If you didn't catch it, we've had some chattering this week over a Vogue cover with LeBron James and Gisele Bundchen. Here's one posting, but you can Google for hundreds more.
I thought this note was a great addition to the discussion. Check out the picture comparison.
Do you think it plays to racial or sexual stereotypes? Is it offensive?
Saturday, March 29, 2008
Cover controversy
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9 comments:
USA Today quotes Damion Thomas, assistant professor in the Department of Kinesiology at University of Maryland about racial stereotypes. I don't see how being a kinesiology assistant professor is relevant to his opinion on race. It seems like someone else's opinion on this cover page would have been more relevant.
The similarities between the two covers are obvious, but one important note to make is the Giselle is smiling, whereas in the King Kong cover, the female looks as though she's fainted. Maybe the Vogue cover in not implying a negative view of Lebron, but instead both the power to be fierce and secure female admirers.
I think this is a bit ridiculous. Personally, I saw this cover a couple times before and I never would have thought of King Kong. Yet, once someone puts that out there, it's easy to see because you look for it.
I think this is a bit ridiculous. Personally, I saw this cover a couple times before and I never would have thought of King Kong. Yet, once someone puts that out there, it's easy to see because you look for it.
when i first saw the cover, before the criticism, i never thought about racial stereotypes. it's an interesting combo for the magazine, and it's something different for them. wouldn't having a black man making the cover for the first time be considered a good thing? (even though it has taken far too long) lebron james is a huge guy, a huge basketball player and it would be next to impossible to make him look small. i think the controversial statements are a little far fetched, and i agree with the idea that the US might be OVERLY racially-sensitive. they could have done a white bball player and black model and there would have still been controversy.
After looking at the picture comparisons, it is clear that they do have similarities. But in my opinion everything these days seems to be made into some type of racial/ sexism, etc problem. I think we are being too critical at times.
It's hard for me to believe that photographer Annie Leibovitz was trying to send any type of message with the way the two people were shot in the photograph. I agree with the idea that we are overly racially-sensative
It is SO important for American citizens to be aware and expose the underlying stereotypes and ideas in our culture that promote bigotry. But it is fair to to note that making comparisons such as this one may in fact be the opposite, creating bigoted viewpoints in a situation that may had no such intent or unintentional inspiration. This cover raises an interesting question: do pictures arranged in this way expose racial stereotypes we have as a culture, or do people with bigoted views create bigoted viewpoints by creating a problem where there is not one. You decide I guess.
So you have an article on shape. You get a giant athlete, and a skinny model. Before race you already could probably stretch this and say king kong.
But as the photographer and art department for the magazine, you want this to look interesting in some way.
Maybe you think "Well shoot, he's a pretty intense athlete, why don't I have him look intense?"
This seems to be people reading into it too much. I like the cover, I think it was executed nicely.
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