these printed moments are forever burned
into our memories and the public
consciousness welcome to watchmojo.com
and today we’re counting down our picks
for the top ten iconic magazine covers
every time I would say I’m gay when I’d
lean forward to the microphone and say
I’m gay
for the rehearsal every time I’d sob
because I had never said that
for this list we’re ranking the most
memorable and timely images from the
covers of magazines these photographs
and drawings serve to capture our
imaginations encapsulate the times or
serve as true topics of water-cooler
conversation politics pop culture and
social commentary are all considered
here as the cover images serve as
enduring Testaments of the day Steve
McCurry was shooting in refugee camps
along the afghanistan-pakistan border
looking for an image to tell the
dramatic human story behind the
headlines of war and horror I saw this
one little girl off in the corner with
this incredible uh look number 10 M also
known as oh my god we hit a little girl
Esquire
what an important role the headline
plays white lettering adorns a stark
black background on this October 1966
issue of Esquire magazine written by
John sack the cover story within details
the experiences of M company a troop of
soldiers from New Jersey during the
Vietnam War the shocking headline
represents the tales terrible climax
when the soldiers kill a seven-year-old
with a hand grenade oh my god we hit a
little girl immediately jumps off the
page succinctly conjuring up images of
war violence and all the complications
of the aftermath
this magazine cover proves that
sometimes simplicity is key in
presenting a story with the words and
lack of images working together to
create the most intense impact possible
number nine view of the world from 9th
Avenue The New Yorker The New Yorker I
bet Lois just dad reads dish I’d be more
apathetic
if I weren’t sho lethargic this
influential American magazine has been
publishing high-minded cartoons
political essays satire and more for
decades remaining a constant companion
for the intellectual since its
first issue back in 1925 one of their
classic covers however is an iconic
drawing depicting Manhattan’s ninth
Avenue in detail centralized as the
heart of the world
the sharp illustration is said to be a
comment on the narcissism of some New
Yorkers and has been the subject of
numerous parodies over the years in fact
a US Supreme Court ruling was even
issued in favor of the pieces creator
Saul Steinberg against Columbia Pictures
for illegally infringing upon his
copyright with their promotional poster
for the 1984 film Moscow on the Hudson
what does the Marxist look like anyway
music has Beauty must urge the women to
know she especially women number 8
Bill Clinton Esquire it’s a great
country it deserves our best thank you
and God bless
mm was quite a year for President Bill
Clinton nearing the end of his second
term he was captured in this December
2000 Esquire cover image by a wide-angle
lens at waist level with his hands on
his knees and a grin on his face
what photographer platen and the
president crafted in only an
eight-minute time slot took the media by
storm
Clinton’s pose especially in relation to
the cameras position was immediately
connected with the Monica Lewinsky
scandal that had rocked Clinton’s
presidency just two years prior indeed I
did have a relationship with Miss
Lewinsky that was not appropriate in
fact it was wrong yet at the same time
his smile almost denotes a semblance of
relief especially after a challenging
eight years as commander-in-chief it’s
this dichotomy that makes Clinton’s
Esquire cover an enduring image today
we’ve been so blessed you know we’ve had
a wonderful life we’ve had a chance to
serve whatever she wants to do on for
number seven nine eleven time
it’s a startling stark image capturing
the haunting events of September 11th
2001 the cover of Time magazine
September 14th issue used a photograph
taken by Lila wacko as the World Trade
Center was under attack with smoke and
flames rising into the sky the result of
planes smashing into both Twin Towers
the shot accompanied a Nancy Gibbs cover
story entitled if you want to humble an
empire which not only recounted the
timeline of events on 9/11 but also
praised the day’s heroism and
triumphantly stated that America would
rebuild three days after these attacks
the United States and the world was
still processing their grief somber
images like these served as reminders
for those left behind to continue to
survive move forward and understand this
is a great tribute to our courage and
perseverance and and what we do is as
Americans number six
John and Yoko Rolling Stone
stand
chime in
this 1981 Rolling Stone cover image
wasn’t the only photo of a celebrity to
be published after their death but it’s
perhaps one of the most poignant he said
that Lennon was brought here this
evening shortly before 11:00 p.m. he was
dead on arrival John Lennon was
assassinated by gunman Mark David
Chapman on December 8 1980 a month later
this shot from his session with famed
photographer Annie Leibovitz hit the
cover of the equally legendary music
