LeBron James will be the first black man to grace the cover of Vogue magazine, but everybody isn’t smiling.
The cover—which features James and model Gisele Bundchen—has taken some heat for allegedly perpetuating racial stereotypes. According to an AP article, “James strikes what some see as a gorilla-like pose, baring his teeth, with one hand dribbling a ball and the other around Bundchen’s tiny waist.” Some compare the picture to King Kong.
James dons black basketball shorts and a black top, and is captured open mouth in mid dribble. His free hand is wrapped around Bundchen’s waist.
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“Here you have an image of a black male athlete in an exceptionally aggressive stance, wide footed, bending over, clutching her with his arm,”Jason Rosenfeld, professor of art history at Marymount Manhattan College told ABC. “It’s one thing to have an athlete in that kind of pose and with that kind of expression on a court after he or she has done something miraculous. It’s another thing to couple it with someone who is of an entirely different ilk and gender. That turns it into a racially charged image.”
When asked about the controversy, James, 23, said he was simply “showing a little emotion.”
“Everything my name is on is going to be criticized in a good way or bad way,” he told the Cleveland Plain Dealer. “Who cares what anyone says?”
The short answer to James’ question? Several people
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ESPN’s Jemele Hill says “Vogue’s quest to highlight the differences between superstar athletes and supermodels only successfully reinforces the animalistic stereotypes frequently associated with black athletes.”
“Too often, black athletes are presented as angry, overly aggressive and overly sexual. Or sometimes, they’re just plain emasculated.”
She goes on to compare the cover to a 2002 Sports Illustrated cover of Charles Barkley breaking out of chains and Ricky Williams decked out in a wedding dress on a 1999 cover of ESPN The Magazine.
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“When you have a cover that reminds people of King Kong and brings those stereotypes to the front, black man wanting white woman, it’s not innocent,” magazine analyst Samir Husni noted in the AP article.
Vogue spokesman Patrick O’Connell says the pair “look beautiful together and we are honored to have them on the cover.”
In addition to being the first black man, James is also just the third man to be on the cover of Vogue. Actors Richard Gere and George Clooney are the other two.
