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Esquire's Latest Cover Is Causing Controversy Online
The men's magazine profiled an average, white, middle class teen. During Black History Month. Who thought this was okay??
In case you missed it, men's lifestyle magazine Esquire released the cover story of their latest issue, and in it, they are profiling...an average, white, American teen.
\u201cBecause you know what we don\u2019t discuss nearly enough? The white male experience. \ud83e\udd26\ud83c\udffe\u200d\u2640\ufe0f\u201d— Jemele Hill (@Jemele Hill) 1549973067
\u201cThe life of an American boy at 17: https://t.co/2Qeg6Pttqv via @JenPercy\u201d— Esquire (@Esquire) 1549976413
As expected, the cover wasn't received well...
\u201cIf you're Black, queer, trans, a woman or any further marginalized you have to literally change the world before you become a cover star, but Esquire shows us that white cishet men and boys get to simply exist and be seen as worthy.\u201d— Raquel Willis (@Raquel Willis) 1549987991
\u201cYa\u2019ll - this Cover Story in @esquire is thee WHITEST SHIT I\u2019ve come across all... well all week at least. I\u2019m so fucking tired of press stories about poor white boys while marginalized people are actually dying because the current \u201cera\u201d.\u201d— #DayWithoutUs - Sept 30 (@#DayWithoutUs - Sept 30) 1549930622
\u201cSo, I did read the Esquire article, and I can confirm it's hot garbage. Don't read it. Waste of your time. There is nothing insightful or illuminating. It is the same wishy-washy, liberal-journalist-overcompensating-by-not-pressing-too-hard, rationalizing-Trump-voters nonsense.\u201d— Charlotte Clymer \ud83c\udff3\ufe0f\u200d\u26a7\ufe0f\ud83c\uddfa\ud83c\udde6 (@Charlotte Clymer \ud83c\udff3\ufe0f\u200d\u26a7\ufe0f\ud83c\uddfa\ud83c\udde6) 1549989936
\u201cBlack History Month: \u2014\n\nEsquire Editorial Staff:\u201d— Lara Mich\u00e8le Witt (@Lara Mich\u00e8le Witt) 1549982074
\u201cAm I getting this right: Esquire put a random white kid on the cover and wrote a story about him? In the middle of Black History Month?\n\nDIVERSIFY YOUR NEWSROOMS AND PUBLICATIONS.\u201d— \u2693\ufe0fImani Two-Kitchens Gandy\u2693\ufe0f (@\u2693\ufe0fImani Two-Kitchens Gandy\u2693\ufe0f) 1549990087
\u201cmaybe instead of radicalizing white mediocrity for the clicks esquire could dedicate its otherwise very talented team to reporting on, idk, literally anything !!!!!!\u201d— Fran Tirado (@Fran Tirado) 1549943591
\u201cEsquire dropping this ode to white male privilege that no one asked for... during Black History month is just... ugh.\u201d— Jenna Amatulli (@Jenna Amatulli) 1549948207
\u201cReally @esquire \u201cwhat\u2019s it like growing up white, middle class and male...\u201d How idiotic! It\u2019s the same as it\u2019s always been... full of privilege that women, people of color, lgbtq people & immigrants don\u2019t have! \ud83e\uddd0 I\u2019m done.\u201d— Karamo (@Karamo) 1549993834
With discussions of diversity and representation as prevelant as ever in American culture, the last thing a mainstream publication needs to be doing is uplifting the voices of people who have so much privilege, visibility, and who already take up so much space.
Many people also pointed out that the timing of this story was in very poor taste, considering that the cover was released in February (Black History Month), the cover is for March (Women's History Month), and especially considering how Esquire previously decided to kill a story reporting on Bryan Singer's alleged sexual abuse of underage boys.
\u201c*inside Esquire conference room*\n\nEsquire CEO: \u201cwe should probably do a cover story for black history month, any suggestions?\u201d\n\nEditor: \u201cthere\u2019s a white boy in Wisconsin who\u2019s sad\u201d\n\nEsquire CEO: \u201crun it\u201d\u201d— Father Sean Misty (@Father Sean Misty) 1549949900
\u201cWhat I find perhaps most ironic about the @esquire bullshit cover is this: It\u2019s black history month & you share next months cover story which btw is women\u2019s history month & your cover story is about how \u201chard\u201d life is for white boys. Like you\u2019re REALLY trying to make white boys\u201d— Kassandra Princess of Troy (@Kassandra Princess of Troy) 1550000575
\u201cThe center of attention during both a month to celebrate black lives & remeber their history as well as discuss their \u201coppression\u201d during another month celebrating women, all women. As if white males aren\u2019t always the center of attention you do this \ud83d\ude44 @esquire\u201d— Kassandra Princess of Troy (@Kassandra Princess of Troy) 1550000575
\u201cThe cover is for March, which is also Women's History Month. So thanks for the double 'Fuck You', Esquire. \ud83d\ude11\u201d— T. J. Raphael (@T. J. Raphael) 1549991030
\u201cI, for one, think it\u2019s very interesting that Esquire is insisting it cares about all teen boys now after trying so recently to kill the Bryan Singer piece\u201d— Caroline Darya Framke (@Caroline Darya Framke) 1549986290
So what are your thoughts on Esquire's latest cover story? Let us know in the comments and on Twitter.
