One would be hard-pressed to capture the “essence” of Black America on a magazine cover. But ESSENCE has been doing exactly that since 1970, delivering cover after cover that has reflected, created, shaped, and shifted Black American culture and how we see ourselves, with Black women top of mind.
From our very own it-girls making profound statements about forging their own paths to the men who stood beside them while they did it, ESSENCE covers have captured the intersectionality of Black life while giving us a sense of belonging. These covers reflected the moments or eras we were living through and became the moment. And you know we came through dripping — every time.
In honor of the strategic partnership between Essence Ventures and REVOLT/Offscript Worldwide, here are the cover moments that made us collectively stop, stare, and take it all in before we ever even turned a page.
1. May 1970: Barbara “The Trailblazer” Cheeseborough
ESSENCE’s first-ever cover girl was fashion model Barbara Cheeseborough. The Philadelphia native, with her striking cheekbones, sultry eyes, and glorious Afro crown, kicked off the 1970s with a moody close-up that put Black beauty front and center. That first cover ushered in a new era of ultra-glamour while helping shatter the narrow American standard of what a “cover girl” could look like, setting the tone for generations of Black women to come.
2. December 1980: Diana Ross
We can’t talk about iconic moments without mentioning the icon herself, Diana Ross! For this holiday issue, the pioneering superstar tied a dazzling bow on her power suit, a nod to the arrival of a new era and the rise of the “career woman.” The knowing look from Ms. Ross seemed to say it all: the game was about to be turned “Upside Down” for women in America.
3. June 1985: Grace Jones
The avant-garde muse herself Grace Jones electrified the cover of this “Dare to Be You!” edition. The multi-hyphenate entertainer donned eye-popping bangles, complemented by the decade’s signature bold and bright makeup. Whenever Jones graced us with her presence, she reminded us to unabashedly embrace our individuality, slamming monolithic femme tropes and blurring the lines of androgyny without flinching.
4. April 1986: Sade
Sade was fresh off her wildly successful crossover album, Promise, for her debut ESSENCE cover. "The Sweetest Taboo” songstress effortlessly gave us face and a powerful French roll as she introduced her “Simply Sade” moment to her growing fanbase in America. We haven’t been the same since.
5. November 1986: Denzel Washington
Denzel Washington has been the gift that keeps on giving for more than 40 years, and multiple generations are forever indebted. The quintessential leading man — and his ’stache — took center stage in ESSENCE’s sixth annual men’s issue. “So Fine,” the cover read, perfectly capturing a fresh-faced Washington on the cusp of taking not just Black Hollywood, but Tinseltown as a whole, to the next level. And, of course, making us all proud along the way.
6. December 1990: Whitney Houston
By the end of 1990, Whitney Houston had already cemented her stardom, evolving from her “girl next door” image into her contemporary R&B, dance-pop, and “New Jack Swing” era with I’m Your Baby Tonight. Give Houston a good wig, an embellished ensemble, and that kilowatt smile, and baby, we have all the woman we’ll ever need!
7. February 1991: Kadeem Hardison and Jasmine Guy
In 1991, Kadeem Hardison and Jasmine Guy had Black America in a chokehold on Thursday nights. Dwayne Wayne and Whitley Gilbert finally ended their cat-and-mouse game on Hillman College’s campus and became a full-fledged couple on the legendary television show, “A Different World.” It was a chef’s kiss moment seeing Hardison cup Guy’s face on the cover, accompanied by the cover line, “We’re More Than Friends.” That was a perfect nod to our collective desire to see their on-screen romance unfold in real time.
8. January 1997: Whoopi Goldberg
A few years before actress and comedienne Whoopi Goldberg achieved EGOT status, she was already blazing trails for Black America, starring in blockbuster hits and becoming the first Black woman to host the Academy Awards. Even then, ESSENCE didn’t shy away from getting “uncensored,” featuring Goldberg in a candid conversation about the “Black Flak” she received for dating white men.
