Comments on: Jezebel Asks: Are These Images Racy or Racially Insensitive?

By: KG

KG — Thu, 29 Jul 2010 14:58:21 +0000

@JJ, word up! We’re getting a tad too comfortable here, art or not…

By: KG

KG — Thu, 29 Jul 2010 14:56:48 +0000

While yes, the picture is aesthetically pleasing, it’s disturbing as well. It personifies/implies the idea that Black men covet White women (one may also argue that art reflects life). Clearly, the photographer strategically placed Black men in this shot to provoke the types of conversations we’re having now. If such a popular photo exists with a prominent Black female model and White men, I’ve never seen it…

By: jes

jes — Sun, 10 May 2009 14:16:37 +0000

I can’t help but wonder if this may perpetuate the idea that African American men see white women as a prized possession. Particularly pictures 2/4 and 3/4. She’s adored. She’s lifted up. She’s admired … by many. I’m not sure if that was the intention … but with little girls practically killing themselves to be as thin as what they see in the magazines, these pictures can too add to the stereotype that white women are the ultimate depiction of beauty and any man of any color should be so lucky to have one.

By: NikeO

NikeO — Sun, 10 May 2009 00:47:48 +0000

The pictures aren’t racist. I tried to picture a black model with the black men, or white male models with Gisele and the pictures won’t have been as captivating.
Instead of thinking of them as racist, why can’t they be considered a celebration of color, contrast, sex, freedom, heat, etc…
I think too often, we hold our breaths waiting to find something to be offended by, and while there is a pleothera of things out there to protest over, this to me isn’t one of them.
The more important question, I think, is why our minds immediately go to race, mandigo, gang rape and all the other images presented here when we see a picture like this. Perhaps only when *we* are able to free our minds will we truly be free.

By: JJ

JJ — Sat, 09 May 2009 18:23:45 +0000

Theses pics are clearly racist. Very insensitive. It is in the old covert kind of, yet obvious way. Gisele does this stuff too much. It’s like the picture with the Black men grabbing her face? Are you serious? It’s so racist. “White woman in danger by BIG black men.” It also oversexualizes Black men, and places White women on this pedestal-again. Black men carrying a white woman to her throne. I mean this is clearly racist to me. When I saw it, I immediately said-Are they serious? Black men take these objectifying roles as ‘white women lovers’ and just run with it. Color contrast? Are you kidding? There is enough color contrast in the Black community to create a delicate artful picture with using a white woman as a token of femininity! Are you kidding?

And for people to say they don’t see this is insane? REALLY? I guess it’s true what Sojourner Truth said….”I could have freed more slaves, if only I convince them that they were slaves.” Damn.

By: Mikele

Mikele — Fri, 08 May 2009 23:30:26 +0000

Upon further investigation, take a look at her face versus his in the first pic… And her expression versus theirs in the second pic.. And, he has no face in the last pic. In none of these do I see them lusting after EACH OTHER.. Maybe I am holding on to stereotypes but I see what I see.

Good discussion! And chocolate! :)

By: LoudPen

LoudPen — Fri, 08 May 2009 21:49:44 +0000

The first pic is artistic, but, the rest are not. I’m like Joshua, I can’t understand how more people are not calling this out as racist. I mean a skinny white woman being carried off in a sexual manner by four humongous dark black men? Really? It’s mandingo all over again.

These pictures are epitome of the mandingo tale. The mandingo is the big, black man who is oversexed and he wants to take the pure white woman off to have passionate sex with her. Is that not what they are trying to show in these pictures?

I think the people that are not offended by these pics, don’t understand racism and the history of it. Also, they must not understand that the thing about modern racism is that it seeks to do racist things in passive aggressive ways. Therefore, with pics like this they make you think it’s just about beauty and art and the contrast of colors, but, if that were the case where’s the Black women, where are the Asian women, where are the Hispanic women?

And why aren’t these types of women being carried away by White men or Asian, or Hispanic men? All the models of color in the world and somehow all they could find to show color contrasts was another skinny white girl and four random body builder black men? I don’t believe them, they need more people.

By: Godiva

Godiva — Fri, 08 May 2009 21:41:25 +0000

Black Male Model love your comment as well