Hypersensitivity to High Fashion: The Controversy Over Vogue’s April 2008 Cover

As an intern at West Coast Vogue with a boyfriend who idolizes NBA star LeBron James, I anticipated the April 2008 issue featuring supermodel Gisele Bundchen and LeBron James with much excitement. As a magazine insider, I knew the cover subjects before the magazine was put to print. Like a good intern should, I kept my mouth shut. But when the boxes of the corner cut April issues arrived all I can remember were the goosebumps that enveloped my body—the cover photo was magnificent. Full of vivacity, emotion, movement and drama I was sure the April issue would elicit a profitable turnover at newsstands. Genius. The cover was shot by the infamously provocative photographer Annie Lebovitz who caught the 6-foot-9 NBA star and the 5-foot-11 Brazilian model for the cover and inside spread. What made the April issue even more exciting was that King James would be the first black man to grace the cover of Vogue. In that moment I was proud to work for such an illustrious magazine that promoted social progression and authority yet I did not foresee the controversy that would develop in the next few days surrounding the James-Bundchen cover. I should have known when my boyfriend saw the cover and said sullenly, “I know LeBron is wearing his own line, LB3, but should he be wearing a suit of something… It’s Vogue. And why is he roaring?”

After hitting the newsstands, the cover image (see right) began to stir up concerns that it perpetuated racial stereotypes. The image captures James who strikes what some see as a “gorilla-like pose,” barring his teeth, with one massive hand dribbling a ball and the other lightly wrapped around Bundchen’s tiny waist. LeBron is dressed in his basketball gear, with his muscles flexing and tattoos showing. Gisele, on the other hand, is wearing a gorgeous slim-fitting silk green dress, and smiling. She looks like she is on her way to a fashionable event while James seems to be en route to a “pickup game for serial killers.” It is an image some have likened to “King King and Fay Wray.” One Philadelphia news analyst, Tamara Walker, says the photograph “conjures up this idea of a dangerous black man.” Another magazine analyst, Samir Husni also believes the photo was deliberately racist stating that it “screams King Kong” (see below left).

Yet, the point of the cover shot was to show the contrast between brawn and beauty, masculinity and femininity, strength and grace. These themes paralleled the overarching motifs that the April 2008 issue aimed to embody—aligning supermodels of super beauty with extraordinary athletes. But some speculate that Vogue’s quest to highlight these differences between superstar athletes and superstar models only successfully reinforced the animalistic stereotypes frequently associated with black athletes.

In a column at ESPN.com, Jemele Hill called the cover “memorable for all the wrong reasons.” Ultimately, Hill questioned LeBron’s responsibility to his image, which she emphasizes that it "clearly means a lot to him.” Hill also claimed that white athletes are generally portrayed smiling or laughing while black sports figures are given a “beastly sort of vibe.” However, had a white sportsman been in LeBron’s place would there have been a difference in the treatment of the photograph? Unfortunately, this we will never know. But it is important to weigh the possibility of a contrast situation. Nevertheless, Hill argues that the aggressive and threatening image of LeBron on the cover of Vogue only “reinforce[s] the criminalization of black men.” Having studied images of black athletes for years, Dr. John Hoberman, a University of Texas professor and author of the controversial book Darwin’s Athletes: How Sports Has Damaged Black America and Preserved the Myth of Race, contends the images of black athletes are no better than the ones offered centuries ago. Hoberman maintains that this idea of criminalized black men ties back to the “19th-century theme [of] the savage versus the civilized.” He extends his argument by connecting the themes portrayed in slave trade illustrations with the ubiquitous images of “shirtless black male athletes, which reinforce the idea that black athletes were blessed with physical characteristics, not mental ones.” Hoberman added, “The practice of stripping black males above the waist and displaying him is as American as apple pie.” But was Vogue really trying to portray James as some kind of “beastly” aggressor rather as a sportsman in his element?

In reaction to the reports accusing Vogue of racial insensitivity, Vogue spokesman Patrick O’Connell said the magazine “sought to celebrate two superstars at the top of their game” for the magazine’s annual issue devoted to size and shape. “We think LeBron James and Gisele Bundchen look beautiful together and we are honored to have them on the cover.” When LeBron was asked about the controversial photograph, he told a Cleveland newspaper that he was pleased with the cover and even said he was “just showing some emotion.” LeBron added, “Everything my name is on is going to be criticized in a good way or in a bad way,” James told the paper. “Who cares what anyone says?”

Many say the image shows James’ “game face”—nothing more. They also note that Bundchen hardly looks frightened—which would negate any claims that James looks barbaric or predatory over the dainty model. “James is a huge, black beautiful masculine statue and Gisele is a feminine, sexy gorgeous doll,” said Christa Thomas, a black account manager in Los Angeles. “I didn’t see any kind of racist undertone to it,” she said, “I still don’t. I think there is such a hypersensitivity to race still in this country.”

The photograph is truly a work of art and the criticism surrounding it is in fact a perfect example of America’s aversion toward anything that might have a racist undertone in the media. Had a white man, say NFL player Tom Brady, been in LeBron’s place I think the image would have received little if any attention in the media. Furthermore, like the rest of the Olympic athletes featured in the issue, LeBron is dressed in his sportswear. When it comes down to it, the photo shows both LeBron and Gisele acting as if they are in their natural work environments—where LeBron poses with his “game face” and Gisele smiles wildly with her stunningly picturesque poise. Ultimately, I feel the cover is a beautiful photograph that captures the juxtaposition of beauty and strength in James and Bundchen’s celestial bodies.