magazine in tribute to the fallen Beatle
what’s even more startling is the fact
that the image of John and his wife Yoko
Ono was captured but a few hours prior
to his encounter with Chapman it’s a
startling yet tender picture made even
more remarkable given the context of
when it was taken
I hope someday
number five more Demi Moore Vanity Fair
did me more with seven months pregnant
when she posed for this controversial
Vanity Fair shoot with photographer
Annie Leibovitz creating an image that
served as one of the magazine’s most
recognizable covers the actress carrying
her daughter with Bruce Willis Scout
LaRue was snapped multiple times plaid
in various dresses and lingerie
it was liebowitzes shot of more totally
nude with her hand covering her chest
that was ultimately chosen for the
August cover though it was criticized by
some as morally objectionable others
felt the cover captured the ideas of
femininity motherhood and sexuality
while simultaneously challenging
preconceived notions of how Hollywood
stars could appear in the magazine
medium spawning a trend of displaying
pregnancy proudly in the public eye
number four Marilyn Monroe Playboy
throughout its long history Playboy
magazine has had a bevy of classic
covers featuring some of the most famous
pop culture icons of the day but there
are arguably few pop culture figures
more iconic for their beauty than
Marilyn Monroe that’s why it’s fitting
that the blonde bombshell graced the
inaugural issue of Playboy back in
December 1953 as both its cover model
and the first-ever centerfold
fans of the pinup era snatched this
issue up upon its original release and
even today surviving copies
sometimes fetch extraordinarily high
prices even ten thousand times with the
magazine originally cost and why not
it’s an enduring cover image of an
enduring celebrity and it launched an
iconic brand she is without question the
you know the the definitive sex icon of
our time number three an American
tragedy time this is
people’s 160 for a is at the right hand
glow the murder trial of former football
star and actor OJ Simpson made national
headlines back in 1994 but this cover
image from Time magazine garnered almost
as much controversy albeit for a very
different reason the image of Simpson’s
LAPD mugshot had been altered by
illustrator Matt Mahone for color
correction purposes for this move
however the publication faced sharp
criticism at the time for what some
perceived as racism especially when
compared with news week’s untouched use
of the same shot the result time
released a statement saying in part that
the magazine did not intend for any
racial implications to be made and that
the modifications had quote lifted a
common police mugshot to the level of
art number two to the moon and back
Life magazine it may be difficult to
imagine the level of excitement back in
1969 after the Apollo 11 managed its
successful manned mission to the moon
the event was televised for the world to
see occupying the airwaves and then the
August 1969 special edition issue of
Life magazine was released with an
instantly classic image on its cover
titled to the moon and back showing a
photograph of astronaut Buzz Aldrin
taken by his fellow crew mate Neil
Armstrong this cover encapsulate the
mission that effectively ended the space
race between the United States and the
Soviet Union during the 1960s today it
endures as an image of scientific
success stretching into the vast reaches
of the unknown we choose to go to the
moon we choose to go to the moon in this
decade and do the other things not
because they are easy but because they
are hard before we reveal our most
iconic magazine cover here are some
honorable mentions
number one Afghan girl National
Geographic it’s at once striking
beautiful and haunting without knowing
his subjects identity in 1984 journalist
Steve McCurry shot a photograph of a
green eyed Afghan girl staring deeply
into the camera lens to go along with a
story entitled along Afghanistan’s
war-torn frontier compared to Da Vinci’s
mysterious Mona Lisa the young refugee
became the literal poster child for this
battle-scarred region in 2002 National
Geographic filmed a documentary as they
searched for the girl I was looking at
it and looking at her face looking at
the moles and I looked at the flecks in
her eyes and they all lined up and
eventually they found her sharbat gula
was an Afghan refugee who at the time of
the photo had been living in Pakistan
during her country’s occupation by the
Soviet Union with that McCurry finally
had a chance not only to learn about the
girl’s history but also to reunite with
the face seen by so many around the
world and I think that it’s better to be
known for one great picture than not to
be known at all possibly do you agree
with our list which iconic magazine
moment do you think deserves to be
remembered for more poignant top 10s
published every day be sure to subscribe
to watchmojo.com and that was a great
challenge because we did have to figure
out how to make her personal wardrobe
not the wardrobe we shot something that
speaks to her style perhaps not her
family style
