Fashion Forum

Vogue April 2008 - Cover LeBron James + Gissele Bundchen;


Inside;
Lebron James with Gisele Bundchen.

Michael Phelps with Caroline Trentini.

Shaun White with Daria Werbowy.

Anton Ohno with Doutzen Kroes.

Jared Rome with Raquel Zimmermann.

Heard a rumour the two would appear on the cover, just didn't believe it.

Who is Lebron James? I"m guessing some kind of basketballer...

Inside

Post by Tania

Who is Lebron James? I"m guessing some kind of basketballer...

He is indeed.

Apparently this cover is being labeled racist

Excerpt from Jack Yan's Blog

21.3.08
Is Vogues April 2008 cover racist?
Vogue April 2008 cover

Vogues April 2008 cover with the Cleveland Cavaliers LeBron James and Gisèle Bündchen has been branded by some as being racist. As noted by the Plain Dealer over in Cleveland, Ohio:

LeBron shares the April cover of Vogue magazine with supermodel Gisele Bundchen. Its been noted by some that his open-mouthed screaming face and the way he is cradling a blond woman in his left hand has racial overtones in its resemblance to an old movie poster of King Kong and captive Fay Wray. Vogue says it chose the photo because its expressive, fun and upbeat.

Once I got over the bad typography, I had to wonder if this cover furthers stereotypes. Being a minority, I personally didnt make the connection that Margaret Bernstein and Sarah Crump reported on above. If I imagined the races switched, I also didnt get much of a reactionexcept to note that it would have been unusual for Vogue to feature a woman of colour on its cover, let alone a man of any colour.

Bigger cover

Utter wankery? This cover is racist? I kid you not, some people have way too much time on their hands, and way too many chips on their shoulders. Continuing on from Allan:

Take for instance this:

Its been noted by some that his open-mouthed screaming face and the way he is cradling a blond woman in his left hand has racial overtones in its resemblance to an old movie poster of King Kong and captive Fay Wray.

Or this drivel:

A tuxedoed LeBron James out on the town with a stylish Gisele photo shoot would do. A Lebron on a couch with a magazine full of him and Gisele on the same couch with a magazine full of her; signifiers that they are man and woman at the top of their professions photo shoot would do. Or, the two in full nightclub gear with him watching her trying to dribble in the low light of an empty Quicken Arena. The possibilities are endless.
And yet LeBron James allowed himself to be captured interminably not as the King James of his profession and rising player in the business world, but as a human King Kong, The Great Nigger whose fame is inextricably tied to how proficiently he puts a leather ball through an iron hoop.