LeBron James is the first ever African-American male to appear on the cover of US Vogue. He is the coverstar alongside Gisele Bündchen, in a Calvin Klein dress, on the April issue of Vogue US, but the image has faced criticism due to the pose of James. The cover shot by Annie Leibovitz has been compared to King Kong sweeping away a helpless damsel (although Gisele looks like she's having fun rather than being terrified). 
James has issued a statement defended the cover telling the Sunday's Cleveland Plain Dealer, "The Shape Issue celebrates athleticism from start to finish. LeBron is on the cover with Gisele because he is a basketball star and he was photographed in that spirit. We think LeBron and Gisele look amazing together on the cover."
WWD interviewed several African-American editors who were more critical. Men's Fitness editor in chief Roy Johnson, for example, argued,
"It's a reminder that as African-Americans, we have come very far to have an African-American male featured on the cover of Vogue, but we have very far to go to continue to educate people within our industry regarding the power of images and the potential impact they can have on their readers."
How do you feel about the cover?
St Kilda
I think it's a very awkward looking picture, surely they had better shots?
1The only reason this is an issue is because people want it to be an issue. i thought it looked a little awkward too, but people are making a big deal out of nothing. They look good together.
2He doesn't look like he is in an ape-like stance to me; he's a basketball player - so that's what he is doing.
the only thing that bothers me about this cover is that very ugly dress gisele is wearing. it looks photoshopped or someting.
3other than that, i think its a great picture, and shows the contrast between the "stamina" and very muscular body of the athlete (black or white) and the model, also very fit, but leaner and more gracious (black or white).
i think they are just making a big deal out of it...
Interesting topic. I immediately felt uncomfortable when I saw this cover — as though it was mimicking something, but I couldn't put my finger on it. When someone mentioned King Kong, I thought, "Yep, that's it." Whether it was intentional or not, the photo touches on some ugly beliefs about black men. Vogue's editors would have been much smarter to go with the more subdued shot, or an equally energetic but less charged image.
4It's the usual PC nonsense.
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