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Forget how outraged you are that Ryan Gosling was once again not deemed the "Sexiest Man Alive" by People: There's a real controversy here, and it has nothing to do with the Gos. In 26 years of choosing a sexiest man, the magazine has selected white guys 25 of those times, writes Tricia Romano in the Daily Beast. Even the one exception, Denzel Washington in 1996, is a "lazy choice," says one of the media professionals Romano spoke to for her column. While Blair Underwood, Taye Diggs, and Idris Elba have been ignored, "Johnny Depp and his rotting teeth" have won twice, Romano writes.
Of course, Underwood, Diggs, Elba, and other diverse choices are featured inside the pages of the magazine's special issue. But the media professionals Romano spoke to found this even more insulting, as it basically carries the message that men of color are good enough for the inside pages, but not good enough to sell the magazine by appearing on the cover. The issue reflects a larger problem in Hollywood—where are all the leading men of color? Washington and Will Smith are "pretty much the only black men who Hollywood deems worthy of being able to carry a big-budget movie as its lead," says another media professional. Click for the full piece.
