Black People Smile Like This
When Vogue put LeBron James on the cover it was innovative: a black man on the cover of a magazine aimed at rich, white women? Anna Wintour's still got it. But now, the fallout. Didn't LeBron James sort of look like King-Kong? And why does that pretty white girl looked so scared? Oh no, racial stereotypes being reinforced on the cover of Vogue, a place normally dedicated to reinforcing an unattainable ideal of beauty. And it gets worse: James's mouth was agape, just like Jennifer Hudson's was on the March cover. Controversy!
These magazines are just playing into the stereotype of black people opening their mouths all wide. And so soon after after Bill O'Reilly taught us that "there wasn't any kind of craziness" at all at a Harlem soul food spot.
Of course, an open mouth pose is not a trick to eliminate a double chin. It can only mean one thing: sex. Scary and dangerous black people sex. As Emil Wilbekin, editor of Giant, which often features black women with open mouths on its cover, says, "that raises my eyebrow as to how African-Americans are portrayed on mainstream magazine covers. You would not show Charlize Theron or Scarlett Johansson screaming."
Indeed, white actresses Charlize Theron or Scarlett Johansson would never be shot with their mouths open in a sexual way. Never, never.
Maybe these covers are chosen, subconsciously, because of their vague resemblance to classically racist imagery. And that's totally f'ed. But also totally f'ed: smart people wasting their time with Vogue.