Truth & Rumors > NBA
LeBron's Vogue cover draws criticism
LeBron James does not have a problem with his appearance on the cover of Vogue magazine, despite how the photograph has sparked concerns on how he is displayed. James is dressed in athletic gear, bear ing his teeth, with one hand bouncing a basketball and the other embracing model Gisele Bundchen. James is often seen on magazine covers nattily dressed and smiling. He said the Vogue cover was about having fun and showing excitement. Many view the cover as an animalistic stereotype frequently associated with black males. Some have called the cover a modern-day image of King Kong and actress Fay Wray. Dr. John Hoberman, a University of Texas professor, echoed this in a recent column by Jemele Hill of ESPN.com. Hoberman is the author of "Darwin's Athletes: How Sports Has Damaged Black America and Preserved the Myth of Race." James took the criticism in stride. "Everything my name is on is going to be criticized in a good way or bad way," James said. "Who cares what anyone says?" Famed photographer Annie Leibovitz took the photo and James was happy with the results. "Yes," said James, when asked if he was pleased with the cover. "Absolutely. It was good."
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Daniella Sarahyba
Tori Praver



Comments (80) Add A Comment
Much ado about nothing. Let's find more crap to concern ourselves with so we don't have to face real issues ...
Cheesy Texan
Converse , TX
Total Comments (1725)
I agree... Who cares, but the picture did suck.
Vocal Point
Europe Via New York City, NY
Total Comments (747)
This guy is getting 20 million dollars for wearing shoes every night. Let him be.
ROYALw/CHEESE*…
Near Cleveland, OH
Total Comments (1765)
And if you really care about how the cover of Vogue looks like.....
ROYALw/CHEESE*…
Near Cleveland, OH
Total Comments (1765)
If only it were that simple as a picture on the cover of the magazine. It's also about images and whether we accept it or not, the image is a traditional one of the beast and the beauty; an image never seen of this young star. Unfortunately, it is also the stereotypical one of the black, sex-starved, immoral and undisciplined male longing for the pretty, sexually attractive, white female. True, most aren't going to see it that way, but the concept does exist. Actually, I'm hopeful the whole concept will be forgotten.
Nevada
Las Vegas , NV
Total Comments (230)
Absolutely absurd. If you have nothing better to do than attempt to analyze the social significance of a Vogue magazine cover, you should try to find a life worth while. You've got too much time on your hands.
Hllywd: Old…
Columbus , OH
Total Comments (7953)
Actuaally I saw the cover on ESPN and it was just another modern cover of a magazine. I never thought about King Kong and Fay Wray, most likely because I was noticing Gisselle. It must be nice to be with her and those legs of hers. People be making nothing of what.....? Is this some dude wearing thick black framed Clark kent glasses that only writes editorials - getting taken back by the brother and the white sister? There are all types of stereo-types for all types of people in the many shapes, sizes and colors. Life is funny, but people can be really "funny" about things that have no meaning - at all.
Bond 007
San Francisco, Ca, FU
Total Comments (1019)
Sorry gang, but if this had no meaning, we wouldn't be discussing it. If images didn't matter, magazines wouldn't spend thousands on creating them. For the record, I too would love to have seen more of the model's body...and spend less time discussing the potential damage of the message or the image.
Nevada
Las Vegas , NV
Total Comments (230)
Can these people get a life? There have been more non-news events reported this week as hot items than any other week. Do reporters have a quota system like the cops?
arkay
Skillman, NJ
Total Comments (91)
I'm not much of a Lebron fan. He has no personality. Ever since I heard his "first billionaire" interview I lost interest in the guy. Of course he wouldn't question this magazine cover or perhaps that it might be detrimental because as far as I can tell he's endemic of our culture's obsession with "get $$$."
If anyone knows otherwise I'm of course open to hearing it, but honestly I have little respect for the guy as an individual, although I respect his game. I am not one of those that think that anybody trying to make a buck is justified in all circumstances.
dynamic
Total Comments (3799)
Vogue is a WOMEN'S magazine. You are NOT their target audience. Ask KP,Ferrell, or smoothsandy what they think. I can guarantee you, their response will be different. You aren't going to buy Vogue unless...
Hllywd: Old…
Columbus , OH
Total Comments (7953)
This is absolutely absurd and racist.. Almost nobody looks at that cover and thinks menacing black man devouring white women.. To say so is ridiculous and people should keep comments like that to themselves
MMahoney
Williamsburg, VA
Total Comments (3)
Actuaally I saw the cover on ESPN and it was just another modern cover of a magazine.
--Bond 007 | 03/23/08, 10:33 AM
Which is REALLY interesting, since it was Vogue that ran it. The plot thickens...
;)
upstatebosoxbabe
Rochester , NY
Total Comments (853)
This is absolutely absurd and racist.. Almost nobody looks at that cover and thinks menacing black man devouring white women.. To say so is ridiculous and people should keep comments like that to themselves
MMahoney | 03/23/08, 11:40 AM
Exactly! What we're seeing is what THEY saw. Not neccessarily what Vogue had in mind. Anyone who saw racism in this, should get a check up from the neck up.
Hllywd: Old…
Columbus , OH
Total Comments (7953)
all great points. seriously find some real issues to talk about! this is a cover of a fashion magazine. lebron dresses well, markets himself well and no one forced him to do this.
edc33
Total Comments (55)
People need to grow up and stop being sensitive about everything. If Jemel Hill wants to see the biggest racist(and by far the worst sports writer) in the country she just has to look in the mirror.
mm881102
Philadelphia, PA
Total Comments (479)
Puleeeese! The man gets $20M per year! I always pictured the oppression of a race or person to be a little more severe than that!
Pay me $20M per, take my covershot on a Freeway offramp with Gisele Bundchen selling bags of oranges, please, oppress me.
I'd like to hear what Jason Whitlock thinks about this.
Drunk Eli
Huntington Beach, CA
Total Comments (4054)
Well Hllywd I agree with you in terms of this particular cover which looks more or less innocuous to me (I mean, how else is a black basketball player supposed to pose with a model), but not in principle. Vogue exploits race and sex all the time for money, usually in subtle ways. This would not be the first time that affected magazine has been accussed of being either racist or sexist, or the fashion world for that matter. I wouldn't read too much into Vogue's intentions.
I would have like to have seen Lebron laugh it off but also acknowledge that it's a tricky issue and perhaps that he is openly confronting such a stereotype.
But for him and everyone else to claim that it is meaningless is disappointing and erroneous. Perhaps the meaning has been misconstrued, but nothing is meaningless. I agree with Nevada on this one.
The racist potential exists in the picture because history has made it so. No one can deny that the archetype of black man and white woman has been problematic in America for a while. Just because things have changed doesn't mean we no longer have to respect history, or the histories of other human beings.
From my experience blogging it seems that even suggesting that there are elements of racism in anything in society nowadays gets people in a huff, as if they are offended by the very notion of it. Of course we can justify and denounce ideas and concepts rationally and emotionally, but not simply by assuming that there's nothing going on because it doesn't pique us personally.
dynamic
Total Comments (3799)
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