What If History’s Greatest Monsters Had a ‘Stylist’ Cover Too?

This morning, Stylist put French fascist du jour Marie Le Pen on its cover, with the line “WARNING: Contains views and policies that some liberal, modern women will find disturbing.”

Initial outcry was predictable: Stylist, the critics said – essentially a L’Oreal brochure featuring the occasional interview with an inspiring woman about the schedule of her working day – should not be dabbling in the dangerously political like this.

But is this the first time Stylist has put a fascist on its cover? It is not: thanks to an unnamed whistleblower, VICE is proud to reveal for the first time that, actually, the magazine has a long history of this sort of thing. Here are just a few choice cuts from the archives:

DAVID DUKE – MARCH, 1997

FEATURES INCLUDE:

– The best moisturiser for ageing skin;
– Naomi Campbell: What’s in Your Fridge?;
– The Grandest Wizard: How Racism Swapped Cloaks For Suits;

ENOCH POWELL – APRIL, 1968

FEATURES INCLUDE:

– Ageing skin: what’s the best moisturiser for you?
– That Hippy Look: flower crowns for every occasion!
– British Bad Boy: Dipping a Toe in Enoch’s River of Blood

ROBERT MUGABE – AUGUST, 2014

FEATURES INCLUDE:

– Signs of Skin Ageing: the best moisturiser for your age
– Zoella: We Can’t Decide if She’s Good or Bad or What But We Know That For Some Reason We Hate Her
– Mugabe at 90: Famine, Finances & A FAB-U-LOUS Moustache!

BENITO MUSSOLINI – JUNE, 1942

FEATURES INCLUDE:

– Know Your Skin Age: take our quiz to find out how old your skin REALLY is (and what moisturiser you need to use to combat it!)
– Drawing Your Tights On with a Pencil – Feminist Statement?
– CHOO, CHOO! Catching Up With Italy’s Dashing, Outspoken PM

STEVEN BANNON – NOVEMBER, 2016

FEATURES INCLUDE:

– The Future of Your Skin: what moisturisers we’ll be using in 2026 (and how you needn’t worry about signs of ageing!)
– How Many Instagram Followers is TOO Many Instagram Followers?
– Breit Young Thing: How One Website’s Editor Ended Up Basically Being the President… Without Once Taking a Shower!

ADOLF HITLER – MARCH 1932

FEATURES INCLUDE:

– Which Tub of Vaseline Should You Moisturise With if Your Skin is Ageing?
– How to Meet a Man When Every Single Eligible Bachelor Died in the War
– Heads Up, Europe: Adolf Hitler Isn’t Afraid to Say What He Thinks!

JOSEPH GOEBBELS – MAY 1941

FEATURES INCLUDE:

– Tired Skin? We Don’t Really Know What To Do About That
– Six Ways with Potatoes!
– Joseph Goebbels: How This German MP Had a Difficult Childhood, And Why We Should All Be Nice to Him as a Result

POL POT, JUNE 1988

FEATURES INCLUDE:

– 100 Signs Your Skin is Ageing Beneath You
– Let’s Spray A Load of CFCs Into the Air and Hope For the Best
– Potty 2 Hotty: Touring Skull Mountain with Cambodia’s Most Provocative General Secretary

UPDATE: Since publishing this article, Stylist released a statement explaining why they put Le Pen on the cover, saying: “Stylist vehemently does not support [Marine Le Pen] or her views, and any misinterpretation of our stance on Marine Le Pen is regrettable and unintended.”