We expect December magazine covers to be festive. Obviously. But several December 2021 magazine covers decided to go in another direction. Frankly, many of them could stand in for covers from any number of months. March, June, October… You get the idea.
The ones that got it right include Allure, which gave us some striking holiday party makeup inspo. If you’ve missed getting dressed up (who hasn’t?), you’re in luck. Lady Gaga, Sarah Jessica Parker and Jessica Chastain all flaunt seriously glamorous gowns. On the other end of the spectrum, Vanity Fair and Harper’s Bazaar Greece offer more warm weather-worthy looks.
When it comes to diversity, sigh. There really isn’t much to speak of. We love seeing Barbie Ferreira front Allure. Plus, Kayako Higuchi on Vogue Japan. And…that’s about it. While we’re disappointed, we remain hopeful for 2022. Especially based on the uptick in representation on recent runways. So here’s to a new year and a new level of diversity on magazine covers.
Quite a few publications experimented with layout. Some more successfully than others. Vogue Korea kept text to a minimum, while American Vogue gave us a profile full-body shot.
Keep reading to see all the December 2021 magazine covers we adore and the ones that fail to impress.
December 2021 Magazine Covers
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Vogue
That dress is a real showstopper.
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British Vogue
All we want for Christmas is more Lady Gaga covers like this.
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Allure
Not fans of the manicure.
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InStyle
Reese Witherspoon is almost unrecognizable.
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Harper's Bazaar UK
Feels very festive.
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ELLE UK
The bleach blond pixie cut plus the exaggerated lashes equals one odd pairing.
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Vogue Japan
Love the styling, hate the layout and the pose.
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Vanity Fair
This screams summer.
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Vogue Greece
Jessica Chastain definitely delivers the drama.
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Vogue China
Wish the styling was more cohesive.
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Vogue Germany
We actually like the composition of this cover.
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ELLE Spain
We could do without the cowboy boots.
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Harper's Bazaar Greece
The layout of the text is distracting.
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Vogue Korea
We kind of dig the off-center image and the minimal text.
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Marie Claire Spain
The lighting is horrible.
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Vogue Czechoslovakia
The hand jewelry is unnecessary.
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ELLE Canada
The raised hand throws everything off.
