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Vogue's Black Issue

giselelebronvogue.jpg
RIDING WITH THE KING? James, Bundchen
The cover of the current issue of Vogue, featuring LeBron James and Gisele Bundchen, is proving controversial with some African Americans. While no one questions the historical importance of James' cover appearance—he's the first black man ever to be so featured—word in the black blogosphere is that the cover plays into the old stereotype of the black man as a savage in search of a prized white woman. Some have gone so far as to say it evokes the dreaded imagery of King Kong, and question the choice of photo when a less highly-charged alternative was available. This isn't the first time blacks have taken issue with Vogue's cover shots in recent times. Did editrix Anna Wintour's weekend with Bob Marley teach her nothing?

Comments

Since when can we rely on the fashion industry to show any sensitivity about anything? What's amusing, and simultaneously dismaying, is the air-brained venality of it all, the pouting snobbery, the "defiant" model with a hip jutted sideways, her thumbs in her belt loops.... The fashion industry plays a sleight-of-hand brilliantly: creating the illusion of trend-making while in fact just recycling the same old things, introducing them to a new generation of consumers. The world of fashion is not the world of ideas of any consequence in this troubled world, but simply an on-going party (with nifty favors) for those able and eager to be part of it. Shocking the boobosie is what it does, and this cover is a perfectly crass and shameless example. But the funny thing is, it shouldn't be shocking: it's fine. Why can't a muscled black athlete cavort in front of a camera with a sleek white female? It's the magazine that's stuck in racism, first and last.

Posted by: mhmllr on March 18, 2008 11:44 AM

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