Magazine cover stars are more than just faces on a spread. They represent the publication’s ideal person for at least that month and sway readers’ decisions from the issues they care about to the trends they adopt. They’re also reflective of societal changes, and with this year’s increase of racial diversity on runways, it’s no wonder magazines seem to be doing the same. According to The Fashion Spot, we’re seeing more women of color on the covers of magazines like LADYGUNN and InStyle, which respectively featured transgender actress Laverne Cox and actress Priyanka Chopra. Racial representation was at 29 percent of cover models in 2016, a 6.2-point increase from last year, with Teen Vogue and Paper getting honorable mentions. However, size diversity has a long way to go; the report revealed that this year’s magazines fared “miserably” when it came to body type. Less than 1 percent of celebrities and models were a size 12 or over, including Ashley Graham for Cosmopolitan and Adele for Vanity Fair and Vogue. Here’s hoping that 2017 sees more improvement.
