The Flap Over LeBron and Vogue
After having a moment to digest what I saw on the cover of this month's Vogue mag and I'm of two minds on the situation, sorta straddling the middle, if you will.
On one hand, I do see how some folks are offended by the image. LeBron, scowl and everything, seemingly a bit exaggerated in his proportions, holding the ultra-skinny Giselle whatever-her-name-is, while palming a basketball. First, there could be the assumption of a play on one of LeBron's many nicknames, that being King James (as in the version of the Bible, with all of the inherently sacrilegious undertones that such a nickname conjures up). It's a short leap from "King Kong" to "King James," and the image does have elements of the King Kong stigma: the beast out of the dark taking hold of the helpless white girl, falling for her and becoming her hero. There's also a measure of the classic Mandingo thang: that the brothers just can't pass up the white girls. My mom's generation called it "white thigh fever." But in this post-racial society, saying such things, to quote an old commercial, "would be uncivilized."
Well, call me uncivilized, then.
On the other hand, there's the faction that thinks the black community might be a bit touchy, and engaging in over-analysis of the cover. They believe that all black folks see the ugly hand of race in every aspect of life, even in places where it does not exist. Perhaps African-Americans, they'll say, are already sensitive over the race for president, having a black candidate and all, and might see some innocuous things as hidden sleights, in light of recent discussions centering around race in America. There may be some truth to this viewpoint as well.
I see both sides. And as usual, the truth lies someplace between the two extremes.
But, my analysis really puts aside both those angles. Do I personally have an issue with the LeBron cover? Yes, but not so much because of the staging. I have a problem because he looks >retarded. As a photographer myself, I'd never want one of my subjects to look as ridiculous as I think James looked in the image.
My observation: our luminaries -- athletes, actors, persons of note -- need to learn to better control their images.
In this case, should LeBron -- or better yet, his representative -- have said "hey, I don't want to look crazy in these images," sure, he (or they) should have. But the question is, does he even know what looking crazy means, in the context of his pictures? The moment the photog said "hey do this...roar like a lion, or like a great ape," should he have said, "uh no, that makes me look like a retard or King Kong?" Probably. But then, I'm certain, all he was thinking was "damn, the check I'm getting for this is phat! Plus I get to do a shot with this good lookin' woman!"
My point is this: In this day in age, with the money and prestige that African-Americans of note have, one has to assume that advice comes from some good quarter, describing what images or situations are flattering, separating them from those that are not. It should be at the top of every athlete's list of personal contractors to have an image consultant or publicist whose job is to keep the client from looking like a fool, at best, a caricature at worse.
In this case, that's what LeBron needed, nothing more, nothing less.
And for me, the issue comes down to needing a good publicist.
From a societal standpoint, look, athletes and other hi-pro black men have sought the love and approval of white women before. We've all seen those pictures. This image, from that angle, is no different. Is this image symbolic of the aforementioned white thigh fever? Maybe. Sistas will be upset by that, but then again, personal taste in women is just that: personal. And lest we forget, say it together with me, we live in an open, multi-cultural, "post-racial" time -- or at least that's what people say.
At the end of the day, race isn't the issue: poor advice and lack of direction is.
On one hand, I do see how some folks are offended by the image. LeBron, scowl and everything, seemingly a bit exaggerated in his proportions, holding the ultra-skinny Giselle whatever-her-name-is, while palming a basketball. First, there could be the assumption of a play on one of LeBron's many nicknames, that being King James (as in the version of the Bible, with all of the inherently sacrilegious undertones that such a nickname conjures up). It's a short leap from "King Kong" to "King James," and the image does have elements of the King Kong stigma: the beast out of the dark taking hold of the helpless white girl, falling for her and becoming her hero. There's also a measure of the classic Mandingo thang: that the brothers just can't pass up the white girls. My mom's generation called it "white thigh fever." But in this post-racial society, saying such things, to quote an old commercial, "would be uncivilized."
Well, call me uncivilized, then.
On the other hand, there's the faction that thinks the black community might be a bit touchy, and engaging in over-analysis of the cover. They believe that all black folks see the ugly hand of race in every aspect of life, even in places where it does not exist. Perhaps African-Americans, they'll say, are already sensitive over the race for president, having a black candidate and all, and might see some innocuous things as hidden sleights, in light of recent discussions centering around race in America. There may be some truth to this viewpoint as well.
