First there’s Barack Obama, the very first black person ever to run for the Democratic presidential nomination with a serious chance of winning. Even if he wins only a single caucus or primary, that will be huge. And if he gets the nomination he will make the history books and get himself more than a paragraph. I don’t even want to think how crazy things will get if he wins the presidency.
Oh, wait. Yes, yes, I do want to think about that. Niiiice! Not that I’ve made up my mind who I’m voting for–I haven’t. But Obama definitely makes the short list of candidates I’m taking a hard look at. It’s refreshing and exhilarating to see a black person making a serious challenge for the highest office in the land. It’s also cool to see Hillary Clinton, a woman, making a real run for the presidency.
But I digress. In addition to Obama–Tiger Woods, Will Smith and Denzel Washington have all made the cover of Men’s Vogue in its first year of publication. Twelve issues, four black men on the cover. Of Vogue. Ok, so it’s Men’s Vogue, not THE Vogue. But still. Did something happen while I was buried deep into my next novel?
The commonality that I see among all of these men–other than their African ancestry–is lots of cross-over appeal. They draw interest from a broad range of people of all colors. The question, though, is which came first? The cart or the horse? Is it because they are all so captivating (not to mention good-looking) that they generate such broad appeal among us? Or is it that nonblacks have become more open-minded (i.e., less racist) which has allowed these beautiful (and I’m not talking about just looks here) black men to shine?
Hmm, before we get all giddy, it’s good to remember that very few black women have ever graced the cover of the original Vogue–or any other top, nonblack, general interest magazine such as Vanity Fair for that matter. Which is puzzling to put it nicely. According to the most recent U.S. census, fully one-third of the U.S. population is nonwhite. You’d never know it when you flip through the pages of most magazines or turn on the television. I’d say it’s way past time for other publications and media to take a hint from Men’s Vogue and begin to reflect the truth that is America.
