# Racist all white Vanity Fair Cover? **URL:** \ **Category:** Great Debates\ **Created:** [February 5, 2010, 6:22pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/racist-all-white-vanity-fair-cover/527820 "2010-02-05T18:22:10Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 4
**Author:** ![MrDibble](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mrdibble/32/114_2.png) [@MrDibble](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/MrDibble)\ **Post date:** [February 6, 2010, 8:03am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/racist-all-white-vanity-fair-cover/527820/61 "2010-02-06T08:03:57Z")
My bolding > [@2ply](#): > > I think omitting 26 year old Gabourey Sidibe had way more to do with her being overweight than black. I mean, she is up for an Oscar this year, so she’s **more up and coming than any of the women** in that photo. Carey Mulligan’s also up for an Oscar. ---
**Author:** ![MrDibble](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mrdibble/32/114_2.png) [@MrDibble](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/MrDibble)\ **Post date:** [February 6, 2010, 8:07am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/racist-all-white-vanity-fair-cover/527820/62 "2010-02-06T08:07:37Z")
> [@Death\_of\_Rats](#): > > The biggest hit to Gabourey Sidibe is that she has had one good performance in one movie. Not enough of a track record yet to call her an “up and coming” star. She has the acting chops, so if she can get a few more roles under her belt I think she would be a good choice for a future list. Let’s be honest - she’s \*never \*going to be a star in Hollywood. I doubt she gets more than 1-2 big movies, if that. ---
**Author:** ![DWMarch](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/dwmarch/32/1010_2.png) [@DWMarch](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DWMarch)\ **Post date:** [February 6, 2010, 8:56am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/racist-all-white-vanity-fair-cover/527820/63 "2010-02-06T08:56:35Z")
Getting back to Zoe Saldana for a minute, I’d argue that she’s not up and coming. Rather, she’s made it. Two huge movie franchises that are going to make billions more dollars with their inevitable train of sequels. One of these movies has broken all box office records of everything, ever. There’s not really much more “up” beyond that! ---
**Author:** ![monstro](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/ba9def/32.png) [@monstro](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/monstro)\ **Post date:** [February 6, 2010, 3:19pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/racist-all-white-vanity-fair-cover/527820/64 "2010-02-06T15:19:57Z")
Zoe might have been up-and-coming when she starred in “Drumline” and “Guess Who”, but now those VF girls aren’t in the same league that she is in. What’s unfortunate is that she’s just now being recognized by the mainstream. She’s been acting for some time now. Which is my beef with the treatment of many non-white actresses. It takes being in a gazillion movies before they are deemed as successes and make it on anyone’s magazine cover (except for “Ebony”, “Jet”, or “Essence”, if you’re black). And then they are trumped out as “new”, when really they aren’t. What immediately comes to mind is Jurnee Smollet, the little girl who starred in “Eve’s Bayou”, a wonderful flick. She had also had small bit parts like the one she played in “Jack”, and frequently appeared on TV (her and her sibs even had their own short-lived show). She also had a major role in the movie “Roll Bounce”, which VH1 airs just about every week it seems. But once she starred in “The Great Debaters” with Denzel Washington, she was suddenly “up and coming”. Oprah “introduced” her on her show in such a way that you’d never guess she’d ever graced the big screen before. It irritated me tremenduously. In contrast, everyone knew Dakota Fanning’s name after she was only in “War of the Worlds”, and her part was the most annoying in movie history. I don’t think VF or any other “mainstream” magazine would ever have very many non-white actors on an “up-and-coming” cover. Why? Because non-whites get their starts primarily in movies that white people don’t watch in huge numbers. So off the bat, they’re at an disadvantage. Is it racism? I think it’s something when people only watch or think about movies that feature people who look like them, but I’m not sure if racism is the right word. Biased is better. The VF cover exemplifies a bias towards white folks’ entertainment and their players. It’s problematic because it only exacerbates the problems non-white actors face getting parts in mainstream movies. ---
