Words by Frances Davis

Edited by Rachel Hambly and Bailey Tolentino

(Vogue US December 2025 Issue. Source: Vogue Instagram)

This year’s December Issue of Vogue US is the culmination of Anna Wintour’s 37-year reign as Editor-in-Chief of the legendary magazine. While there weren’t clear expectations about how she would cap this period, it's fair to say the world was shocked by the outcome. The cover was revealed via an Instagram post, which received a landslide of angry, confused, and judgmental comments. Some comments equated it to the product of ChatGPT or Canva, others compared it to Temu ads for ‘space lighting’ systems, and the majority of reactions pointed out its resemblance to the outdated galaxy-print leggings of the 2010s. Fans thought it to be badly executed and poorly designed. Despite prompting much publicity, I can’t imagine this is the note Wintour intended to leave on. So… What happened, what went wrong, and how did we end up with this dramatized sci-fi version of Timothée Chalamet on the cover of Vogue?

The cover pictures Chalamet striking a pose seemingly atop planet Earth. As he glares accusingly, Stanley Kubrick style, at the viewer, a distant galaxy swirls around him. AI has flagged the background image, but it is apparently a real photo taken by NASA of an Emission Nebula and an O 6.5 Star. He is styled in an outfit shown initially on the Celine Resort 2026 runway, with slight tweaks having a large impact on the overall piece. Chalamet has long been seen as geared toward the ‘female gaze,’ often wearing more feminine clothing and not strictly adhering to masculine expectations. This shines through in the outfit: the long white coat billowing around his figure, the embroidered floral design on the jeans, the stark-white turtleneck underneath. However, the look is then paired by Vogue stylist Eric McNeal with black utilitarian work boots, and by Chalamet with a buzzed head and intense stare, culminating in a bizarre, incoherent final product.

(Celine Resort 2026, Look 65. Source: Vogue)

The image of Chalamet accompanies a set by Annie Leibovitz, taken in the Nevada art installation The City, created by Michael Heizer. Of the many photos taken for the shoot, there were countless viable options for the cover: images capturing a brooding Chalamet leaning on a bike, gazing fervently out into the desert; flying through the sky, arms outstretched. His styling drastically changes from the front cover to the photographs within the magazine, going from the bright, floral Celine design to a grungy, tougher aesthetic embodied in a Tom Ford leatherwork jacket. The unaligned styling of the rest of the shoot only further overthrows any sense of coherence or clear messaging of the issue.

Not only has Vogue, as a publication, received flak for the cover, but Chalamet’s own Instagram highlights the strong adverse reaction from his fans. The comments under his post containing the images read: ‘It's official. The crush is over, ‘He has definitely lost his swag.’ The City provides an incredible backdrop, and while all might not have loved the other photographs, they were at least interesting, atmospheric, and distinctively editorial— all qualities of strong covers. I could easily envisage any one of the other images as a cover, which begs the question: why were they not chosen?

Chalamet at ‘The City’. Source: Leibovitz’s Instagram

To fully grasp this cover, I think it’s critical to understand Chalamet’s career and how the internet’s perception of him has been increasingly challenged in the past couple of months. In this issue’s accompanying interview, Chalamet announced his belief that ‘procreation is the reason we’re here.’ He goes on to voice his opinion on the child-free life as “bleak,” a sentiment that fell flat with the millions of women listening. Displaying public disapproval of the choice not to have children, especially following the overturning of Roe v. Wade, was a shock to many Chalamet fans, many of whom adore him for his roles of emotionally considerate men in Call Me By Your Name (2017), Beautiful Boy (2018), and Little Women (2019). Popular especially amongst teens and young adults, these films notably address complex themes, and instate the young actor as a feminist and modern man. In his older interviews, Chalamet proves himself an eloquent, mature, reflective character: qualities that only added fuel to his fame. His relationship with Kylie Jenner proved somewhat of a shock to his fan base when it began two years ago, and this new tidbit on procreation has only further conflicted how many women perceive him. While his deal to be December’s cover feature was certainly cemented before the controversy developed, it has left people questioning what Vogue US is doing and where they are heading as what the NYT calls ‘America’s weightiest fashion publication’.

British Vogue 2022 Oct Issue. Source: British Vogue)

The December 2025 Issue is not Chalamet’s first cover feature; In fact, he was on the cover of British Vogue only 3 years ago. However, the portrayal of the actor in that shoot is entirely different, save for the piercing stare into the camera. This December’s issue has his hair, once curly and vivacious, buzzed down. His posture is hunched over, long gone are the delicate necklaces and pearls, and the once plain background is now full of superimposed, swirling nebulae. Even the 2022 cover’s subtitle, ‘Mad About the Boy,’ highlights the difference between his persona then and now. Once portrayed as a young, talented heartthrob, his facade has undergone significant remodeling since. Chalamet certainly embodies his roles, as his street style repeatedly shows, matching the themes of his upcoming movies. Maybe the December cover can be chalked up to promoting his forthcoming role in the A24 film, Marty Supreme, a hustling ping pong player fighting for global fame. Since his style ebbs and flows with passing jobs, it is unclear which version of Chalamet is truest to himself. Nonetheless, there is something about this Vogue cover that is especially disconcerting.

Chalamet is no newcomer to Hollywood and has spent most of his youth and adult life under public and press scrutiny. Engaging lightly with method acting, Chalamet has embodied and moulded into many different characters in recent years. What may or may not be his ‘true self’ is hard to determine from an outsider’s perspective, and to confirm whether his 2022 or 2025 cover is more representative of his persona is rather impossible. The public has a particular image of who Chalamet is in their minds, pieced together from the plethora of content published about him and based on little to no real information. Perhaps part of the negative reaction to the cover stemmed from the public’s inability to recognize him as a real person, one who changes with age and experience. Fans prefer to see him as an artsy film snob, and this image was tarnished by his relationship with Kylie Jenner, which is a product of misogyny, but that’s a whole different issue. Chalamet has frequently raved about Jenner as a loving mother, praising her dedication to family and children. This new relationship has likely impacted him — as most serious, adult relationships do — and her own perspective on motherhood has rubbed off on him. Moreover, since he hadn’t been faced with this line of questioning earlier in his career, it’s possible these opinions of his aren’t even new. It is most likely that his comments on procreation emerged simply due to his appreciation for his partner and recent proximity to her children.

Chalamet is quoted on the cover, expressing that his superpower is his fearlessness, and honestly, I’m inclined to take his word for it. This cover piece is definitely one to cause uncertainty, but he has taken the publication and media’s reaction in stride. Perhaps we can take this odd cover for what it is — off the beaten path — and use it as encouragement to all be a bit more fearless going forward.

Chalamet at ‘The City’. Source: Instagram

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