Despite positive messages that they originally try to deliver on the magazine's cover, these stars' appearances on the front page of a publication eventually backfire and spark debate.
- November 22, 2020
AceShowbiz - LeBron James and Gisele Bundchen's appearance on Vogue's cover in 2008 gained attention not only due to the unlikely combo, but also because of how the athlete was portrayed in it. At the time, the NBA star made history as the first black man to be featured on its cover, but the tableau in which he and the model and were portrayed caused the world to think twice about the publication's morals and intentions.
The Los Angeles Lakers player was pictured with his face in an "ape-like" growl while he bounced a basketball with one hand and held the waist of Gisele with the other. The image was much too resemblance of the famous image of King Kong clutching actress Fay Wray in the 1933 movie, sparking criticism that it perpetuated stereotypes about black men as the movie shows a gorilla's obsession with a blonde actress. The magazine made no official statement in regards to the uproar, leaving critics debating whether it was the publication's deliberate intention or not to provoke racist imagery.