**Author:** ![ShibbOleth](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/848f3c/32.png) [@ShibbOleth](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ShibbOleth)\ **Post date:** [February 6, 2010, 3:52pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/racist-all-white-vanity-fair-cover/527820/65 "2010-02-06T15:52:58Z")
[Jurnee Smollet is also stunningly beautiful.](http://newsblaze.com/pix/2008/0101/pix/jurnee.jpg) In fairness, Dakota Fanning also had about 20 acting credits prior to War of the Worlds, although I’m not sure I could pick her out of a line up of typical Hollywood starlets myself. ---
**Author:** ![Broomstick](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/broomstick/32/246_2.png) [@Broomstick](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Broomstick)\ **Post date:** [February 6, 2010, 4:34pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/racist-all-white-vanity-fair-cover/527820/66 "2010-02-06T16:34:15Z")
When I was studying the arts for my college degree I heard a saying: “Every overnight success is proceeded by years and years of hard work”. I think it’s unappreciated just how many years people work at acting before being declared “new” or “up and coming”. This spills over into music, where “best new artist of the year” might have been playing in bars for a decade or two prior to getting an award for their craft, and really all the other arts. ---
**Author:** ![you\_with\_the\_face](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/y/ecccb3/32.png) [@you\_with\_the\_face](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/you_with_the_face)\ **Post date:** [February 6, 2010, 7:44pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/racist-all-white-vanity-fair-cover/527820/67 "2010-02-06T19:44:30Z")
Whether the cover is racist is or not\*, it signals a bothersome pattern that unfortunately isn’t new at all. It should not be surprising that all these starlets are white. Most if not all big name Hollywood actors are white. Same goes for TV. In the US, whites are fast becoming the minority. There are now more Latinos here than blacks. Asian-Americans (including those of Indian descent) are present in abundant numbers as well. But you would never really know that by looking at our movies. I honestly can’t name any black male actors who are truly up and coming. Makes me wonder who will be the next Denzel, Will Smith, or Morgan Freeman five to ten years from now, if they aren’t getting those entry level roles now. Black females? Zoe Saldana and Paula Patton are the only names that come to mind when I think of black actresses rising to stardom. Today it does seem like its harder for black actors and actresses to get a break than it was in years past. Making it big in the music industry seems to be a prequisite before they are allowed to crossover into Hollywood, or so it seems. What accounts for this apparent trend? I don’t know. I would have thought that Hollywood would have become more diverse, no less, with the passage of time…and maybe it is and I’m just not paying attention. But it certainly doesn’t seem like it is when you see that VF cover. ETA: This board needs to evolve past debating what terms to call something, because it makes us look stuck on stupid. A rose is a rose whether you call it racist or not. Seriously, it’s like arguing over whether fingering someone counts as sex or heavy petting. Who gives a fuck except the person hung up on being a technical virgin? ---
**Author:** ![you\_with\_the\_face](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/y/ecccb3/32.png) [@you\_with\_the\_face](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/you_with_the_face)\ **Post date:** [February 6, 2010, 8:01pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/racist-all-white-vanity-fair-cover/527820/68 "2010-02-06T20:01:06Z")
> [@Jimmy\_Chitwood](#): > > If the default for a leading lady is white, and you have to actually “think about going” any different direction, at what point is it fair to call that institutionalized racism? Especially when you have to “think about going black” to consider Vanessa “almost too light to pass as an octoroon” Williams. If casting her required such a paradigm shift, it makes you wonder about the hurdles darker skinned actresses have to face. ---
