Today's Evil Beet Gossip

Are You Offended By the Photo of LeBron James on the Cover of Vogue?

LeBron James and Gisele Bundchen on the Cover of Vogue

So Vogue magazine has, for the first time in its history, featured a black man on its cover (in fact, they’ve only had three men total on their cover ever). That man is basketball superstar LeBron James, pictured with supermodel Gisele Bundchen.

The photo has writers and bloggers up in arms.

Say the girls at Jezebel: LeBron “seems to be embodying ugly stereotypes about black men: The wild, savage, white-woman-obsessed beast.”

And over at Feministe, they’re saying that “I see a scary animalistic black man, a primal scream, and a beautiful white woman. Google image King Kong for a comparison.”

I dunno. Personally, I don’t see a problem with this image, but, personally, I’m not black. Gisele doesn’t look particularly concerned to be there (as the girl does in the King Kong image), and LeBron looks like an athlete about to kick some ass. Why do we see a world-class black athlete looking like he’s ready to throw down and think to ourselves “That’s an animalistic black man” rather than “That’s a fierce athlete”? Why is he a black man first and an athlete second? For chrissake, the guy has a basketball, not a switchblade. If that were Jason Kidd, no one would be all like “Oh look at the brutality of the white man,” they’d be like, “Oh, yeah, that basketball dude’s on the cover of Vogue. Gisele’s face looks fat. Wanna go to the mall?”

All the fuss surrounding this photo, to me, is just further evidence of racism.

I thought it was way more offensive when they used that horrendous photo of Jennifer Hudson. I think the big fuss is just because it’s the cover of Vogue, and Vogue has not exactly been known historically for embracing, ya know, other races.

What do you guys think?

Offensive? Yes or no?

LeBron James and Gisele Bunchen Inside Vogue Magazine, Pictures, Photos

52 CommentsLeave a comment

  • “Oh, yeah, that basketball dude’s on the cover of Vogue. Gisele’s face looks fat. Wanna go to the mall?”

    Best quote I’ve read all day.

  • i actualy think its a rather nice cover because you dont see many covers like this on magazines..but i dont think it was ment as a offensive thing.

  • No but I am offended by that dull-manly supermodel Gisele Bundchen butting in on his great play.. and smelling up the place.

  • “Gisele doesn’t look particularly concerned to be there (as the girl does in the King Kong image)”

    So you’re comparing Lebron James to a huge ape now. At least hide the fact that you are a racist jackass.

  • i saw a famous athlete and a blurry looking anorexic at first glance. dunno bout you guys.

  • @C:

    That was a reference to the Feministe quote. Read the whole article before you comment.

  • I see the fem bloggers point but no, the first thing I DIDN’T think was “black man, white woman” or even the whole animal black man attacks innocent white woman. If you look hard enough you can be offended by anything. Good point Evil Beet.

  • White people still think that way? Really? I just thought it was nice to finally see a person of color on the cover of Vogue. White women aren’t the only group of people whole obsess over designer labels… It’s a multi-cultural world, people!!

  • WOW! Ninety nine percent of the NBA players are already scared to death of this guy, this cover is not going to allay any of their fears. I’ve been following his progress since his Senior year in that little Catholic parochial school when they won the Nationals, this was the best High School basketball player ever. Not satisfied with terrorizing High School, he bypassed College , now he’s scaring the hell out of the NBA! In its own way, even if it was meant to be a tongue-in-cheek cover, it shows the fire residing inside this man, the incredible pent-up power in that body, virtually unstoppable, exciting, he’s young, he’s at his best……. in fact, he is the best!!

  • I didn’t, for one second, see this man as anything but fierce and incredibly sexy. Like you said- athlete who is in ferocious action.

  • This could have been easily solved by putting a black model with him, but no, that would have been offensive to white folks who won’t buy magazines with black people on them. (Check the sales figures.)

  • people need to lighten up!! he is an athlete & looks fierce, so what? vogue is not that deep & shouldnt be taken that seriously. i am more offended by the ugly face the usually gorgeous giselle is wearing on the cover. she looks like a total tranny there!

