There have been some iconic covers this decade (Picture: Getty)

Magazines make it their monthly goal to outdo themselves with artistic magazine covers from the biggest celebrities of the year, but sometimes people feel left out when only one ethnic group is constantly represented on the covers.

Although things are improving, there’s still a long way to go before seeing celebrities of colour on the cover of Vogue and Elle is a totally normal thing.

Over the last 10 years, celebrities of colour have created some of the most iconic magazine looks of all time and we’re here to show them to you, in no particular order.

From the carefully-curated outfits to the unapologetic poses, people of colour have been slaying the game so hard it’s going to be difficult to limit the list to only 10.




BLACKPINK for Billboard

Blackpink for Billboard (Picture: billboard)

Blackpink gracing the cover of Billboard in March 2019 was iconic for so many reasons.

The main one is because they became the first Korean cover girls to do so, even if it did happen as late as this year.

Over 10 years ago, the idea of non-white celebrities becoming the norm on American magazines and websites was close to unheard of, but now, thanks to the storm that is K-Pop and the growth of inclusion (finally), we got to see the beauties that are Lisa, Rose, Jennie and Jisoo.

Janelle Monae for billboard

Janelle for billboard (Picture: Billboard)

Janelle Monae effortlessly becomes the star of any room she walks into thanks to her fearless style and sultry confidence.

Her 2013 billboard cover is no different as the simple black and white everything hypnotised us all immediately.

Not only that, Janelle on the cover of a Western magazine was (and still is) a big deal. Why?

Because according to statistics, there were only two to three black women on the covers of magazines that year – which includes Vogue, Vanity Fair and allure.

That’s right. Only two to three.

On April 23 of that year, she released lead single Q.U.E.E.N, a funk jam featuring Erykah Badu. The track has sold 31,000 copies and we loved seeing two legends collaborating.

Look at her now.

Stormzy for TIME

Stormzy for TIME (Picture: TIME)

Stormzy’s cover for TIME magazine speaks for itself.

A black British man has been ‘shaping the world’ and he’s got the magazine cover to show for it.

The Audacity rapper announced that he was collaborating with Penguin Random House division William Heinemann to create #MerkyBooks, which gave people the opportunities to showcase their passions and talents.

He didn’t stop there.

The Grime artist announced in 2018 that he was funding two black British students to go to the University of Cambridge and he did that and more.

He said: ‘There are so many young black kids all over the country who have the level of academic excellence to study at a university such as Cambridge – however, we are still under-represented at leading universities.’

The rapper will fund two students this year and two in 2020, too.

Stormzy has been making sure to be unapologetically black with his passion, music, his activism and it earned him the rightful place as the cover star of TIME magazine in October 2019.



BTS for Paper Magazine

BTS for Paper (Picture: Paper)

Need we say anything when world-favourite BTS attempted to break the internet and they damn well did.

Our K-Pop favourite Bangtan Boys shot to international fame after six years of non-stop hard work and they deserve all the love they’re getting.

We used to know boy bands as the likes of The Beatles and One Direction, so to have an all-Korean group be the most popular everywhere they go fills us all with pride.

Jin, Suga, J-Hope, RM, Jimin, V and Jungkook worked tirelessly to get where they are now, and we can’t wait to see where they go next.

Kendrick Lamar for Interview

Kendrick Lamar for Interview (Picture: Interview)

Kendrick Lamar became one of the most important and influential rappers of all time and arguably one of the best.

His cover for Interview in 2017 showed us he’s here to stay on account of his piercing look into the camera and subtle flex of his jewellery.

The magazine bought a sense of punk rock to whoever was invited to be their cover star, and Kendrick was a natural.

What made the cover so special was the fact the award-winning artist was interviewed by comedy legend Dave Chappelle, who never stood down from hiring African-American people onto his cast and crew of endless productions.

The Humble rapper’s album Good Kid, M.A.A.D City was released in 2012 and received critical acclaim before being certified platinum.

The songs Swimming Pools (Drank), B***h Don’t Kill My Vibe, and Poetic Justice all effortlessly reached the top 40.

Kendrick always incorporates elements of funk, soul, jazz and spoken word into his music. That, along with vigour and creative poetry, landed him the icon status he has today.


Zendaya for Garage

Zendaya for Garage (Picture: Picasa)

Now, let’s talk about why Zendaya’s cover for Garage is one of the best things to bless our eyes for a long time.

Zendaya and artist Simone Leigh came together to create what we get to see as ‘black womanhood’.

Simone created well-known sculptures which mimic the historic Free People’s Medical Clinic of the Black Panther Party and provided public and private health care sessions on the fifth floor of the New Museum.

Their collaboration intended to take up space and be heard, and it worked flawlessly.

The raffia used on Zendaya came from the exhibition which focused on: ‘object-based exploration of vernacular visual traditions from throughout the black diaspora and their intersection with constructions of black female subjectivity, black feminist discourse, histories of radical resistance, and ethnographic research’.

From the raffia and hairstyle alone, Zendaya and Simone created a loud and proud ode to Africa which isn’t always seen in mainstream media.

Yaeji for Fader

Yaeji for Fader (Picture: Fader)

For those who don’t know Yaeji, she is a Korean-American electronic music artist based in New York.

The musician got to cover Fader, which is already a big deal, back in 2018.

Kathy Yaeji Lee moved back and forth between Korea and the USA, and the internal confusion that comes with a child of many cultures can become immense.

However, Yaeji uses her multicultural experience to her advantage and has become a household name with 88rising.

She famously sampled Drake’s Passionfruit and other western songs but brought a dash of East Asian into her music, speaking in Korean or adding the musical stylings that are usually more heavily seen in Asia.


Her look is already worthy of Fader’s front page, but the fact that she wasn’t made to look more western – arched eyebrows, heavier make-up – made the cover even more important.

As a YouTube commentator said, ‘ A Korean Female Artist that isn’t cookie cutter…..thanks 88rising.’

Beyonce for Vogue

Beyonce for Vogue (Picture: Vogue)

It’s Queen B. Nuff said.

Beyonce’s Vogue takeover proved how powerful the Lemonade singer is.

As The Atlantic commented: ‘The pop star’s reported shaping of the September cover hints at the shifting relationship between the media and their subjects—and between creators of colour and traditional gatekeepers.’

The 38-year-old made the rules when it came to being Vogue’s cover star, whether it be with the interview itself, her cover photos and even the questions.

Having a celebrity of colour being the powerful Goddess Beyonce is has made her one of the most influential people of all time.

Not only has she paved the way for thousands of other creators, but she also became a role model who told little black girls looking up to her exactly how strong and phenomenal they are.

Releasing Brown Skin Girl added to her CV of empowering women, helping those listening to her understand how beautiful they are.

The song, along with a powerful black woman ruling Vogue 2018’s September issue, made a monumental shift in our timeline that we’ve been waiting to see for years.

Dave for i-D

Dave posed for i-D (Picture: i-D)

Where do we start with Dave being on the cover of i-D?

How about the fact he’s only 21 and has effortlessly taken the world by storm.

He was 20 when he landed the cover of i-D, but he already left his mark in the music industry.

The Streatham teen rose to fame with him and AJ Tracey’s collaboration on Thiago Silva in 2016.

In no time, Drake waltzed in and put him on Wanna Know and the world fell in love immediately.

All that at 18 years old.

Since then, Dave has won a MOBO, Ivor Novello, AIM, GQ Men of the Year awards and a Mercury Prize.

His debut studio album in 2019, Psychodrama, received widespread acclaim from critics and was even hailed by some as one of the best albums of the year.

The album had many themes, including Dave’s strained relationship, poor upbringing, his father’s absence, and issues of racial inequality.

The topics had people raving about the pride they had in who they are.

Dave’s creativity knows no bounds, and as he’s still young, he’ll keep impressing us time and time again.

M.I.A. for Clash

M.I.A for Clash (Picture: Clash)

M.I.A – real name Mathangi Arulpragasam – has always been ahead of her time and her style and music prove it.

Her single Paper Planes came out in 2007, and we didn’t understand the creative storm she was bringing with it, until recently.

Her cover for CLASH magazine came out in 2013, and everything about it still rocks to this day.

The British born rapper uses her Tamil roots and Sri Lankan culture in everything she does and it has been revitalising to witness the ‘sorry-not-sorry’ attitude that came with it.

Music? A bridge of Hindu motifs with M.I.A.’s cut-and-paste rap aesthetic. Style? Inspired by her culture mixed with streetwear.

How much cooler can you get?

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