you
into our memories and the public
consciousness welcome to watchmojo.com
and today we’re counting down our picks
for the top ten iconic magazine covers
every time I would say I’m gay when I’d
lean forward to the microphone and say
I’m gay
for the rehearsal every time I’d sob
because I had never said that
for this list we’re ranking the most
memorable and timely images from the
covers of magazines these photographs
and drawings serve to capture our
imaginations encapsulate the times or
serve as true topics of water-cooler
conversation politics pop culture and
social commentary are all considered
here as the cover images serve as
enduring Testaments of the day Steve
McCurry was shooting in refugee camps
along the afghanistan-pakistan border
looking for an image to tell the
dramatic human story behind the
headlines of war and horror I saw this
one little girl off in the corner with
this incredible uh look number 10 M also
known as oh my god we hit a little girl
Esquire
what an important role the headline
plays white lettering adorns a stark
black background on this October 1966
issue of Esquire magazine written by
John sack the cover story within details
the experiences of M company a troop of
soldiers from New Jersey during the
Vietnam War the shocking headline
represents the tales terrible climax
when the soldiers kill a seven-year-old
with a hand grenade oh my god we hit a
little girl immediately jumps off the
page succinctly conjuring up images of
war violence and all the complications
of the aftermath
this magazine cover proves that
sometimes simplicity is key in
presenting a story with the words and
lack of images working together to
create the most intense impact possible
number nine view of the world from 9th
Avenue The New Yorker The New Yorker I
bet Lois just dad reads dish I’d be more
apathetic
if I weren’t sho lethargic this
influential American magazine has been
publishing high-minded cartoons
political essays satire and more for
decades remaining a constant companion
for the intellectual since its
first issue back in 1925 one of their
classic covers however is an iconic
drawing depicting Manhattan’s ninth
Avenue in detail centralized as the
heart of the world
the sharp illustration is said to be a
comment on the narcissism of some New
Yorkers and has been the subject of
numerous parodies over the years in fact
a US Supreme Court ruling was even
issued in favor of the pieces creator
Saul Steinberg against Columbia Pictures
for illegally infringing upon his
copyright with their promotional poster
for the 1984 film Moscow on the Hudson
what does the Marxist look like anyway
music has Beauty must urge the women to
know she especially women number 8
Bill Clinton Esquire it’s a great
country it deserves our best thank you
and God bless
mm was quite a year for President Bill
Clinton nearing the end of his second
term he was captured in this December
2000 Esquire cover image by a wide-angle
lens at waist level with his hands on
his knees and a grin on his face
what photographer platen and the
president crafted in only an
eight-minute time slot took the media by
storm
Clinton’s pose especially in relation to
the cameras position was immediately
connected with the Monica Lewinsky
scandal that had rocked Clinton’s
presidency just two years prior indeed I
did have a relationship with Miss
Lewinsky that was not appropriate in
fact it was wrong yet at the same time
his smile almost denotes a semblance of
relief especially after a challenging
eight years as commander-in-chief it’s
this dichotomy that makes Clinton’s
Esquire cover an enduring image today
we’ve been so blessed you know we’ve had
a wonderful life we’ve had a chance to
serve whatever she wants to do on for
number seven nine eleven time
it’s a startling stark image capturing
the haunting events of September 11th
2001 the cover of Time magazine
September 14th issue used a photograph
taken by Lila wacko as the World Trade
Center was under attack with smoke and
flames rising into the sky the result of
planes smashing into both Twin Towers
the shot accompanied a Nancy Gibbs cover
story entitled if you want to humble an
empire which not only recounted the
timeline of events on 9/11 but also
praised the day’s heroism and
triumphantly stated that America would
rebuild three days after these attacks
the United States and the world was
still processing their grief somber
images like these served as reminders
for those left behind to continue to
survive move forward and understand this
is a great tribute to our courage and
perseverance and and what we do is as
Americans number six
John and Yoko Rolling Stone
stand
chime in
this 1981 Rolling Stone cover image
wasn’t the only photo of a celebrity to
be published after their death but it’s
perhaps one of the most poignant he said
that Lennon was brought here this
evening shortly before 11:00 p.m. he was
dead on arrival John Lennon was
assassinated by gunman Mark David
Chapman on December 8 1980 a month later
this shot from his session with famed
photographer Annie Leibovitz hit the
cover of the equally legendary music
magazine in tribute to the fallen Beatle