9. August 1997: Erykah Badu
We were collectively introduced to Erykah Badu through the work of art that is Baduizm, and haven’t looked back since. The cover features Erykah Badu adorned in her signature head wrap and hazel-brown eyes, seemingly summoning a new wave of soulful musical experiences we’ll still be enjoying well into the “Next Lifetime.”
10. November 1999: D’Angelo
It’s not every month that a man graces the ESSENCE cover solo. But when one does, it’s definitely for good reason. The late, great D’Angelo did not disappoint. With “Untitled (How Does It Feel)” on the horizon, D’Angelo graced the cover with a bashful yet equally seductive smile, talking “Sex and Soul,” according to ESSENCE.
11. May 2000: “The Forever Cover”
To celebrate 30 years of covers, ESSENCE had to bring out the big guns: our very own leading ladies — Queen Latifah, Michael Michele, Loretta Devine, Vivica A. Fox, Halle Berry, Jada Pinkett Smith, Elise Neal, and Regina King. Now, this was one of those covers you could stare at for hours, celebrating the sheer fullness, beauty, and brilliance of the Black woman.
Inspired by a bouquet of flowers, ESSENCE tapped fashion designer Angela Dean, who created eight vibrantly colored jersey-fabric gowns to reflect their individuality. “But it just felt like God had showed up for all of us on set that day and you feel the moment,” Dean recalled.
12. September 2000: Alek Wek
It was ESSENCE’s first fashion issue of the new millennium, and supermodel Alek Wek was the perfect woman to shut it down… in black and white. Wek posed in Roberto Cavalli, photographed by the legendary Marc Baptiste. By this time, the South Sudanese-British model had already conquered runways around the world, challenging global standards of beauty and redefining what a high-fashion “it girl” could look like.
13. November 2001: Mary J. Blige
Fresh off the release of her highly acclaimed studio album No More Drama, Mary J. Blige switched up her 2000s signature cropped flip for a bronzed goddess beauty look. The “Queen of Hip Hop Soul” spoke about her struggles with addiction to ESSENCE. “Acceptance makes you look flawless,” Blige reflected. “I remember looking at this picture and being like, ‘Wow.’ It made me happy, I’ll tell you that. It made me feel like I was pretty.”
14. February 2003: Will and Jada Pinkett Smith
In the 2000s, Will Smith and Jada Pinkett Smith were, hands down, the ultimate Hollywood power couple. Jada Pinkett Smith told ESSENCE she wanted a “brainiac, thug,” adding, “I need a guy who can deal in many different circles. I like all those aspects of Will.” Dressed in white, our Mr. and Mrs. Smith exuded the kind of star power and sex appeal we had grown accustomed to seeing on Hollywood’s biggest red carpets, in movies, on television and on stages, both together and separately.
15. April 2003: The “Box Office Chocolates”
Ladies, leave your man at home! Behold the box-office beaus: Morris Chestnut, Mekhi Phifer, Omar Epps, Don Cheadle, Mos Def, Dennis Haysbert, Gary Dourdan, and Damon Wayans. Each man on the cover served that '90s fine that had us rounding up our girls, and even Grandma, for a night at the movies, where their brilliance on screen proved their faces weren’t their only works of art.
16. May 2004: Diana Ross and Tracee Ellis Ross
Talk about a dynasty of greatness. On this cover, Diana Ross and Tracee Ellis Ross appear skin to skin, giving us a close-up of a legacy passed from one generation to the next. This mother-daughter duo has given Black American culture decades of unforgettable entertainment and, let’s be honest, closets we’d swap out for in a second.
We already told you how we feel about Diana, but the fact that she actually birthed one of our collective favorites, who will forever be our girlfriend, makes this one even sweeter. Tracee was riding high on the success of "Girlfriends," where Joan Clayton made her a household name in her own right, giving us plenty to examine about ourselves and our friendships.
17. June 2004: Beyoncé, Janet Jackson, and Mary J. Blige
ESSENCE was not playing with the legendary linkups in 2004, labeling this cover “Triple Platinum”! Beyoncé, Janet, & Mary at the Top of Their Game." This three-piece felt like a fever dream, but it actually happened.
