LEBRON JAMES CRITICIZED FOR VOGUE COVER: ESPN columnist sees racist undertones in photograph.

The Today Show (NBC) has a segment on this this morning. I can't lie; when I first saw the cover it screamed King Kong. The thing is there are other pictures that are far classier that should have graced the cover. Lebron is a fabulous dresser and has style and he being the first African American male to grace the cover of Vogue I think the photo chosen for the cover was in bad taste. It just rings of the stereotypical Big Black Male Athlete fawning over the pretty White chick (not to mention he looking like King Kong)

I am not offended but I think another picture should have been used for the cover. I've asked many friends of mine from factory worker to Corporate Attorney and the first thing they said was Bron looks like King Kong, a damn monkey. I don't know if this was planned but I am not happy with it and Bron deserves better. I just wish he would have objected to that picture being on the cover.

I saw the cover on the Today show also but didn't equate it with King Kong until the picture was showed next to it. Dead Ringer!!!

After viewing the photo in question, I pulled my son over and showed it to him. He then said to me, "Dad, is this what you mean when you say to me, that money can buy most anything except brains"! With all due respect to Brother LaBron, I pray that he gets another shot to complete his education. Smarts don't show up in most photos other than maybe an MRI,but one photo may be worth a thousands words, whereas competent minds need only say it once! PEACE

Definitely king kong! just because one is rich does not mean one has good taste in how they market themselves...hell! him and his agent need to be....!

I wonder what the ancestors are thinking...HOW STOOPID!!!

Mz Brown wrote:

Definitely king kong! just because one is rich does not mean one has good taste in how they market themselves...hell! him and his agent need to be....!
I wonder what the ancestors are thinking...HOW STOOPID!!!

I mean I am not sure what Lebron was thinking. This is the first time Vogue puts an African American male on the cover and they got him in Basketball gear looking like damn King Kong. As I've said, Lebron has lots of style and can dress so why put that picture on the cover.

Once again this goes to show that there is no Black Voice in a position of power at many of these Corporations to say hold on, this picture is borderline stereotypical. Hell, they may as well put him in Black Face with the big pink lips.

I am white and I see what you are saying, but I didn't think King Kong. I just didn't get the cover at all. I don't think it compliments either of the two. Very few men have graced the cover of Vogue at all.

Concerned Black Citizen wrote:

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I mean I am not sure what Lebron was thinking. This is the first time Vogue puts an African American male on the cover and they got him in Basketball gear looking like damn King Kong. As I've said, Lebron has lots of style and can dress so why put that picture on the cover.
Once again this goes to show that there is no Black Voice in a position of power at many of these Corporations to say hold on, this picture is borderline stereotypical. Hell, they may as well put him in Black Face with the big pink lips.

For sure! Like I keep saying the racism is still there! its... suggestive and subtle...now!

"A picture is worth a thousand words!"

The cover is bad on so many levels. It's feeds into every ugly stereotype of the big black buck/white woman scenario. Let's not even mention the fact that too many white women believe they have black men on "lock." This just gives them more ammo.

I don't see anything wrong with that photo. Furthermore, Gisselle is NOT a white woman, she is Brazilian, a totally different race altogether.

It looks like he's posing for one of those Got Milk advertisements, but without the milk mustache.

Anna wrote:

I don't see anything wrong with that photo. Furthermore, Gisselle is NOT a white woman, she is Brazilian, a totally different race altogether.

Actually, Brazilian is not a race. She is white, her family are Europeans who moved to Brazil for a better life. If you go to Brazil, Argentina, and many Latin American countries the white people are European immigrants.

If you ask me, that Vouge cover with Jennifer Hudson was terrible. How the hell could Anne Lebo....whatever her last name is, have Jennifer with her mouth swung wide open on the cover of a proclaimed "High Fashion" magazine and it looked as though her breast were sagging a bit.....that was not a nice cover shot of Jennifer.

Jackiemona wrote:

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Actually, Brazilian is not a race. She is white, her family are Europeans who moved to Brazil for a better life. If you go to Brazil, Argentina, and many Latin American countries the white people are European immigrants.

I have a guy friend who is Brazilan and he is darker than me and so is his mother. So Brazilian is not neccessarily "white." Her skin might be white, but I am talking about her ethnic background. Brazilian is a race - it's not a skin color or just some pretty name.

Anna wrote:

I don't see anything wrong with that photo. Furthermore, Gisselle is NOT a white woman, she is Brazilian, a totally different race altogether.

Just b/c she is Brazlian doesn't mean anything. She clearly has European ancestry. Gisele isn't that attractive anyway. But anyways, who cares? Let Lebron be himself.

don't you think your being just a little too touchy or sensitive? my gosh, you complain cause your not on covers then complain when you are? shoot, they could dress me up in a tutu and i would style and profile that cover by gosh. the way some of you are acting, you would have thougth that he had blood spewing from his eyes and holding a goats head. find your sense of humor, jeeze.

Anna wrote:

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I have a guy friend who is Brazilan and he is darker than me and so is his mother. So Brazilian is not neccessarily "white." Her skin might be white, but I am talking about her ethnic background. Brazilian is a race - it's not a skin color or just some pretty name.

I have a Brazilian friend who is Pardo (a mix of Portuguese, African, and American Indian), They are the second largest group next to whites in Brazil...Giselle parents are German. Over recent decades there has been an influx of German immigrants into Brazil...In fact they are the largest German group outside of Germany. Giselle is white...she is a German Brazilian.

Mz Brown wrote:

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For sure! Like I keep saying the racism is still there! its... suggestive and subtle...now!
"A picture is worth a thousand words!"

Don't worry Jesse and Sharpton haven't had any reason to glom onto anything recently. They should be showing up for this story anytime now.

EMPTY MIND wrote:

You afro americans need to get a JOB.

They would if they weren't being shipped out of the country along with the jobs you Euro-Americans don't want or are not qualified to do either. The fact that you're here says a lot about your employment prospects. Truth hurts but you'll over it.

Jackiemona wrote:

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I have a Brazilian friend who is Pardo (a mix of Portuguese, African, and American Indian), They are the second largest group next to whites in Brazil...Giselle parents are German. Over recent decades there has been an influx of German immigrants into Brazil...In fact they are the largest German group outside of Germany. Giselle is white...she is a German Brazilian.

I thought the largest German group outside of Germany lived in Argentina.

Concerned Black Citizen wrote:

The Today Show (NBC) has a segment on this this morning. I can't lie; when I first saw the cover it screamed King Kong. The thing is there are other pictures that are far classier that should have graced the cover. Lebron is a fabulous dresser and has style and he being the first African American male to grace the cover of Vogue I think the photo chosen for the cover was in bad taste. It just rings of the stereotypical Big Black Male Athlete fawning over the pretty White chick (not to mention he looking like King Kong)
I am not offended but I think another picture should have been used for the cover. I've asked many friends of mine from factory worker to Corporate Attorney and the first thing they said was Bron looks like King Kong, a damn monkey. I don't know if this was planned but I am not happy with it and Bron deserves better. I just wish he would have objected to that picture being on the cover.

It would be interesting to hear an interview from whoever came up with the idea to do that shoot....

It does remind me of King Kong but I'll admit I didn't really make THAT association until someone said something about it.