what’s even more startling is the fact
that the image of John and his wife Yoko
Ono was captured but a few hours prior
to his encounter with Chapman it’s a
startling yet tender picture made even
more remarkable given the context of
when it was taken
I hope someday
number five more Demi Moore Vanity Fair
did me more with seven months pregnant
when she posed for this controversial
Vanity Fair shoot with photographer
Annie Leibovitz creating an image that
served as one of the magazine’s most
recognizable covers the actress carrying
her daughter with Bruce Willis Scout
LaRue was snapped multiple times plaid
in various dresses and lingerie
it was liebowitzes shot of more totally
nude with her hand covering her chest
that was ultimately chosen for the
August cover though it was criticized by
some as morally objectionable others
felt the cover captured the ideas of
femininity motherhood and sexuality
while simultaneously challenging
preconceived notions of how Hollywood
stars could appear in the magazine
medium spawning a trend of displaying
pregnancy proudly in the public eye
number four Marilyn Monroe Playboy
throughout its long history Playboy
magazine has had a bevy of classic
covers featuring some of the most famous
pop culture icons of the day but there
are arguably few pop culture figures
more iconic for their beauty than
Marilyn Monroe that’s why it’s fitting
that the blonde bombshell graced the
inaugural issue of Playboy back in
December 1953 as both its cover model
and the first-ever centerfold
fans of the pinup era snatched this
issue up upon its original release and
even today surviving copies
sometimes fetch extraordinarily high
prices even ten thousand times with the
magazine originally cost and why not
it’s an enduring cover image of an
enduring celebrity and it launched an
iconic brand she is without question the
you know the the definitive sex icon of
our time number three an American
tragedy time this is
people’s 160 for a is at the right hand
glow the murder trial of former football
star and actor OJ Simpson made national
headlines back in 1994 but this cover
image from Time magazine garnered almost
as much controversy albeit for a very
different reason the image of Simpson’s
LAPD mugshot had been altered by
illustrator Matt Mahone for color
correction purposes for this move
however the publication faced sharp
criticism at the time for what some
perceived as racism especially when
compared with news week’s untouched use
of the same shot the result time
released a statement saying in part that
the magazine did not intend for any
racial implications to be made and that
the modifications had quote lifted a
common police mugshot to the level of
art number two to the moon and back
Life magazine it may be difficult to
imagine the level of excitement back in
1969 after the Apollo 11 managed its
successful manned mission to the moon
the event was televised for the world to
see occupying the airwaves and then the
August 1969 special edition issue of
Life magazine was released with an
instantly classic image on its cover
titled to the moon and back showing a
photograph of astronaut Buzz Aldrin
taken by his fellow crew mate Neil
Armstrong this cover encapsulate the
mission that effectively ended the space
race between the United States and the
Soviet Union during the 1960s today it
endures as an image of scientific
success stretching into the vast reaches
of the unknown we choose to go to the
moon we choose to go to the moon in this
decade and do the other things not
because they are easy but because they
are hard before we reveal our most
iconic magazine cover here are some
honorable mentions
number one Afghan girl National
Geographic it’s at once striking
beautiful and haunting without knowing
his subjects identity in 1984 journalist
Steve McCurry shot a photograph of a
green eyed Afghan girl staring deeply
into the camera lens to go along with a
story entitled along Afghanistan’s
war-torn frontier compared to Da Vinci’s
mysterious Mona Lisa the young refugee
became the literal poster child for this
battle-scarred region in 2002 National
Geographic filmed a documentary as they
searched for the girl I was looking at
it and looking at her face looking at
the moles and I looked at the flecks in
her eyes and they all lined up and
eventually they found her sharbat gula
was an Afghan refugee who at the time of
the photo had been living in Pakistan
during her country’s occupation by the
Soviet Union with that McCurry finally
had a chance not only to learn about the
girl’s history but also to reunite with
the face seen by so many around the
world and I think that it’s better to be
known for one great picture than not to
be known at all possibly do you agree
with our list which iconic magazine
moment do you think deserves to be
remembered for more poignant top 10s
published every day be sure to subscribe
to watchmojo.com and that was a great
challenge because we did have to figure
out how to make her personal wardrobe
not the wardrobe we shot something that
speaks to her style perhaps not her
family style
you
Please follow and like us: