Rihanna's 10 Best Magazine Covers, Ranked

Image via Complex Original

Rihanna’s Fader cover is a big deal for a couple reasons. Not only was RiRi given the honor of appearing on the mag’s 100th issue, she also shot the cover image herself—which is an undeniably massive flex. The cover captures Rihanna pressing the button and taking a selfie. How many people can say their selfies appeared on the cover of the milestone issue of a magazine?

Rihanna’s winter cover of fashion magazine 032c finds her at her most gothic. The cover almost seems to be searching for a single unflattering image (impossible, btw) and were it not for her noticeable hand tattoos, the global superstar and her mullet might be totally unrecognizable. Rihanna wears an oversized Gucci coat and a large cross—or maybe “it’s a knife”—necklace. The cover came early on in the tenure of Mel Ottenberg, who is Rihanna’s longtime stylist, as 032c’s fashion director. The singer was apparently off the leash in terms of creative control and allowed to be herself during the shoot. “Thank you @032C for the creative freedom you let me have in this shoot!!!” she tweeted at the time.

Tuesday's W cover is an instant contender for one of Rihanna's best. The singer's face is given another dimension—pun intended—with gaudy jewelry, including a big, brash gold piece that is essentially a crown for her eye. Streaks of gold, that look like tears, travel down to diamond-encrusted lips and a massive bangle hanging from her lip piercing. The striking cover won't be one you forget anytime soon. 

Rihanna was selected to cover AnOther Mag’s tribute issue to Alexander McQueen. The singer covers the outlet’s spring/summer 2015 issue in a black mask designed by makeup artist Pat McGrath, similar to the ones worn during the most recent McQueen presentation at the time. The blunt bangs are striking, and the black-and-white imagery really channels McQueen's trademark gloomy demeanor. 

In October of last year, Rihanna covered an issue of T Magazine called “The Greats”—which is an appropriate title both for Rihanna and for this cover. Septum ring notwithstanding, it's the singer at her most simple and natural, and it allows her to look serene. The cover allows her natural beauty to shine through, as opposed to the heavily art-directed shoots the creative teams at magazines tend to push her into. 

Who could forget Rihanna’s very NSFW cover for Lui? The cover is especially noteworthy, because it reportedly started her feud with Instagram when the platform took down the singer’s image of the cover within an hour. Of course, the tiff prompted Rihanna to boycott Instagram for six months, before she returned to bless us all with memes and stick figure drawings of herself.  

Rihanna’s extensive collection of magazine covers is proof that she’s extremely versatile. She can be weird and eccentric in one, grungy in another, or, as in Vogue Brasil’s May 2014 issue, the singer is just a classic beauty.  There isn’t much to the cover beyond a close-up on Rihanna’s face, some gold jewelry, and a spotlight for her short haircut. And that's all she needs.

A far cry from what we saw from Rihanna on V is this i-D cover from just a few months earlier. Rihanna covered the mag’s pre-spring 2015 issue in braids and a dark lip color to really go all in on the ‘90s vibe. At the very least, the cover is a good reminder that trend-setting Rihanna was on the ‘90s revival wave early. 

Rihanna covers Harper’s Bazaar’s March 2015 edition just chilling in the mouth of a shark. The cover actual recreates a picture taken by Jaws director Steven Spielberg for his film’s 40th anniversary. And we’re not the only ones who love the cover. It actually won ASME’s (American Society of Magazine Editors) Fashion Cover of the Year in 2015. If there were a fashion version of an EGOT, CFDA Style Icon award-winner Rihanna surely would have claimed it by now. 

A big blonde wig and electric blue eye shadow transformed Rihanna for the 2015 Summer issue of V Magazine. And although RiRi has adopted many looks throughout the years, photographer Steven Klein was still able to capture her like we’ve never seen her before, creating a lasting, instantly classic look that can hang framed on the wall of your home as easily it fits into your magazine collection.