A breath of fresh air...

So, magazines aren't usually my main area of obsession. It probably has something to do with being bored by American pubs and the fact that the European editions are so insanely expensive over on this side of the pond. And even those European mags are getting a little predictable. But I digress...

The American mags seem to constantly feature the same small group of celebs on the covers, occasionally throwing a curveball into the mix. It's become almost cyclical. Nicole Kidman, Jennifer Aniston, Drew Barrymore, Angelina Jolie, Kate Hudson....they all appear with some regularity on the cover of mags like Vogue, Bazaar and W. Then there are the curveballs, like October's Vogue cover girl Rachel Weitz (a fabulous choice in my opinion).

The December W cover has been unveiled and features *drumroll please*....

Now, I have to say, I don't love the cover photo. I don't think it's the best she's ever looked, and there were two other photos that would've made better covers, namely this one or this one. The first is very dramatic, and I will always love b&w for close up portraits. The second has the sort of sex kitteny appeal that the actual cover was going for, it's just a better shot.

That said, I do like the choice of celeb for a few reasons. First, she is a pretty girl, not stunning, but she has a certain something. Second, she's not one of the many young celebs that are constantly splashed across the tabloids because she made out with her friend's sleezy ex-bf, got drunk at a club, passed out and woke up with her lady bits exposed in a pool of her own sick....or something along those lines. That's a quality that should not be underappreciated in this day and age. But most importantly, she's someone new. Unless my memory fails me, she's never been on the cover of a fashion mag, so in that way she's an unexpected breath of fresh air. The fact that I'm addicted to the show she's on barely even enters into the equation.

So that's why I was a little surprised to see the vitriolic comments about the cover on the Fashion Spot. I mean, this is a crowd (myself included) that calls for Anna Wintour or Glenda Bailey's head on a pike when the same boring and expected celebs are featured on Vogue's and Bazaar's covers. So shouldn't there be at least minor appreciation for the fact that Lively is a new face and the W is giving us something just a little less predictable? And even if we want more from our cover subjects than just a new face, let's not forget that she is, first and foremost, pretty. If the fact that she's young, attractive and on a very popular TV show isn't enough for her to "deserve" a cover, then what is exactly? I mean, can anyone tell me the last time Drew Barrymore was considered a fashion icon, or Angelina Jolie was featured in a magazine because of her work or style instead of her personal life? Anyone?

I thought not.

I can agree with them on one thing, though. Get Ed Westwick (aka Chuck Bass) on a fashion mag pronto!!! I might be compelled to buy that.

photos from MissMagAddict at tFS via eonline.com and wmagazine.com