Leave it to the feministy mag addicts over at Jezebel to sit down and actually try to determine the queen of “ladymag” covers in the aughts using cold, hard numbers. We thank them for doing the yeoman’s (yeowoman’s?) work of flipping through an entire decade of Cosmo, Marie Claire, and, sniff, Jane covers, and for distilling their findings to a clear formula. First off, the cover “models” in question aren’t models at all, but the kind of smiling, wide-eyed actresses and singers you’re more likely to see in a rom-com than a runway show (ScarJo, Brit Brit, and SJP all make appearances). Since the nineties, ingénues and pop tarts have moved more newsstand sales than full-time mannequins (a trend most fashion insiders decry after a gimlet or two). Moreover, it seems that a series of highs and lows (à la Ms. Spears) has been more valuable to consistent placement over the last ten years than, let’s say, emotional stability or top-shelf taste. And what does this study yield? Who is Ms. Ladymag of the 00’s? Well, we don’t want to give away the answer, which is simultaneously surprising and clearly logical. Ms. Ladymag is, after all, America’s unofficial girlfriend. Click over for the big reveal.
