A World War I US Army propaganda poster and the infamous Vogue Cover
US Basketball star LeBron James is in the middle of a big media storm about his depiction on elite fashion magazine Vogue. This is only the thrid time that a man has appeared on its cover, and the fourth time a black person has appeared on the cover of Vogue which was first published in 1892.
James appears on the cover with Brazilian model Gisele Bündchen, a caucasian. He is clutching her with one arm, while his other bounces a basketball. On his face he has his characteristic grimace after scoring in a game.
The fury by many African-Americans over the picture stems from the depiction of LeBron. Most say the picture is animalistic, by him clutching a white woman he is perpetuating stereotypes of black men lusting after white women. Personally, when I saw the picture I was not impressed. I have an avid interest in both World Wars, and much earlier I had been exposed to the US. Army's propaganda poster, which depicted Germany as a great ape, clutching a female (representing USA, as seen by the clothing resemblance to the Lady Liberty) I noticed that the Vogue cover bore a startling similarity to that poster, and I prepared myself for the furore that was almost certain to emerge.
Now the question people ask is 'Was that similarity to King Kong or an ape done on purpose?' or was it innocent, did they just photograph LeBron in his element and Gisele in hers. Some people will say just that. They say if you look at the picture and see 'Ape and white woman' then you are subconciously racist, as far as they are concerned, the picture is innocent.
Is this true though? Has America genuingly moved on from the stark racism of 40 years ago. Has what happened on the Edmund Pettus Bridge in 1965 faded completely into the past, Has the legacy of Rosa Parks completely vanished? Is America in a Post-racial society? Is race no longer an issue?
The finalizing of the Vogue cover is not a small issue, it is certainly not an issue that is dealt with by one person, several photographers and editors critique and enhance the photograph before it appears in the newstands. Didn't anyone at Vogue predict this backlash by African-Americans claiming Vogue is racist for depicting 'their own' in such an unflattering manner, or, did Vogue think that America has moved to a stage where a black man showing 'ape-like behaviour' should not raise any eyebrows.
Of course, it can also be argued that Vogue, by doing this, is pushing America toward a post-racial society, by 'normalizing' sensitive issues is Vogue saying "Look, black or white we are all the same"
As black people, not just African-Americans, we are constantly trying to put our best face forward when it comes to our depiction in the media. We want to be seen as beautiful, intelligent and articulate, and so often one famous black persons blunder becomes an embarrasment to the whole race. Similarly, one black person's triumph is shared by the race, for example the case of O.J Simpson or even Barack Obama's presidential race.
This attitude is brought about by an inferiority complex, in Afro-Americans due to slavery, and in Africans due to colonialism. We want to show white people that we have progressed to a level of equality, we want to show that their assumptions of us as being inferior were wrong.
So when Lebron James shows up on the cover of what can be described as a 'white magazine' looking unattractive, black people everywhere feel unattractive, we are angered that the 'white magazine' has chosen to show the ugliest picture. The Vogue cover is an important milestone for blacks and whites alike, and with this rare oppurtunity to present ourselves to 'white world'; we have chosen to put a 'terrible' picture of 'our own'- this summarizes the feeling of many people who did not like the Vogue cover.
Of course there's the other side: What do white people really think? When they see a black man screaming, do they really think 'Ape!' When they see a black man holding a white woman, do they really think 'Rapist!'
The sad fact is that even in academia we are taught to expect the worst, not only in terms of race, but also in terms of gender. Nothing is ever 'what it is', there is always an ulterior motive.
Girls are taught that advertising featuring men and women are inherently sexist, and black people are taught that any depiction of a black person displaying a negative trait is an extension of the general view held by white people.
We are in a vicious cycle, on one hand we want to combat racism, but on the other we look for racism in every single thing.
As far as reaching a post-racial society is concerned, I believe we would one day reach it, when black milestones are no longer counted, when we look at Denzel Washington as merely an actor, when Obama becomes just another presidential candidate, when there would be no need for a Black Entertainment Television channel.
Martin Luther King had a dream, and I share that dream too!
2 comments:
Julez, without having prior knowledge of the propaganda poster and seeing the cover for the first time about a week ago. My initial reaction was that Vogue was celebrating athleticism and beauty. For whatever reason though the similarities are impossible to ignore and like you said the reasons are unclear. As a basketball player i viewed Lebrons pose as a display of his raw athletic ability. Maybe i am naive, but you have opened my eyes a little bit as to other possibilites.
Yes, on the surface I can see that it does look racist, animalist and all the rest. But I remain confident that they didn't specifically choose that strategy; I think their intentions are different from how the image has been read. It seems to me like they've used the image/pose as a stereotyped shortcut; probably to reflect the perceived strength and power of the figure; as you said men rarely appear on the cover, so women might see him as a 'big strong man', able to protect and look after them.
Having said that, the similarities between the pose as the King Kong image are far too overt. And unfortunately, while the UK has worked hard to stamp out racism (not entirely successful but its still had a big impact) countries like Spain and the US are still crippled by racism. There is still a large divide between the black and white communities, and whether or not the pose was intended to have such an impact or not, it is doing nothing to quell the tensions. I think the best thing Vogue could do is post a small letter of apology for any upset caused, and say it was unintentional.
As for post-racist society, I think the problem is that in each case the minority party (black people, women, the elderly, whatever) will immediately scream 'racism' or 'sexism' without a second thought; when they stop seeing the colour of their skin, and acknowledge that there may be other reasons for the incident (maybe an attack was because the victim was a twat or owed money?), society can progress. I do appreciate that society has for a long time been unfair, singling out individuals because of their gender or skin colour. But perpetuating the culture gap doesn't build bridges across it.
Kudos on the blog dude, well written and thanks for informing us.
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