**Author:** ![ShibbOleth](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/848f3c/32.png) [@ShibbOleth](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ShibbOleth)\ **Post date:** [February 6, 2010, 10:25pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/racist-all-white-vanity-fair-cover/527820/69 "2010-02-06T22:25:32Z")
> [@you\_with\_the\_face](#): > > In the US, whites are fast becoming the minority. There are now more Latinos here than blacks. Asian-Americans (including those of Indian descent) are present in abundant numbers as well. But you would never really know that by looking at our movies. FWIW, many Latinos self-identify as white. Whites are not fact becoming the minority, but the majority of people who self-identify as “white only” is dwindling rapidly. Eventually in our mixed ethnic society these distinctions will become meaningless. ---
**Author:** ![CarolineJean](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/c5a1d2/32.png) [@CarolineJean](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/CarolineJean)\ **Post date:** [February 6, 2010, 10:30pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/racist-all-white-vanity-fair-cover/527820/70 "2010-02-06T22:30:41Z")
This being Black History month, I would like to ask why there is no celebration for Asian, Hispanic, Russian, Indian, Navtive American etc… Why is it just Black History month. I would also like to ask why we have the United Negro College fund, what about “ALL CHILDREN” college fund. And you are worried about the cover of Vanity Fair??? What is “fair” about that? ---
**Author:** ![monstro](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/ba9def/32.png) [@monstro](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/monstro)\ **Post date:** [February 6, 2010, 10:35pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/racist-all-white-vanity-fair-cover/527820/71 "2010-02-06T22:35:34Z")
:sigh: ---
**Author:** ![wonky](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/wonky/32/393_2.png) [@wonky](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/wonky)\ **Post date:** [February 6, 2010, 10:50pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/racist-all-white-vanity-fair-cover/527820/72 "2010-02-06T22:50:01Z")
> [@CarolineJean](#): > > This being Black History month, I would like to ask why there is no celebration for Asian, Hispanic, Russian, Indian, Navtive American etc… Why is it just Black History month. I would also like to ask why we have the United Negro College fund, what about “ALL CHILDREN” college fund. And you are worried about the cover of Vanity Fair??? What is “fair” about that? A mind really is a terrible thing to waste. ---
**Author:** ![Jimmy\_Chitwood](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/f475e1/32.png) [@Jimmy\_Chitwood](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Jimmy_Chitwood)\ **Post date:** [February 6, 2010, 10:56pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/racist-all-white-vanity-fair-cover/527820/73 "2010-02-06T22:56:31Z")
> [@CarolineJean](#): > > This being Black History month, I would like to ask why there is no celebration for Asian, Hispanic, Russian, Indian, Navtive American etc… Why is it just Black History month. I would also like to ask why we have the United Negro College fund, what about “ALL CHILDREN” college fund. And you are worried about the cover of Vanity Fair??? What is “fair” about that? No, these are great questions. Here are the answers. Asian-Pacific Heritage Month is in May. November was Native American Heritage month in 2009, and by presidential proclamation November 27 was Native American Heritage day. Hispanic Heritage Month was first recognized, but not as an entire month, in 1968, and has since been stretched from September 15 to October 15. I’m not aware of a Russian Heritage month, but there are plenty of festivals I could point you to if you’re especially interested in the Russkis. There are plenty of ALL CHILDREN college funding programs. Welcome to the boards! ---
**Author:** ![Boyo\_Jim](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/87869e/32.png) [@Boyo\_Jim](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Boyo_Jim)\ **Post date:** [February 6, 2010, 11:01pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/racist-all-white-vanity-fair-cover/527820/74 "2010-02-06T23:01:36Z")
> [@ShibbOleth](#): > > …Eventually in our mixed ethnic society these distinctions will become meaningless. Except possibly to Vanity Fair. 😛 ---
**Author:** ![Kolga](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/e56c9b/32.png) [@Kolga](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Kolga)\ **Post date:** [February 6, 2010, 11:01pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/racist-all-white-vanity-fair-cover/527820/75 "2010-02-06T23:01:39Z")
> [@Jimmy\_Chitwood](#): > > No, these are great questions. Here are the answers. Asian-Pacific Heritage Month is in May. November was Native American Heritage month in 2009, and by presidential proclamation November 27 was Native American Heritage day. Hispanic Heritage Month was first recognized, but not as an entire month, in 1968, and has since been stretched from September 15 to October 15. I’m not aware of a Russian Heritage month, but there are plenty of festivals I could point you to if you’re especially interested in the Russkis. > > There are plenty of ALL CHILDREN college funding programs. > > Welcome to the boards! Great answers! But when is White Heritage Month? ---
**Author:** ![Jimmy\_Chitwood](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/f475e1/32.png) [@Jimmy\_Chitwood](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Jimmy_Chitwood)\ **Post date:** [February 6, 2010, 11:08pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/racist-all-white-vanity-fair-cover/527820/76 "2010-02-06T23:08:51Z")
Some day our time will come. ---
**Author:** ![Kolga](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/e56c9b/32.png) [@Kolga](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Kolga)\ **Post date:** [February 6, 2010, 11:12pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/racist-all-white-vanity-fair-cover/527820/77 "2010-02-06T23:12:08Z")
> [@Jimmy\_Chitwood](#): > > Some day our time will come. It is difficult to wait out such oppression, but we shall overcome, some day. ---
**Author:** ![Carmady](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/f04885/32.png) [@Carmady](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Carmady)\ **Post date:** [February 6, 2010, 11:22pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/racist-all-white-vanity-fair-cover/527820/78 "2010-02-06T23:22:13Z")
It sounds silly, but yeah, they should have included a token non-white actress. Even if none fit the qualifications (due to Hollywood itself not being non-white-friendly). It is similar to the rule about sports teams having to interview a token non-white candidate for a coaching job, even if they already know who they are going to hire. Both seem meaningless, but they aren’t quite. You have to keep putting the idea out there of non-whites in positions they aren’t traditionally successful in. Even if it is just tokenism at first. I think opportunities are actually decreasing in some ways for non-white actors and actresses, partly because of the idea that racism is defeated, so we don’t need tokenism, but then without that the idea of a non-white in a role is never even thought of. ---
**Author:** ![needscoffee](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/needscoffee/32/1076_2.png) [@needscoffee](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/needscoffee)\ **Post date:** [February 7, 2010, 12:23am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/racist-all-white-vanity-fair-cover/527820/79 "2010-02-07T00:23:40Z")
> [@Mean\_Mr.Mustard](#): > > My point, which apparently zoomed over your head, is that my post was a joke poking fun at Oprah for sticking her mug on the cover of her own magazine repeatedly. It tied in with the discussion of decisions made regarding cover model choices. > > You did see the big green smiley-guy, didn’t you? > > So lighten up, _Girlfriend_. 🙂 I gave it a 10! ---
**Author:** ![Waenara](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/50afbb/32.png) [@Waenara](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Waenara)\ **Post date:** [February 7, 2010, 12:34am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/racist-all-white-vanity-fair-cover/527820/80 "2010-02-07T00:34:53Z")
> [@Broomstick](#): > > It’s not that this ONE photo shoot happens to have no non-whites – it’s that 10 pages of _Vanity Fair_ covers on Google and there are NO non-white women _anywhere_ on _any_ of their covers. Seriously, there has NEVER been a non-white woman worthy of gracing their cover _ever?_ Maybe there has been - I’m not a regular reader - but like I said, 10 pages on a Google search and no sign of one. That’s a little… odd to my mind. I did a Google image search for _Vanity Fair cover_ and within four pages of results I found the [cover with Zoe Saldana on page 3](http://www.watchinguglybetty.com/wp-content/uploads/cusl14_hollywood_covers0803.jpg), a [cover with a bunch of teen stars, including a non-white girl I don’t recognize, on page 4](http://www.fashionista.com/images/entries/vf%20cover.jpg), and a [cover with Iman and Alicia Keys on page 4](http://www.netweed.com/prohiphop/graf/vanityfairaliciakeys.jpg). It definitely seems like the search results show a majority of covers with white people, but there are also some non-whites. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/racist-all-white-vanity-fair-cover/527820.md?page=3) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/racist-all-white-vanity-fair-cover/527820.md?page=5)