I see both sides. And as usual, the truth lies someplace between the two extremes.
But, my analysis really puts aside both those angles. Do I personally have an issue with the LeBron cover? Yes, but not so much because of the staging. I have a problem because he looks >retarded. As a photographer myself, I'd never want one of my subjects to look as ridiculous as I think James looked in the image.
My observation: our luminaries -- athletes, actors, persons of note -- need to learn to better control their images.
In this case, should LeBron -- or better yet, his representative -- have said "hey, I don't want to look crazy in these images," sure, he (or they) should have. But the question is, does he even know what looking crazy means, in the context of his pictures? The moment the photog said "hey do this...roar like a lion, or like a great ape," should he have said, "uh no, that makes me look like a retard or King Kong?" Probably. But then, I'm certain, all he was thinking was "damn, the check I'm getting for this is phat! Plus I get to do a shot with this good lookin' woman!"
My point is this: In this day in age, with the money and prestige that African-Americans of note have, one has to assume that advice comes from some good quarter, describing what images or situations are flattering, separating them from those that are not. It should be at the top of every athlete's list of personal contractors to have an image consultant or publicist whose job is to keep the client from looking like a fool, at best, a caricature at worse.
In this case, that's what LeBron needed, nothing more, nothing less.
And for me, the issue comes down to needing a good publicist.
From a societal standpoint, look, athletes and other hi-pro black men have sought the love and approval of white women before. We've all seen those pictures. This image, from that angle, is no different. Is this image symbolic of the aforementioned white thigh fever? Maybe. Sistas will be upset by that, but then again, personal taste in women is just that: personal. And lest we forget, say it together with me, we live in an open, multi-cultural, "post-racial" time -- or at least that's what people say.
At the end of the day, race isn't the issue: poor advice and lack of direction is.
0 TrackBacks
Listed below are links to blogs that reference this entry: The Flap Over LeBron and Vogue.
TrackBack URL for this entry: http://www.obsidianhustle.com/cgi-bin/mt/mt-tb.cgi/162
Yeah, I'm of mixed minds on this one.
Initially I thought- black ball player with ball in one hand white woman in the other- stereotypical, but ball players really aren't trying to prove us wrong.
Crazy looking Lebron? Sure, but I've watched some Cav's games, that's the way the brother really looks. Don't blame photographers, blame God.
Then I thought, well MJ never shared a fashion cover with a white woman did he? No, but he was married (infidelity aside).
The only thing that really bothered me in the photo was the basketball. If Lebron truly wants to expand his branding, he has to let go of the ball. Tiger isn't always carrying a golf club. Peyton doesn't always have to have a football. Oprah isn't always carrying around her cash. He's a youngin. He'll learn.
When I first heard about this "controversy" I made sure to check out the cover when I was in line at the grocery store. I'm sorry, but I just don't see it. To me it just comes off as an intense athlete with a beautiful woman in a non-sexual embrace. I think folks need to get a grip. There are way more things to get excited about - say for instance the McCain supporter who said, "They can have their Tiger Woods..." referring to Obama. Now that's something that made me say, "Oh, no he di'nt!" Yesterday on Chris Matthews' Hardball nobody could see the insult in that including the resident black spokesperson for the day, but on Keith Olberman, you practically had to wipe the foam from Keith's mouth he was so insulted. I'm with Keith. The fact that this guy thought it was OK to refer to another bi-racial (or multi-racial) man as Tiger Woods is more than demeaning. Don't get me wrong, Tiger is tops, but I still find it insulting.
@GiGi: I certainly don't feel the same level of vitriol others do, in part because I am convinced that we do ourselves more harm than almost any outside influence.
I am convinced that LeBron's appearance here is more a lack of historical context and understanding on his part than insidiousness elsewhere. Is there some culpability with the photographer, and stylist? Sure, but at the end of the day, we have to be true to ourselves.
As to the comments made by the McCain supporter, I'm not surprised. There has been an increasing current and sentiment of intolerance growing in this nation over the last ten years or so. Sometimes people just let slip their true feelings.