  • Not offensive at all! Although I’m not sure why a pro basketball player is on the cover of Vogue. Not Giselle’s best photo, but she looks happy to be there (unlike King Kong images – that association is ridiculous). Stop making a big deal of everything!!!!!!!
    P.S. Jezebel’s site sucks. A bunch of miserable whiny haters.

  • Jason Kidd is black…at least part black….but you’re right, there probably wouldn’t be the same sort of uproar (but isn’t Giselle taller than Kidd?)….I thought the pose was odd, but what can you do.

  • i didnt think anything about this cover till SOMEONE brought it up. i still don’t think anything about it
    BORING

  • Gee, my first thought was “He’s got a hot babe in one hand and a basketball in the other- why does his face look like he just got kicked in the nuts?” My second thought was “Man, for a hot babe, Gisele looks pretty beat.” As for the racist thing, I suppose I can see it if I try reeeally hard, but this little white girl finds it hard to be threatened by anyone on the cover of Vogue.

  • It doesn’t make me think Vogue is racist, but it’s a bad choice for a Vogue cover–he should be wearing some designer clothes. It looks like they walked in off some other magazine’s photo shoot, plus that pose is so awkward. And as far as stereotypes go, why not a top male model and a star female athlete?

  • I’m black and when I first saw the shot I just thought it wasn’t the best shot that Vogue could’ve used. But I definitely didn’t read that deep into it. Lebron is the second coming for NBA basketball right now and his body is incredible. Giselee looks swept away…so I can see how people are getting all up in arms about the pic (reinforced stereotypes)…but there’s way more important shit going on in the world and in my life to get upset over whether he looks like King Kong.

    Who shives a git? The man is a super-paid athlete….

  • if this were any other magazine cover i wouldn’t have a problem with it, but its vogue! he should have on a suit, not warm up attire! yes we all know he is an amazing athlete, but this is a fashion magazine!

  • I do believe this photo reinforces stereotypes of black men as overly aggressive and putting the white woman on a pedestal. I do believe you have to be a person of color to truly understand the date to day challenges of not being white. We are often under-valued.

    We also come in many shades: Jason Kidd is not a white man he is a black man.

  • This is so stupid…its a picture…he’s an ATHLETE…have you ever seen an ATHLETE play a SPORT…they’re not really trynna ham it up like that were modeling for DG, or Calvin Klein…they threw LeBron in a pair of basketball shorts, and gave him a basketball…HE’S MAKING A SPORT FACE! SHUT THE FUCK UP! PEOPLE JUST LIKE TO HEAR THEMSELVES TALK AND MAKE UP SHIT

  • This cover is racist. LeBron is portrayed as an overly aggressive savage subhuman type who is trying to ravish the pure white innocent defenseless woman. Before one of you high school dropouts target my comment please read a book.

  • As a young, black woman I was slightly offended by the cover. LeBron is being portrayed as the angry, savage black man, and Giselle is helpless, femine, angelic white woman…it’s a classic stereotype. The cover would have been much better if LeBron was dressed simply in a nice suit or posed a different.
    Many of you have made the point that Lebron is just an athlete on the cover, but that is not the case, he is first and formost, and will always be, a black man and secondly an athlete. It is an insult to him and the black community to ignore his race and heritage. Recognize his race, respect it, but just do not judge him because of it.
    I’ve read the comments that many of you all have wrote, and white people’s failure to see the underlying racial implications in the cover simply justify the fact that white America does not and WILL NOT ever fully grasp nor understand the severity and complexity of racism in America.

  • Nicole1

    Seriously. You are stupid. If a white person ever said that shit he’d get punched in the throat. Let’s look at your comment in a slightly different way, shall we…?

    Many of you have made the point that Peyton Manning is just an athlete on the cover, but that is not the case, he is first and formost, and will always be, a white man and secondly an athlete. It is an insult to him and the white community to ignore his race and heritage. Recognize his race, respect it, but just do not judge him because of it.

    So, does it still hold up?

    The fact that he is one of 3 men to ever grace the cover of Vogue should really speak volumes about who he is, and about how much the American public reveres him. Diving further into it than that just shows your own racism and pettiness.

