The April 2008 edition of US vogue was eagerly awaited as the cover of vogue was for the first time graced by a black man, LeBron James. However, the cover stirred much controversy, and was likened to King Kong (James) holding Fay Wray (Gisele Bundchen). Many took this to be perpetuating racist stereotypes of the “dangerous black man”. Even magazine analyst, Samir Husni, believed that the cover was deliberately provocative, considering the time and thought spent on the cover.
Not only was the photograph compared to King Kong, but was also compared to the 1917 American War Propaganda “Destroy the Mad Brute” poster, with a giant “enemy” primate holding on to a distressed blonde symbolising Lady Liberty - the image was so similar that it was called a “f***ed up spot the difference” from the angry face, to the waist holding, to even the colour and style of the dress. This comparison plainly embodies the effort put in to try to dehumanise black people to primates, and painting them as the enemy.
African-American sports journalist Jemele Hill commented on this, saying that this image is not unusual, where white athletes are generally shown as happy, black figures are typically given a “beastly vibe” to “reinforce the criminalization of black men” (said by Damion Thomas, assistant professor of Kinesiology at University of Maryland).
However, some argue that the cover showed James’ “game face”, and people are “reading too much into” the actual photo. Even James told the media that he was “just showing a little emotion”, and failed to see anything wrong. While some people may reject these comparisons, it is important to understand that people of colour may perceive the image in a different way to others, seeing it in an offensive and harmful way. This is significant, even if big names in the media industry do not agree.
Written by Sahar Baraki
Artwork by Sophia Patterson
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