I also find myself scratching my head at times. But I also understand when someone asks the question...because anyone who is Black knows that racism is real, powerful, and pervasive. And an amazingly small number of people can have a staggering impact.

[Jill Monroe]

now you know you'll get no argument from ME that racism is a) REAL and still out there and that B) its only more covert.

more than ever, it seems to be institutionalized...meaning that it starts from the "top" and works its way down. that's not MY personal defination either, thats what i learned in sociology classes in my first two years of college. that's one of the reasons why i firmly believe that affirmative action MUST remain in place because some people HAVE to be forced to recognize diversity and to give others a chance.

my statement about "black academics" was based on what i've read about this "controversy" surrounding the Vogue cover for April. Articles from Ebony, various articles on the net etc. I didnt make that up.


The problem that you run into often as a black person is that in this country it is often hard to tell who is racist and who is not. Everyone knows what SHOULD be said so they say that, but then things happen that make no sense or smack of racism. This often leads to people of color becoming hypersensitive because frankly...you don't know who to trust or believe. I have had instance sin my life where things have happened and it was hard to think of any other reason than racism...but how can it be proved? There are no longer dogs biting us or water cannons on us. Now it is the "thug" label or intolerance of traditional styles of hairdo. Or the fact that Black children spend way too much time ion detention or in special ed classes.

I understand how this sounds and how it seems. I also find myself scratching my head at times. But I also understand when someone asks the question...because anyone who is Black knows that racism is real, powerful, and pervasive. And an amazingly small number of people can have a staggering impact.

I could counter that by saying as a white person, I'm often watched with a microscope, with some people WAITING to see if i'll " drop the n word" or something like that...or that I might believe because of my own personal history with black folks in my community (from detroit) , my personal life etc over the last 15 years that I might think i can say things (think "dog the bounty hunter" and his recent controversy) OR that i cant even be trusted to have frank, honest discussion about race, racism etc. I can't PROOVE, no matter what i say or do that i'm NOT one of those "sleeper" racists out there...at least not to anyone who hasnt known me for years but i'm sure that for some people reading THIS thread for example, they might think that i'm "out of touch" with the issues or that I'm someone who thinks "racism is dead"...and that's not the case.


i'm simply saying that in THIS CASE , the cover of VOGUE, i just didnt SEE how it could be such a bad thing or that anyone would accuse VOGUE of TRYING to stoke the fires of racism/stereotyping.

when i talk about "hypersensitivity", i'm not singleing out blacks, i include ANYONE in that...for example, white people who were calling Jeremiah Wright a racist and implying that Barak Obama was a racist as well given Wright's "anti american, anti white" statements in his sermons.

PERSONALLY, I could see it from the other side of the coin. Wright's words represents the thoughts of a whole generation of blacks who suffered and endured MUCH hardship and the civil rights legislation helped ensure that their children and grand children would not have to deal with that (at least not out in the open it seems) but has there really been OPEN and FRANK DIALOGUE about it? clearly not. Some white people feel bitter and overly scrutinized (i know i've felt like i was accused and found guilty just by being in the ROOM without even SAYING anything) they feel like "it shouldnt be an issue" and some black people feel like no one is truly acknowledging the pain, th e suffering and the injustice that has been brought upon their race in America for 100's of years. I didnt have a problem with Wright because I didnt feel that his comments applied to ME because I know how i was raised, how my family is. BUT I also know that as far as some black folks who don't know me are concerned, i may as well be "one of them" (the racists) i refuse to live in fear of that. i let me actions and my way of being speak for itself.

[Osiris]

I hate to be controversial, but before I even read the article, I saw the picture and said "what the hell?" was it intentional? I don't know. Are people making a mountain out of a molehill? Maybe.

However, I do in fact see the racial overtones. Maybe it's just me.