  • First off, I kind of agree with Khia213. This whole thing could’ve been avoided if they placed a black super model on the cover with him but because this is America, there can’t be two black people together on a cover of a magazine, on the corner of a street or in a blockbuster movie because, according to White America, that would mean that it is now a black Vogue, a gang congregating or a black movie and therefore, makes it uninteresting to white people.

    Also, to the poster who stated that Nicole1 is stupid. I belive if there is such a word called “stupider” that would be you. Peyton Manning is white, neither him nor his ancestors have ever been slaves in this country, He has never been referred to as the N-word, never been segregated and had to use the “black water fountain and the black restroom” never been told that 3 black men are equal to one white man. So, no it does not hold up and your showing how you need to re-register in school. Try some sh$t that’s not about YOU and read a book and not the kind with the rectangles and triangles and trace the dots!!!!

  • i think that cover is terrible. The look on gisele’s face and the angle of her head suggest that lebron is yelling so loud it’s practically knocking her over, which is just silly. it also looks like she was added to the photo later on in photoshop, so it’s like, why is she even there? if it was just him, the photo would be symmetrical and much more beautiful. maybe they thought a good looking black man can’t carry the cover on his own? dumb, dumb, dumb.

    That second picture you posted would have made a much better cover. First of all it doesn’t look photochopped or forced, and second of all, I think it demonstrates that they’re both athletes – albeit with different body types. gisele doesn’t look anorexic to me, but in the cover photo she does look scared.

    I see the point of saying that the cover looks “animalistic”. But I think if gisele just wasn’t there, or maybe if she was standing up to him instead of smiling with difficulty, it would be more interesting and less offensive. I see Beet’s point – but it’s totally possible to do an athletic, aggressive pose like this one without being offensive. Vogue just needs to do their homework.

  • Hi. White. Male. Thirties. The very first thing that popped into my mind, without even thinking, was the King Kong deal. To me, it’s very stereotypical. Savage black male, roaring, and pulling in his conquest. If she wasn’t smiling, this would be really rough. Now, maybe a lot of the younger demo isn’t seeing it because the stereotypes aren’t in play as much as when I was growing up, and that’s very cool. There’s still way too many haters, but maybe we’re all getting it together better than I thought.

  • Sometimes I hate this fu*kin world I just don’t understand why being of african american decent makes you a monster I just moved to vegas and I’m feeling it more than ever right now and it just disgusts me because In my brain it never ends ever all this “we’re all equal ” kiss my ass to all the people out there who stupid enough to think all black people are the same or all white people are the same and so forth kiss my ass you idiots
    a 25 year old black woman who’s had it !

  • I’m an African American female and I’m not offended by the cover. I’m a sports’ fanatic and I love fashion. I just don’t get the concept of this cover. When he was in GQ he looked very suave. And Vogue’s last issue was very nice (Drew Barrymore graced the cover) This is just too Sports Illustrated. Lebron’s one of the most styilish men in the NBA (watch out for Greg Oden though) but it just looks wacky.

  • I have to agree that the cover does not depict LeBron James in a possive image. If you were to have him on the cover – why couldn’t he be on the cover alone in a nice stylish getup or something!?!

  • the thing is is that this is the shape issue. it says on the cover “secrets of the best bodies”. this is why lebron is in his basketball get up. because basketball is what helped him get one of the best bodies on the face of the earth.

    just like not eating gave giselle one of the best bodies on earth. do you see any food on the cover?

  • i like the second picture better…but my reaction to the first was o god lebron looks like shit..and a little weird…oh and gisele dont look to hot either….nothing else really

  • The picture is indeed offensive. When I head they would be on the cover together.I was surprised. I was curious to see the pose.I knew there was no way he would be holding her in some sort of romantic pose.You don’t even see men of color holding women of their own race on magazines, so there was no way. Nope even in 2008. I was not surprised in the least.I wonder if Lebron asked why he was suppsed to growl for the picture.

  • Drop the slave mentality. None of us have ever been owned/have owned a human being.

    It is’nt a great picture regardless who they are.

