GQ forgets to mention first African-American model cover at Racialicious

GQ forgets to mention first African-American model cover

by guest contributor Wayne Boothe

Anyone pick up the latest issue of GQ Magazine? The letters to the editor page in this month’s issue was interesting (Bill Clinton, Kanye West, Daniel Craig cover).

Recently, GQ magazine published a special issue celebrating their 50th anniversary and marking fifty years of change in the world of men’s style and culture.

Several readers wrote to the magazine in response to an omission, wondering why one man’s story was not mentioned. In November 1979, Renauld White was the first African-American model to appear on the cover of GQ magazine (though Swiss-born Urs Althaus appeared on the cover in 1977).

While the anniversary issue of GQ magazine does briefly acknowledge Sammy Davis Jr. as the first black celebrity to grace the cover and does include other celebrities of color–from Omar Sharif to Jackie Chan–the stories of Renauld White and Urs Althaus were not included. Where were they? Were they ignored–or forgotten?

The editors decided to respond to the letters and included a conversation they had with Renauld White in which they admit to messing up. I’d say that’s a fair assessment; good for them for admitting their mistake. Sexuality, the arts, sports, technology and more were discussed in the anniversary issue, as well as how these concerns have affected men’s lifestyles over the last 50 Years. GQ magazine missed an opportunity to discuss aspects of cultural diversity in the world of style–including the cultural diversity of those working in the industry.

I would not accuse GQ magazine of being completely color blind as many people of color have appeared on the cover over the years and models of different color are included in the columns and features of their magazine. However, I do wonder if they’re at all aware of the cultural makeup of their readership.

Throughout the article and conversation with Mr. White pride and belonging was brought up more than once. This subscriber (and person of color) loves the “look sharp/live smart” lifestyle, takes pride in how he chooses to represent himself in his world, and appreciates the style of others around him.

GQ Magazine, do you know that I’m out here?

Trackbacks & Pings

GQ Needs A Lesson In Its Own History / Stereohyped on 07 Dec 2007 at 2:13 pm

[…] of his formidable mustache alone, Renauld White seems pretty unforgettable. Shame on you, GQ! [Racialicous] Dec 7, 2007 · Link · Respond Related Posts • 11.20.07: Kanye West Doesn’t […]

Comments

Brotheromi wrote:

i learn something new every day…
thanks

Posted 07 Dec 2007 at 8:46 am ¶
Neil wrote:

merely gazing upon a moustache that olympian, makes me feel emasculated… and i can grow a pretty mean moustache!

Posted 07 Dec 2007 at 10:20 am ¶
WWD wrote:

Thought this might be relevant to the discussion:

From Women’s Wear Daily, September 20, 2007

THE SEVENTIES WERE IT: There were better-known names at the GQ 50th anniversary party Tuesday — Kanye West, Jay-Z and Beyoncé, Diddy — but a cluster of men known more for their faces and physiques could lay claim to greater influence, at least in the magazine. They were the models who appeared in the magazine in the Seventies and Eighties, mostly in early photos by Bruce Weber that have had a lasting aesthetic impact. As detailed in a story in the October GQ by David Kamp, models like Jeff Aquilon and Michael Ives were discovered by the magazine and emerged as gay icons. And Renauld White, also in attendance, was one of the first black models to appear on the cover. (Sammy Davis Jr. was the first black man, in 1967, and the magazine continues to have a significant African American readership. “I sometimes hear people say it like it’s a secret,” said editor in chief Jim Nelson. “Art Cooper knew that, I know that, and we celebrate it.” Indeed, the party’s biggest names were African-American musician-moguls and athletes.)

Though many players in Kamp’s story about the Seventies GQ sensibility were lost to AIDS — including Seventies-era GQ art directors Harry Coulianos and Donald Sterzin — their influence endures.

Said Nelson, “I heard whispers of this when I first got the job [as editor in chief] and went to Milan to meet with designers like Tom Ford and Marc Jacobs — people would talk about the Seventies era of GQ as the secretly influential years. It was a more marginal magazine then, before Art Cooper made it a mainstream, successful juggernaut.”

He continued, “It changed the visual iconography. People now are used to seeing sexy, even homoerotic images on billboards, and I think that’s a great thing. It’s liberating and allows everyone to celebrate physical beauty without hang-ups.” Kamp finds that heritage today in Abercrombie & Fitch catalogues and Calvin Klein billboards.

Elsewhere in the issue, a retrospective debunks the magazine’s 1991 claim that Julia Roberts was the first woman to appear on the cover, an achievement actually of Carol Channing’s. “We repressed it,” joked Nelson. “[Art Cooper] had so refashioned the magazine in his image to be so masculine, and he might not even have looked back. It [Roberts’ cover] just seemed like it was the first woman.” — I.C.

Posted 07 Dec 2007 at 4:28 pm ¶
deb wrote:

I remember him as a model. I’ve seen him a couple of times in Manhattan and on the subway. Once, me and my sister where in Macy’s on 34th St., and chatted with him.

Anyway, what a dis. It’s good that GQ owned up.

Posted 07 Dec 2007 at 7:26 pm ¶
Jessica wrote:

I don’t know if you’ve seen this:

http://youtube.com/watch?v=uGnTW8EhGSk

But if someone doesn’t write an article about how racist it is, I think I’m gonna hafta.

It’s as bad as hot pockets.

Posted 08 Dec 2007 at 12:24 am ¶
Gil Shick wrote:

Not an dis, but an obvious oversight as WWD’s piece proves.

When all other explanations are equal, I always trim my well-groomed ’stache with the simplest blade rather than choosing to slash at others with more complex models on the market that only deliver nicks, cuts, and bruises in the end. I come off looking better in the end.

Posted 09 Dec 2007 at 9:57 am ¶
Nezua wrote:

“mustache that olympian” for the win

Posted 09 Dec 2007 at 1:22 pm ¶
sharon wrote:

Thanks for that article, after seeing the cover with Mr. White I had forgotten about the brother myself. Whooo..that brought back some memories!!

Posted 20 Dec 2007 at 1:26 pm ¶
SHUGAHILLA wrote:

TOO LITTLE ………….AND WAAAAAAAAAAAY TOO LATE GQ!!!,,,,,,,SHAME ON YOU!!

Posted 05 Jan 2008 at 7:28 pm ¶
Geraldine I. Brown wrote:

What about Urs Althaus? Wasn’t he the first Black man to be on the cover in 1977. Yes, he is a Swiss man and I am a Swiss/Black woman who remembers. Shame on you GQ, shame on you.

Gera Brown

Posted 27 Jan 2008 at 12:46 am ¶
art williams III wrote:

GQ,how could you not mention RENAULD WHITE?he has graced so many billboards,magazine covers,etc,at a time when fashion statements were really just starting to evolve with black faces.how about getting a cover on our next president,and i don’t mean JOHN MCCAIN(NO STYLE)PS:could you send me a copy of the edition with mr WHITE …

Posted 26 Jul 2008 at 10:46 am ¶