Vogue Magazine/Lebron Controversy

   

By now, you’ve heard about the Voguecontroversy and the on-going dialogue surrounding Lebron James and Giselle B., the supermodel. Oh, you haven’t? Check this out:

Lebron James’ Vogue cover called racially insensitive

Lebron Should Be More Careful With His Image

Am I Supposed To Be Mad About Lebron

The debate rages on about whether this cover is racially motivated or completely innocent, or simply a bad PR move on Lebron’s part. Here are my two cents:

First, some key facts:

1. This issue was Vogue’s annual issue devoted to size and shape.

2. Vogue has a limited history of featuring African-Americans on its cover. According to the folks at Jezebel.com:

“Back in November, Portfolio’s Jeff Bercovici pointed out that while 4 out of 12 covers of Men’s Vogue had black men; when Jennifer Hudson hit the cover of Vogue last March, she was only the thirdAfrican-American celebrity to do so, though the magazine was founded in 1914.” As a footnote, Vogue has featured 33 African-American women, mostly models,during its entire history. Lebron is only the third man to grace American Vogue’s cover. 

3. From ohnotheydidn’t, here’s the other photo that Vogue could have used for the cover of its shape issue:

  

When I first saw the infamous published cover, it was in the context of the debate over the cover. Thus, I didn’t have the benefit of seeing it before all the commentary on whether it’s racially insensitive. After I saw Lebron’s cover, however, it instantly made me think of this: 

There was similar watercooler debate about Hudson’s cover (though way less controversial) because of Vogue’s dislike for putting curvier models on its cover, and the aforementioned lack of African-American cover models in general. I hated didn’t like Hudson’s cover because I thought it was unflattering, and like other debaters, I left it there. But after seeing Lebron’s cover, I’m trying to constrain my inner conspiracy theorist. 

Of course, the easy thing to do is to lay blame squarely at the feet of Vogue magazine, and endlessly analyze whether they simply don’t get it, or whether they don’t have too. Isn’t that why we have Essence and Ebony, some ask (to my chagrin).

I’m not giving Vogue a free pass on this cover, but I think we need to frame the debate in a much larger racial context. We absolutely must push and shove to control how the media and society views us, whether you’re a hundred million dollar athlete, a sister or brother in the boardroom, or a biracial man running for president.

To be honest, that’s a large part of the reason why I launched Plenary Publishing (shameless plug alert). As an attorney, I’ve often had to (respectfully) check partners who wanted to give me a “you go girl” instead of a simple congratulations after a court win, or individuals who mistook me for a member of a defendant’s family instead of an attorney. The point is that until we start saying, hey this isn’t just about my image, but about establishing positive images for young men and women of color, and changing the way people view us, we’re going to always have this debate without results.

I’m not advocating that we have to play it safe or not push the envelope because of what people might say or think. Indeed, that’s one of the hallmarks of our experience -aggressively tearing down the box that the majority society tried to keep us in.

I’m simply suggesting that we have to be willing to say no, that’s not how you’re going to portray me on your cover because I’m more than a basketball player. What I like about the other photo is that it’s a nice blend of shape and form for Vogue’s shape issue, and while it depicts Lebron as the basketball player that he is, it also managed to show him as a reflective, in-charge thinking man (which, by most accounts he is).

In that shot, Lebron and Giselle are simply superstars at the top of their respective games, sharing the cover of a prestigious fashion magazine. Period.     

Perhaps it’s unfair to require athletes, celebs, authors, etc to become social activists or ambassadors every time they do an interview, write a book or shoot a cover. But until we start demanding more of ourselves and from each other, we’re going to continue to have these debates.

And maybe it’s our burden to bear as African-Americans (social activism) once we hit certain plateaus. Think Ms. O, or even Michael Jordan at his peak. Who knows what was going on behind the scenes, but every kid in America wanted to be like Mike.

I’ve already seen so many extensions of this debate, like how BET, rappers or even urban fiction writers are also dragging down our perceptions and images. I don’t agree with this. At the end of the day, all of this goes back to balance, and making sure that every possible view of African-American life hits the mainstream.  

We come from all walks of life and have so many perspectives, and we have to be unrelenting in ensuring that society realizes that our race is comprised of nerds, liberals, conservatives, rappers, scholars, psychologists, athletes, bohos, ’round the way girls, BAPS, preachers, teachers and everything in between.

I love Biggie and Pac just as much as I love Miles Davis and Tye Tribbett, and it’s not necessary to draw a line in the sand or internally divide ourselves over our differences. I love fried chicken, drink wine and eat sushi, and I like The Coldest Winter Ever and American Gangster just as much as I liked Good Hair, The Bluest Eye, Little Earthquakes and Match Point.   

We’re complex individuals regardless of our zip codes or bank accounts, and we don’t fit some generic category. And that’s my problem with the Vogue cover: that it put Lebron into the same old, generic box. But whose fault is that? 

This controversy reminds me of the Millenia Black lawsuit and debate over how large NY publishers segregate African-American writers. (Also check out: Why book industry still sees the world split by race). I know that one of my biggest challenges as a new African-American publisher is marketing my future authors for crossover status. I’ve had people ask, well why not be a general interest publisher instead of limiting your target market. 

That, to me, does not solve the problem, and my response usually delves into the balance issue for our community, how James Patterson has managed to achieve success with his Alex Cross series, and how marketing is key to every book. This is a topic for another post, but I’m well aware of the cross-marketing challenges and seemingly uphill fight to change perceptions.

Finally, shout out to Black Enterprise magazine for their Lebron cover: