There are a lot of magazine covers that have remained controversy through the years due to design and editorial. Here are some of the most controversial magazine covers of all time we compiled including some notable magazines like Time Magazine, Rolling Stone and Vanity Fair.
As usual, on 2 January 1939, Time Magazine published its Man of the Year issue whose title was bestowed to the person who had the greatest influence in the previous year's events. In 1938, Time had chosen Adolf Hitler as the man who was “for better or worse” was playing “his hymn of hate in a desecrated cathedral while victims dangle on a St. Catherine’s wheel while the Nazi hierarchy looks on.” Hitler had firmly grasped power in Germany, taken over Austria and Czechoslovakia, and had been given a free hand in Eastern Europe by the English prime minister of the time, Neville Chamberlain.
The cover of TIME Magazine (January 1939)
TIME Magazine (April 1966) has been called the most controversial of all time drew an immediate public backlash because of its cover which had approximately 3,500 reader letters sent to the editor
Esquire (April 1968) covered Muhammad Ali’s martyrdom after he refused to join the US military due to his religious beliefs
Annie Leibovitz took this shot just some hours before John Lennon was shot outside of his apartment building, the Dakota, in New York City on December 8, 1980. Initially, Leibovitz originally wanted to take the shot of John Lennon alone but Lennon insisted that wife Yoko Ono also be featured in the shoot.
Rolling Stone (January 1981) was named the most popular magazine cover of the past 40 years
Vanity Fair (August 1991) led to countless parodies showing seven-month pregnant Demi Moore's nude captured by photographer Annie Leibovitz
This is the cover of TIME Magazine (April 1997) which Ellen DeGeneres revealed she was gay, leading some American TV outlets to pull her show
Wired (June 1997) was printed in the same year that Steve Jobs had just rejoined Apple through Apple’s acquisition of his NeXT Software Inc. The cover article delivered 101 tips on how to "fix a once-great company"
Rolling Stone (April 1999) showed the sexy shot of "teen queen" Britney Spears, calling for "God-loving Americans to boycott stores selling Britney's albums"
Controversial Magazine Covers through Years: Time Magazine
Related links:
Top impressive Magazine Covers
Controversial Magazine Covers through Years