Around the time of the cover, Janet Jackson had shown yet again why she was always that girl with the release of her eighth studio album, Damita Jo; Beyoncé was riding high on the success of her first solo album, Dangerously in Love; and Mary J. Blige was preparing to hit the road in support of her sixth studio album, Love & Life. Three superstars and one unforgettable cover.
18. September 2006: Beyoncé
It was all of our “B’Days” when ESSENCE dropped this cover on the heels of her sophomore album, B’Day. Beyoncé was just 24 years old, stepping into a pivotal new chapter of her career. With one hand placed in her signature blonde tresses and a bedazzled silver gown fit for a future queen, Bey gave us the sultriness, the star power, and a peek into the icon she was becoming.
19. January 2009: Barack and Michelle Obama dual cover
ESSENCE ushered in a new era with a dual cover featuring Black America’s forever president and first lady, Barack and Michelle Obama. We cannot overstate how monumental this moment felt as we stood on the brink of President-elect Obama’s historic inauguration. ESSENCE had us covered beyond the cover, too, with a 56-page tribute capturing what this moment meant for us, both then and always. If you kept your copy, you already know: that one belongs in the archives.
20. December 2010: The 'For Colored Girls' cast
By now, we’ve established that we love a group cover. The For Colored Girls cast of Thandie Newton, Whoopi Goldberg, Kimberly Elise, Phylicia Rashad, Tessa Thompson, Anika Noni Rose, Janet Jackson, Kerry Washington, and Loretta Devine distinctively stood out, donning jewel-like and angelic hues.
Tyler Perry’s Hollywood adaptation of Ntozake Shange’s play, “For Colored Girls Who Have Considered Suicide When the Rainbow is Enuf,” brought this ensemble of Black women avengers together to give us a masterclass in acting chops and quotes we’re still reciting.
“I want this film to awaken people to the power of Black actresses,” said Rose. “I want people to know there are things that Black women go through that aren’t slavery or Hip Hop. I want people to know Black women as Americans.”
21. July 2013: Serena Williams
ESSENCE covers have never shied away from celebrating Black bodies in all their beautiful, powerful, and versatile forms. So, for the magazine’s “Body Issue,” they tapped none other than Serena Williams, the world’s No. 1-ranked women’s tennis player at the time. At 31 years old, Williams opened up about her body, sharing that she felt healthier and that her body had “never felt better.”
The Olympic gold medalist also celebrated the growing number of women embracing their bodies: “Now there are way more people who feel comfortable with themselves, and they’re saying, ‘I’m a woman, and this is what I look like.’ I always say, ‘We’re popular now! We’re finally in style!’”
22. May 2015: The “Game Changers”
Before we ever see our favorites on screen, there’s a team at the helm of creativity and production. Any day, give me these creative bosses: Issa Rae, Ava DuVernay, Debbie Allen, Mara Brock Akil, and Shonda Rhimes. Our very own powerhouses, all dressed in white, appeared on ESSENCE’s “Game Changers" issue cover. Thanks to these ladies, you could find us in the house for days sopping up the characters we’ve all invested in over the years.
Allen, and you know how we feel about "A Different World," said this about the palpable moment for women. “It is wide open and for the taking,” the dancer-turned-director noted. “When I first started, there were no women in the room, there were no Black people in the room.” As fellow cover girl Issa Rae coined, we’re “rooting for everybody Black.”
23. December 2017/January 2018: Kofi Siriboe
Actor Kofi Siriboe had us at that infamous eye-lock from a New Orleans balcony in the box-office hit Girls Trip. Before then, Siriboe had us glued to our screens as Ralph Angel on "Queen Sugar," serving up a new kind of complex, grown-man sexiness for all of us to behold. He brought the same smoulder to his cover shoot.
