Jonathan Majors is the cover star of Ebony Magazine’s February 2023 issue, and his recent photoshoot sparked an online controversy.
On the cover photo, the 33-year-old actor can be seen shirtless with a pink fur coat draped over his shoulders, paired with blue denim jeans. He is seated on a sofa with a pink background while posing with a pout for the camera.
Although his obviously SLAYING in pink and pout, author Boyce Watkins saw it as defining black masculinity as “defeated and weak.”
“Ladies, this is how Hollywood defines black masculinity. That’s why so many of your men are defeated and weak,” Watkins expressed on a tweet on February 18, which received major backlash.
A number of people pointed out that Majors’ outfit was inspired by Donquixote Doflamingo from the anime ‘One Piece.’
Meanwhile author @WilGafney tweeted:
“They keep saying that “they” emasculated Jonathan Majors. That “they” made him look feminine. “They” who? Nobody made him do anything. He agreed to a photo shoot because he liked the idea and vision to. His masculinity is not as fragile as yawls understanding of gender.”
Another user wrote:
“This is how an idiot defines a man. But a man is anything they say a man is, trans men are men, gay men are men, men who aren’t traditional masculine are men. But what is not a man is someone who is to insecure to let someone else just be.”
Here are some of the other comments of disapproval towards Watkins’ tweet:
It’s just wild how one black man gets an opportunity to style another black man for a magazine and people find a way to still tear down such an amazing accomplishment. It’s Black History Month we are supposed to be celebrating each other not finding ways to tear each other down. https://t.co/PdtDby6WfP pic.twitter.com/BRwcEcjHCL
— Avy 改善 | Phresh 🇦🇸 (@Avyionf) February 18, 2023
Moreover, Ebony Magazine editor Marielle Bobo noted that the cover shoot explores the idea of personal expression relating to black masculinity. According to the outlet, Majors expressed:
“One of my many objectives in my work is to help. And what I’m trying to do with my work is to show that nothing is a monolith—not Blackness, not maleness, not [even] comic book villains. Nothing’s more diverse than the fact that the Big Bad of the MCU is a young Black boy from Texas.”
On that note, dropping more of the actor’s stunning content from Ebony Magazine… <3
Source: sportskeeda.com
