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Actor Djimon Hounsou in a Calvin Klein underwear billboard in Hong Kong.
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Commentary: Photos of black subjects covered with controversy

Commentary: Photos of black subjects covered with controversy

The cover of Vogue's April issue featuring black superathlete LeBron James posing with white supermodel Gisele Bundchen has stirred controversy recently because some people believe it resembles the image of actress Fay Wray trapped in the grip of King Kong.

At the same time, thousands of miles away, a billboard of musclebound, ebony-skinned actor-model Djimon Hounsou in Calvin Klein briefs blankets the side of a 27-story building overlooking Victoria Harbour in Hong Kong.

Both images are somewhat controversial. Fashion and fashion photography have a penchant for being provocative, even without the political baggage of gender and race.

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And given the complicated history of how America has encountered black male sexuality, it's hard to say whether the two images represent celebration or objectification.

The Calvin Klein billboard is notable as much for its location as its content. It's interesting that the fashion brand chose China -- a country generally not known for enlightened views of black people -- for such an in-your-face ad.

Fashion advertising is all about suggestion and aspiration, and the sign featuring Hounsou is no exception. It's the largest billboard ever created by Calvin Klein, and there's little doubt that brand executives -- Klein pioneered overtly sexual imagery in fashion ads -- are suggesting that Calvin Klein briefs will make Chinese men as sexually desirable as the model.

Or, perhaps the image is so far removed from the mainstream of Chinese culture that it is perceived merely as exotic art. So foreign -- perhaps even alien -- that the model is somehow dehumanized as nothing more than a hulking black thing in a bulging white loincloth.

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But for now, it's the Vogue cover that has sparked water cooler and blog debates. For some, it conjures one of the most enduring images of the original "King Kong" motion picture of 1933: a lovely white damsel in distress at the mercy of an oversized gorilla gone ape.

But there's a similar comparison even more disturbing. The Vogue cover shot by Annie Leibovitz bears an uncanny resemblance to a World War I-era Army recruitment poster.

Considered strictly on its merits, the Vogue cover picture is somewhat benign. While the women in the other two images are in clear distress, a smiling Bundchen appears to be having fun. She and James, who dribbles a basketball with one hand and whose face exhibits the same aggressiveness seen during games, are attired akin to the other athlete-model pairs featured inside. This is the annual shape issue, and it highlights the fact that fashion and sports photography are about energy and impact -- any statements about race or even gender are inferred.

But it's difficult for many to view the image in a vacuum, decontextualized and devoid of its cultural baggage. There's an obvious disconnect between Vogue editors and many in the real world, between those so immersed in the fantasy of fashion that they're unable to objectively critique an image and the millions of ordinary Americans who might catch a glimpse of the cover in a bookstore or beauty salon.

To understand criticism of the image, one has to evaluate it in the wider context of the old taboo of sexual relationships between black men and white women. Black and white intermarriage was illegal for much of U.S. history, and for most of that time blacks looked whites in the face at their own peril. Although white men were free to do with black women as they pleased during and after slavery without fear of repercussion, black men were lynched -- and their genitals often mutilated -- as late as the mid-1900s in some parts of this country for even daring to look at a white woman.

It's doubtful that Vogue editors intended to offend. To them, the first black male on the mag's cover is a sign of progress.

Some critics suggest that James should have been attired in a luxurious suit for the cover. Although he's known for his natty attire off the court, a dressy look would have made little sense. This is the annual shape issue that celebrates glorious physiques. His Nike attire is a necessary contrast to Bundchen's strapless Calvin Klein gown, and the photo complements the other athlete-model pairings in the cover story.

Yet, the controversial cover does raise at least three questions:

First, why weren't editors painstakingly careful about how they presented the first black man to appear on the publication's cover? Inside there were equally compelling alternatives that aren't offensive.

Second, is over-dramatization becoming a pattern with the tiny but growing number of black cover subjects? The last African American to appear on Vogue's cover was singer-actress Jennifer Hudson in March 2007. Her mouth was agape similar to James, and her skin is on the same dark side of brown.

Shades of black may mean nothing to others on a conscious level, but much of black America is still sensitive to race politics that historically stem from differences in complexions.

And third, was there anyone involved in the decision-making process who noted the racial overtones of the cover photo and its potential for negative public reaction? Unfortunately, either the answer is no or Vogue editors felt it was a risk worth taking.

First Published: April 1, 2008, 8:00 a.m.

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