    It’s two people who happened to win the genetic lottery of life. IMO,LeBron is the bigger winner. He has looks and an amazing skill he was blessed with. Giselle has looks but I’m not sure she could walk and chew gum at the same time.

  • These are two beautiful people on the front of a magazine people!
    why are you looking to deep into it. The ones who are need to step back and realize whos racist and whos not!There is nothing wrong at all with this photo .

  • Actually, if you read the biggest print on the cover, it says “shape issue” and I think the image goes perfectly with the theme. The first thing I noticed was – indeed – the shapes! The various colors and obvious textures set off the different shapes so well, the contrasts are amazing. If you want to find offense, it would be more sexist, however, I’m a white woman and I don’t find it offensive at all, neither did any of my cousins who are black men. I think the image is balanced (yes, it is a tad awkward if you’re looking at it as two people in reality rather than two people who are representing shapes) and put together beautifully.

  • I like everything positive. I’m on this website since the first day of its existence and I have never seen anything negative on it. This website is made by people, who think positive and who have many things to tell others. I love this website, I always get positive emotions from it and I can stay here the whole days and nights!

  • # Dee Dee Says:
    March 18th, 2008 at 5:02 pm
    …Also, to the poster who stated that Nicole1 is stupid. I belive if there is such a word called “stupider” that would be you. Peyton Manning is white, neither him nor his ancestors have ever been slaves in this country, He has never been referred to as the N-word, never been segregated and had to use the “black water fountain and the black restroom” never been told that 3 black men are equal to one white man. So, no it does not hold up and your showing how you need to re-register in school. Try some sh$t that’s not about YOU and read a book and not the kind with the rectangles and triangles and trace the dots!!!!

    Yeah. Okay, try not insulting, while you’re putting down what you disagree with. Mind you, I don’t have a problem with you putting down what you disagree with- that’s what I am doing with what you wrote. But I’m not going to insult you, either. It’s a nicer world that way, eh?

    I’m not sure what year we got rid of the “colored” bathrooms/water fountains. I’m sure just about everyone alive at this point, in this country have not, except grandparents, very few parents. Certainly the children (say under 40?) have very little memory of that level of segregation. I know racism has it’s deep roots- I’m not going to say it’s not there. Being called names is not something anyone can claim as a monopoly. ANYONE. Russians, Mexicans, whoever- around here (Vancouver, WA- where I live) they face discrimination, even as we as a society bend over backwards to accommodate them.
    Slaves? Okay, time to give up the slavery issue. It’s been dead for a while. I understand it was a great injustice, but think of it this way: The Jews are not forever throwing it in peoples face that they were hunted down and exterminated. Both things were horrible. Keep in mind, many of the slaves were sold by their own countrymen. Granted, if the market hadn’t been here, it would have been less, but my point is, ~I~ and MANY of my fellow “white” Americans NEVER OWNED slaves in OUR history, EITHER! My ancestors came over from Germany in the 1800’s. Not exactly sure when, but in any case, they came out west, where they did their own work.
    It’d be interesting to know how many Americans who get dissed for their ancestor’s owning slaves, don’t HAVE any ancestor’s who were even HERE in America until after slavery was abolished. I do realize many (most) were still kept down and all.
    Major point is- you’re generalizing, just like you saying we dis all African Americans.
    I happen to like African-Americans/blacks MORE than my “white” peers, most of the time. I just hate it when someone dons the “I’m down for the struggle”, when they’ve not been part of that struggle.
    Eddy ~~~

  • yes i do find it offensive simply because of the way they positioned the whole thing. they haven’t had any other people featured on the cover makeing such grotesque and contorted faces.

    it makes you question the motive

  • I am extremely offended! BLACK stars should refuse this racist magine. Lsbron was young. His people should have looked out for him !.. Lebron is a very handsome and intelligent guy. For this magazine he should have had on a suit or slacks and dress shirt!.. He shoul have been on the cover alone, why is an ugly white girl in slinky outfit there ?.. It they needed a women it should have been a black woman and they both should have been similarly drressed… Shame on you Vogue and nasty white folks !!.. Stop throwing your albino defected sluts at our beautiful black men !!