LeBron James Vogue cover stirs controversy:
In what ways does this magazine cover in 2008, use image and
visual elements and written features to construct meaning?
This magazine cover from VOUGE is portrayed on an African-American basketball player LeBron
James who is famous for being one of the greatest basketball players in NBA history. He is
known for his exceptional skills, versatility, and basketball IQ. This magazine is also portrayed
on Gisele Bundchen who is known for being a supermodel, where she revolutionized the
modelling industry and became one of the highest-paid models in history. This specific
magazine cover from VOGUE uses visual and written elements to emphasize the intersection of
athleticism, body ideals, and beauty but also shows problematic racial stereotypes in media.
From the magazine, using visual elements, we can immediately deduce that both of them are
being prioritized, based on the stance and both of them being in front of the title which makes
them more prominent. If we go deeper into the photograph we can understand that this cover
is controversial by having two sides to it. One is Lebron having an aggressive and threatening
look which emphasizes the criminalization of black men. But the other way to look at it is
LeBron being portrayed as a huge, black beautiful masculine statue and Gisele being a feminine,
gorgeous doll. LeBron opening his mouth wide to show his tongue symbolizes aggression,
power, or intensity. This contrasts Gisele’s smile which symbolizes her calm and composed
demeanor. This contrast shows the traditional gender roles where men are portrayed as strong
but women are seen as elegant. LeBron’s hand around Bundchen's tiny waist can generate
ideas in our minds. On the surface of this photograph, we can see LeBron putting her hand
around Bundchen's waist which could symbolize protection and strength. But at a deeper level,
we can see a play into racial stereotypes, where black men are shown as more physically
dominant and strong when contrasted with a more elegant white woman.
Using written elements to find out the general meaning of this cover we can say that “Perfect
Fit” or “flatter” signifies the fact that bodies need to be improved. Gender roles are emphasized
by referring to Bundchen as a “top model” and LeBron as a “star athlete” which signifies the
traditional aspect of feminity and masculinity. The title and the text being red also symbolize
passion energy and attention-grabbing energy. This cover was also compared to the World War
I propaganda poster titled “Destroy This Mad Brute,” depicting a brutish ape figure wearing a
German military helmet with the word “Kultur” on a club. Both of these images use visual
language that connects Black masculinity to danger and aggression. In both covers, these
racialized images lead to a larger racial act of harmful stereotypes about Black men being
violent, which in this case is compared to King Kong on the cover of World War I.
With the help of photography, diction, caption, and colors, VOUGE unintentionally reinforces
racial stereotypes and leads to a problematic look of masculinity and delicate feminity along
racial lines. While intended to celebrate athletism and body diversity, the cover had historical
connections that had negative connotations which made it a controversial magazine cover.
