I’m shaking my head a little as I write this because as word is spreading around the Internet that Halle Berry will be the cover girl for an upcoming issue of Vogue magazine, it’s also ground-breaking news that this will be the first time since 1989 that a black woman has graced the cover of the coveted September issue.
The September issue is the most important of the year as it showcases the autumn/winter trends, and brings in the maximum revenue for Vogue with most pages of advertising.
While Vogue has had black women on the cover before, the numbers are few and far between. In 1974, Beverly Johnson was the first black woman on a Vogue cover. Naomi Campbell was the September 1989 cover model.
Other black women on Vogue covers:
Peggy Dillard – August 1977
Shari Belafonte – June 1986
Louise Vyent – February 1987
Kara Young – October 1988
Karen Alexander – January 1989
Naomi Campbell – June 1993
Kiara – July 1997
Oprah Winfrey – October 1998
Marion Jones – January 2001
Liya Kebede – May 2005
Jennifer Hudson – March 2007
Michelle Obama – March 2009
Beyonce – April 2009
Halle also appeared on Vogue‘s December cover in 2002.
How’s that for a track record? Will you pick up Vogue because Halle is on the cover?
