On Thursday, the new issue of Cosmo UK went on sale, and the magazine has a man alone on the cover for the first time in 35 years, with one difference: the bearded man is wearing a dress.
Queer Eye personality Jonathan Van Ness, who identifies as “non-binary,” is making “history,” Entertainment Tonight (ET) reported. Van Ness tweeted, “First non Female cover star in 35 years.” ET wrote, “In the stunning photo, Van Ness is rocking a peach-colored Christian Siriano dress and Nike sneakers, wearing his luscious locks down and his perfectly trimmed beard in full view.”
First non female cover star in 35 years 🏳️🌈💗 thanks for having me 🏳️🌈💗@CosmopolitanUK showing more variations of beauty for young LGBTQ+ people YAS QUEEN photo by @Rachell_Smith pic.twitter.com/oSXbDHaK51
— Jonathan Van Ness (@jvn) December 2, 2019
NBC News reported that Cosmo UK’s editor in chief Claire Hodgson described Van Ness as “warm, funny, opinionated, kind and brave,” adding, “Cosmopolitan has always tried new things and we are all for challenging the status quo. We want to represent our diverse and beautiful readership, spark conversation and shake things up.”
The last man who appeared alone on the cover of Cosmo UK was Boy George, who appeared on the December 1984 issue.
Amy Grier, executive editor of Cosmopolitan U.K., who interviewed Van Ness, posted on Instagram:
They say never meet your heroes but I can categorically confirm that @jvn did not disappoint in any way. Read my interview in this month’s @cosmopolitanuk where we talk about Brexit, Bake Off, Binaries and Bernie Sanders – as well as some things not beginning with ‘B’. Could not be prouder to work for a magazine where this was possible! Shout out to @claire_hodge@amybannermanstylist@maddyalford @rachell_photo@nicolafahey for making it happen too!
In June, Van Ness was asked by Out magazine how he felt about being the spokesperson for essie nail polish. He responded:
It’s really cool! The older I get, the more I think that I’m nonbinary — I’m gender nonconforming. Like, some days I feel like a man, but then other days I feel like a woman. I don’t really — I think my energies are really all over the place. Any opportunity I have to break down stereotypes of the binary, I am down for it; I’m here for it. I think that a lot of times gender is used to separate and divide. It’s this social construct that I don’t really feel like I fit into the way I used to. I always used to think “Oh, I’m like a gay man,” but I think any way I can let little boys and little girls know that they can express themselves and they can like be — like, making iconic partnerships with brands like essie no matter now they present is really important and exciting.
Asked if femininity was something everyone should try, Van Ness responded, “I think everyone has it in them, and everyone has masculinity in them, but I also think that this construct it is like — strength is strength, and whimsical is whimsical, and rude is rude, and everyone has all of that in them, but thats whats like “namaste” is, like we all have all of that going on in us, I think?”