Pages

Wednesday, November 20, 2013

The Sexiest "White Man" Alive For People Magazine!

adam levine
Maroon 5 frontman and reality star Adam Levine makes the cover of People Magazine's Most Sexiest Man. But you notice that men of color haven't been nominated since 1996.

I hate pop culture. I hate tabloids. I hate People Magazine. 

I hate hearing about celebrities getting married. 

I hate hearing about actresses or women in the news getting pregnant. 

I hate hearing about actors going from lover to lover. 

I hate hearing about actresses showing off their new hairstyles.

I hate hearing about celebrities who make their "coming out" parties a tabloid event. 

I hate hearing about celebrities and their personal drug problems.

I hate hearing about celebrities making their love lives the public's business. 

I don't care about this stuff.

When I picked up a People Magazine, I usually check out the magazine for some of the attention grabbing stories. Usually I pick it up when it talks about a hot teacher or an attractive actress who caught my eye.

But one thing I've often ignored was the Sexiest Man covers. I didn't care for them. I am not interested in these magazine covers of flaunting men. But as they continue to release another year of the most Sexiest Man, I happen to see more White men and not men of color on the front page.

Today, I will address this! Look at this list from Wikipedia:
YearChoiceAgeNotes
February 4, 1985Mel Gibson  29First person chosen and then an Australian citizen.
January 27, 1986Mark Harmon[16]  34
March 30, 1987Harry Hamlin  35
September 12, 1988John F. Kennedy, Jr.  27Longest gap between selections: 18 months. Only non-actor to win. First member to have since died (1999). Youngest winner.
December 16, 1989Sean Connery  59Oldest person to win the title. First winner to have portrayed James Bond. First Scottish winner.
July 23, 1990Tom Cruise  28
July 22, 1991Patrick Swayze  38Second member to have since died (2009).
March 16, 1992Nick Nolte  51
October 19, 1993Richard Gere
Cindy Crawford
  44
  27
People took a one-year hiatus from Sexiest Man and instead awarded Sexiest Couple.
January 30, 1995Brad Pitt  31First of two awards.
July 29, 1996Denzel Washington  41First African American winner.
November 17, 1997George Clooney  36First of two awards.
November 16, 1998Harrison Ford  56
November 15, 1999Richard Gere  50First two-time winner.
November 13, 2000Brad Pitt  36First two-time solo winner.
November 26, 2001Pierce Brosnan  48Second winner to have portrayed James Bond. First Irish winner.
December 2, 2002Ben Affleck  30
December 1, 2003Johnny Depp  40First of two awards.
November 29, 2004Jude Law  31First English winner
November 28, 2005Matthew McConaughey  36
November 27, 2006George Clooney  45Second win.
November 26, 2007Matt Damon  37
November 25, 2008Hugh Jackman  40Second Australian winner.
November 18, 2009Johnny Depp  46Second win.
November 17, 2010Ryan Reynolds  34First Canadian winner.
November 16, 2011Bradley Cooper[17]  36
November 14, 2012Channing Tatum[18]  32
November 19, 2013Adam Levine[19]  34
The only person of color to be nominated for the Sexiest Man in People was Denzel Washington in 1996.

That's over 17 years ago.

No, I don't disqualify Adam Levine for his cover. He's a very talented singer, producer and reality star.

But the point of the matter is simple: Why hasn't People Magazine put a man of color as The Sexiest Man?

Is there's something I'm missing here?

This was covered by The Daily Beast just last year.

Tricia Romano wrote that People Magazine for the last five years ignored people of color for the Sexiest Man Alive cover. There has been an African-American president (who, if he were a Hollywood hunk, should surely have topped the list), it seems preposterous that no other men of color have been picked as the winner. In 2008, square-jawed Aussie, Hugh Jackman took the top honor. In 2009, Johnny Depp and his rotting teeth were selected for a second time. Last year, nobody’s favorite, Bradley Cooper, walked away (shirtless) with the crown. And the year before, perhaps in anticipation of the release of Green Lantern (which bombed), Ryan Reynolds was bestowed this dubious honor. Call it the Sexiest Milquetoast Man Alive.

Where are the Blair Underwoods, the Taye Diggses, the Morris Chestnuts? The Terrence Howards, the Jesse Williamses, the Idris Elbas?

Well, they are inside, scattered throughout like chocolate sprinkles on a vanilla ice cream cone. And if you believe People magazine’s official line, it is what’s inside that counts.

A representative for the magazine wrote, in part, via email: “People Magazine is sensitive to representing people of color in its pages; our Sexiest Man Alive issue is no exception. Every section in this year’s issue includes a diverse group of men.”

How diverse? In recent years, men like LL Cool J, Eddie Cibrian, Usher, Drake, Vin Diesel, John Cho, and Mario Lopez have been featured.

Brett R. Johnson, associate editor of the website The Root wasn't surprised by the magazine’s stance. “That response is expected,” he wrote via email. “They can’t come out and say black men don’t sell magazine covers.”

Though there are some sports celebrities, like David Beckham, most of the picks skew toward Hollywood. There are very few music celebrities—and then, those picks tend toward teen dreams like Justin Bieber or the Jonas Brothers. If the magazine featured more men from sports and music—they might have had a choice of a few more men of color big enough to push cover stand sales. Kanye West, Kobe Bryant, or Michael Jordan during their primes would have been fine cover stars.

A rep for People explained: "The cover subject is chosen solely on the following criteria: Is he hot at the moment? Is he sexy? Is his career on fire this year?"

Or to put it more clearly: there are no men of color to put on the cover because there are no leading men of color, save Washington and Will Smith.

“They’re pretty much the only black men who Hollywood deems worthy of being able to carry a big-budget movie as its lead,” said Johnson. “Other top black actors such as Samuel L. Jackson, Morgan Freeman, and Laurence Fishburne do consistently great work but they’re rarely regarded as get-the-girl-type leading men—or perhaps more likely they just don’t fit People’s definition of sexy.”

Here's the list of People's Most Beautiful:


I see that at least Halle Berry, Jennifer Lopez and Beyonce were covered in People's Most Beautiful Woman issues. I'm just wondering if Kerry Washington is going to be on there?

What's your opinion on the matter?

Beyonce appears on Sony Music Group.

Adam Levine appears on A&M Octone Records/Interscope Records.

1 comment:

  1. Thank you for bringing this to my attention. There are plenty of talented, sexy, and handsome Men of Color. There are Will Smith, Chris Brown, Kanye West, President Obama, Don Lemon, Samuel L. Jackson, Vin Diesel, etc., they put White men as being the handsomest men on the earth, denying Men of Color a place to be on the cover of People magazine. The magazine ought to be ashamed of itself. Men of Color are people too!

    Same thing with Women of Color, although they put Beyonce, Halle, and JLO on its covers for the past 27 years, despite having Michelle Obama as America's First Lady, White women are still the standard of beauty in America.

    S.Baldwin

    ReplyDelete