If you are a black model of any nationality, you’re not going to be
sitting on a big pile of money in the near future. The shocking
disparity between how often we see white models and models of colour on
catwalks, editorial pages and in advertising campaigns has finally
begun to get some attention within the fashion industry
internationally. And not before time.
However the big fashion hoo-ha of
the moment is about an African American man who isn’t even a model.
LeBron James is a basketball player who appears alongside supermodel
Giselle Bundchen on the cover of the world’s most influential fashion
magazine, US Vogue. Some claim it’s editor Anna Wintour’s way of
indirectly endorsing democratic presidential candidate Barrack Obama.
But others are outraged at the apparent similarity of the cover image to an iconic image of King Kong clutching a damsel in distress.
The editor of US Men’s Fitness magazine has been one of many to criticise the cover, shot by photographer Annie Leibovitz, saying ““It’s a reminder that as African-Americans, we have come very far to have an African-American male featured on the cover of Vogue, but we have very far to go to continue to educate people within our industry regarding the power of images and the potential impact they can have on their readers.”
Vogue claims the pair “look amazing” on the cover and Wintour and Leibovitz have refused to comment personally. James says he’s fine with the photos. No word as to what Obama thinks.
Top Comments
The image is very closely modelled on the classic King Kong illustration and LeBron James is portrayed as savage, aggressive and animalistic. According to Julianne H. Newton in 'The Burden Of Visual Truth: The Role of Photojournalism in Mediating Reality':
“Repeated publication of photographs of African-Americans being arrested without publishing of photographs of African Americans in pro-social roles contributes to a negative, stereotyping view of African-Americans...the reality-type images of visual reportage are more harmful than other types of imagery because they are so seemingly transparent in relationship to the real.” (89)
The context of Vogue magazine broadcasts this image to a wide audience and therefore indicates the potential power one photograph can have in negatively contributing to cultural stereotypes. In this example, the aggressive portrayal of the African-American male is aligned with notions of glamour and fashion and the racist elements become trivialized. Anthony J. Corstese (in 'Provocateur: Images of Women and Minorities in Advertising') argues that ethnic stereotyping today manifests itself in more subtle and underhanded forms (83). As a result, these negative stereotypes are being disguised by ‘fashion’, for example, and risk being undetectable to the spectator.
Worth a note - LeBron James does nickname himself 'King James', which is another connection to the 'King Kong' imagery.
Doesn't make it racist or not racist, but thought some people might not be aware of that.