24. May/June 2020: Naomi Campbell
As if Naomi Campbell could get any more iconic, she gagged us during the height of the pandemic with ESSENCE’s 50th anniversary issue. While we were quarantined in bonnets and shorts, taking virtual meetings from our couches, the supermodel went to work as her own photographer for an issue celebrating a half-century of powerful representation for Black America. According to ESSENCE, Campbell did her own hair, makeup, and styling. But that’s not all. The entire self-portrait was shot on an iPhone.
25. November/December 2020: Zendaya
In this winter digital cover, actress Zendaya is captured in black and white — fresh off becoming the youngest Primetime Emmy winner for Outstanding Lead Actress in a Drama Series in history. Whether capturing our hearts as Rue, falling in love with Spider-Man, or briefly reuniting Jasmine Guy and Kadeem Hardison on "K.C. Undercover," Zendaya has shown agility across the arts at a remarkably young age. “Seeing Black women win, in any form, brings me joy,” Zendaya reflected.
26. January/February 2021: Rihanna
Anytime Rihanna comes front and center, you already know we’re looking. This time, the young legend wowed us in a way only Rihanna could, joining forces with renowned contemporary artist Lorna Simpson to “interpret modern-day beauty.” The collaboration resulted in a series of original photographic collages for the cover and a 12-page portfolio entitled Of Earth & Sky. “As an artist, I’m able to deliver these unusual images of someone who is so well-known and so recognizable,” Simpson shared.
27. November/December 2021: Simone Biles
To round out ESSENCE’s “Year of Radical Self-Care,” the Olympics GOAT, Simone Biles, appeared in a special three-cover edition of the magazine alongside Lizzo and Nikole Hannah-Jones. That year, the multi-gold medalist made headlines when she withdrew from several events at the Tokyo Olympics, prioritizing her mental health and well-being after experiencing the “twisties.” As Biles told ESSENCE, “Take care of yourself first. You’re more than any medal that you could ever win,” a message that became defining of how we prioritize self-care over the pressure to perform.
28. March/April 2022: Niecy Nash and Jessica Betts
One of our favorite television actresses, Niecy Nash, and her wife, Jessica Betts, made history as the first same-sex couple to grace an ESSENCE cover. Their issue was a beautiful celebration of love, with Nash making it clear that when it came to Jessica, gender was never the point. “What I was and am still attracted to is Jessica’s soul,” Nash professed. “She was the most beautiful soul I had ever met in my life. Now that I’ve experienced it, I can’t imagine going through life without it.”
29. November/December 2023: 'The Color Purple' Cast
“Ain’t No Ocean, Ain’t No Sea” could keep us from leaving the revitalized The Color Purple cast off this list. Media maven and OG The Color Purple cast member Oprah Winfrey joined Fantasia, H.E.R., Danielle Brooks, and Taraji P. Henson to bring sophisticated glamour to ESSENCE’s annual holiday issue. Together, they honored the legacy of a beloved classic.
30. September/October 2024: Kamala Harris (Collector’s Edition)
Don’t take our word for it. Then-Vice President Kamala Harris told ESSENCE exactly who she was and where she stood: “I am a wife. We have children. I am a Godmommy. I am an auntie. I am a best friend. I am a good cook. I am a fighter for the people. I care about the people.”
ESSENCE spoke with Harris just weeks shy of a pivotal moment in U.S. political history — Harris’s 107-day presidential campaign. By the time the article was published, Harris had become the presumptive Democratic presidential nominee, making this cover an instant historic snapshot.
31. Fall/Winter 2025: Brandy and Monica
This iconic cover cemented the fact that we never had to choose between Brandy and Monica. (Although, let’s be clear: at karaoke, you still have to pick a side.) ESSENCE proclaimed “the moment is theirs” after fulfilling our wildest dreams with the highly anticipated “The Boy Is Mine Tour.”
We've witnessed their friendship stand the test of time and their genuine respect for each other’s legendary crafts blossom. The ladies have shown us what healing looks like in real time. “This tour feels like a chance to share the stage in a way that is deeply connected to who we are now,” said Monica.