Oh. My. God
http://l3.yimg.com/bt/api/res/1.2/K55OJZ_FFuIYixS47B6dFw--/YXBwaWQ9eW5ld3M7cT04NTt3PTYzMA--/
There aren't enough facepalms in the whole damn world. Heads need to ROLL at Sports Illustrated.
I cannot believe this is still happening in 2013. 2013!!!!!! This crap was tired and offensive in the 70s. For these people to still be doing it now is utterly inexcusable and well past the " but, we didn't know!" statute of limitations.
Glad to see people speaking out about this.
http://shine.yahoo.com/healthy-living/are-these-sports-illustrated-photos-offensive---164134203.html
"These photos depict people of color as exotic backdrops," David Leonard, Ph.D., Associate Professor in the Department of Critical Culture, Gender, and Race Studies at Washington State University, tells Yahoo! Shine. "As with beautiful oceans, picturesque trees, people of color are imagined as exotic, as novel, as foreign, as uncivilized and as a point of comparison for the civilized white beauties scantily clad in bathing suits. Beyond functioning as props, as scenery to authenticate their third world adventures, people of color are imagined as servants, as the loyal helpers, as existing for white western pleasure, amusement, and enjoyment."
... Evelyn Hu-DeHart, Professor of History and Ethnic Studies, Director, Center for the Study of Race and Ethnicity in America (CSREA) at Brown University tells Yahoo! Shine: "It's understandable why some would find these photos disturbing. The juxtaposition of scantily-clad white, modern, cosmopolitan and western woman against natives, animals, exotic scenery, primitives (African native), traditionals (Chinese fisherman; ethnic minority girls in China);
I am absolutely stunned. Between crap like this; the number of tv shows and movies that in 2013 still seem perfectly fine without having a single brown face on screen; the fact that Vanity Fair (and other mags) can go YEARS between black faces on their cover; and the fever pitch frenzy from some people over Beyonce's performance at the Superbowl, I understand more than ever why blacks folks had our own media.
= new reply since forum marked as read
shows that some people are just completely devoid of creativity.
Having a biking-clad white chick holding a spear next to a black guy in the desert? And these people actually get paid to come up with this foolishness.
This type of thing has been done forever. The "white girl travels the world" angle with exotic extras by way of people in the background or in many cases, actually SERVING the white woman that is always supposed to be the center of your attention.
Meanwhile black, Asian, Hispanic models/actresses etc. are minimized or ignored altogether - even in the countries that are being represented by the white models. Hell, even when creating periodicals for NON-WESTERN AUDIENCES, the "fashion" and "beauty" world always make a point of reminding the world that there is one, ONE standard of beauty as far as their narrow perspectives can see.
Hence the inaugural issue of Vogue India - 
the way the cover was presented, only three women made the actual cover (non-folded bit) and the blonde was smack dab in the middle.
Inaugural issue of Vogue China - 
Same issue as before - blonde smack dab in the middle of the cover of a magazine geared to Chinese women.
Ask yourself this -- would the inaugural issue of Vogue Australia or Vogue Sweden or whatever have a non-Australian or Swedish woman on it, particularly a non-Swedish woman with melanin? Nyet. But somehow, it is perfectly acceptable for them to put a blue-eyed blonde Australian woman on the cover of these magazines aimed at a previously ignored demographic despite the fact that these countries are home to some of the most stunningly beautiful women in the world.
Here is a great article to read on Racism in the Fashion world - http://www.complex.com/style/2012/09/a-history-of-racism-in-fashion/
I'm sure this tacky, tasteless Sports Illustrated will soon be added to the list.
But I didn't want to say it. 
Lots of pretty models in the world -- she ain't one of them.
And I agree with every word of your post but especially this bit -- There is no need to bring an honored culture into the mix as a prop. If anything, that woman is the prop, as everything else in that picture is legitimate for its location.
I'll try again.
Can you see this one? http://l3.yimg.com/bt/api/res/1.2/K55OJZ_FFuIYixS47B6dFw--/YXBwaWQ9eW5ld3M7cT04NTt3PTYzMA--/
or this one? 
It's their first date.....yeah, that's the ticket! They met on Match Dot Com!
How will I know you?
I'll wear a headband, loincloth, and carry a spear!
Great -- I'll do the same!
We'll meet by the third sand dune after the caravanserai, how's that?
Three o'clock--see ya there!!!
(Arriving at Date, pointing) Hey--you! Skinny thing? Are you my Match Dot Com date?
It's horrible. It's tone-deaf bullshit. It's wrong, and it seems like it's never-ending.
But then, there's no relationship between these emaciated caucasian ladies in scraps of clothing, and sports (illustrated or otherwise)...or reality, for that matter.
It's the 21st Century. You have to ask WHY this stuff is still going on? It's just stupid (and that's putting the "offensive" aspect aside).
I mean, really...
Oh Lordy....
But then, there's no relationship between these emaciated caucasian ladies in scraps of clothing, and sports
Nothing that even resembles a relationship. That's why I said in another post that we all know that the Swimsuit issue is sexist. It has always been sexist and probably will continue to be so until the women that pose in these things stop doing so.
But to add a big old dash of colonial-esque racial BS on TOP of the sexism is just too much. And I share your
because honestly, this whole thing is so stupid, absurd and devoid of all creativity and intelligence that the only thing you really can say is 
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Actual athletes, not emaciated "fashion" models, people who actually do things with their bodies other than starve them in swimsuits. And their bodies are absolutely AMAZING. Fit, healthy and gorgeous.
It always surprises white people in America to hear there is such a thing as a guy who is black in Africa who has a PHD.
Namely, Ardipithecus Ramidus.
He stared out at the National Museum of Ethiopia and received his graduate degree at Berkeley. From there he went on to become the curator of the Cleveland Museum of Natural History.
The man has an uncanny talent for spotting fossils. He can look at a field of gravel and pick out a part of a finger bone.
Thanks much for the link . . . *wanders off to check it out . . .*
enjoying the links and videos (love TedX) and now I've gotten a evening chuckle. Thanks for sharing that. 
Spent the last little bit wandering from place to place reading about Ardi - and her older sibling. Found the Smithsonian page with the interactive "identify the mystery skull" (very fun) and realized that I need to go back to school . . .
You've given me a pleasurable evening, thanks again.
Uh huh!
1966. And it was not a very good movie on top of it. Raquel Welch in One Million Years BC.
The photog must be channeling his inner objectification of women.
I agree . . . I need to wrap my head around it - a few issues . . .
The old
'the black men will rape the white women' meme
The abject sexism of SI
And for authenticity - they really couldn't find a SINGLE black 'super' model to make that sexist piece of crap even remotely believeable?
P.S.
Stillettos are vulgar - and I bet you if the camera panned down . . .
Yeah, we thought that meme had died out a couple of hundred years ago, right?
Wrong! 
?w=595
And this wasn't a Vogue cover from 1984 when there were still a handful of white people that could convincingly state they didn't know any better. This was from 2008. What, they couldn't find a suit to put the brother in? She's draped over his arm in a $600 dress and he looks like he just wandered off the basketball court? This is a "fashion editorial" that someone got paid to set up???? And I'm sure it's just a coincidence that it looks just like this image:
As for the sexism, we all know that the swimsuit edition is sexist. A throwback to a long gone era -- or so I'd like to think. But I guess being sexist wasn't enough. They decided they needed to throw in some extra strength industrial racial fuckwittery in to boot.
The "everyone wants our wimmens" angle is insultingly stupid (and not even close to being true) enough, but as I said upthread, it would be bad enough to see things like this if we knew that there would still be PLENTY of opportunities for black/Asian/Middle Eastern/Hispanic etc. women to be seen as gorgeous, strong women. But we know that this is most certainly NOT the case which makes the "white girl travels the world" editorials from uncreative, unimaginative dimwits at media enterprises such as Sports Illustrated that much more frustrating/maddening/disappointing.
Do you honestly think that people in this forum don't know who LeBron James is? Or understand what Vogue magazine is? Perhaps instead of busting in with that particular comment, you could have take a few minutes to actually read the discussion.
Thanks so much for your help. Maybe next thread you can tell us what the Internet is for! 
