Every year I see further evidence that Dr. King’s legacy is not being honored so much as perverted. I got this spam e-mail last week advertising an event in downtown New Orleans:
You really need to view the full-size original to soak in every little detail.
That the ad refers to “the King” and uses the image of a crown to create a visual pun is a little disturbing, but that’s a minor quibble. Obviously Dr. King has passed into the realm of iconography.
No, what really bothers me about this image is the attractive female model. She’s wearing a crown, symbolizing Dr. Martin Luther King. The expression on her face seems to define the come-hither stare. And what’s that she doing? Well, she seems to be lifting her skirt up.
Using sex appeal to hype a nightclub. Nothing new there. Using a civil rights icon to make a buck. Seen it before. But the combination of the two takes it to a new level for me. Consider also those persistent rumors of Dr. King’s philandering, and this advertisement is looking pretty ugly.
And is my imagination overactive, or is Obama looking up her skirt? That’s just wrong.
I don’t presume to judge the model, or anyone really. I just find this image is sadly indicative of a larger pattern, a pervasive lack of respect for a great human being.
Maybe she’s pushing down her skirt.
Wouldn’t it be great if there was a female African American icon who came along to protest the objectification of African American and other women?
All that’s missing is Che Guevara being used in a flier for Latin Salsa night.
I think the lifting of the skirt was a more practical matter. How else would the NFL star run through her legs? I guess football players sometimes bust through paper banners, but making a dress out of paper would be tacky.
So this is an MLK fashion show… I can’t wait to see their Easter fashion show flier.
I think MLK has been unfairly deified, but this flyer is in poor taste. That said, I wish it weren’t taboo to speak of his rampant plagiarism in his dissertation and other works and his denial of basic Christian tenets in his writings, too. His “Dr” and “Rev” titles should appear in quotes.
Of course, the lasting results of his real work and his legacy are enormous. No argument there. I am not denying that he was a great man. (I just don’t respect his academic or “theological” credentials.)