--- description: Jonathan Van Ness, hairstylist and public figure of 'Queer Eye' fame, is Cosmopolitan UK's first non-female cover star in 35 years. title: British 'Cosmopolitan' Debuts First Non-Female Cover Star in Over 30 Years image: https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/blt7dda97aa13beddbc/698a06da8fd2eee82e3608d3/jonathan-van-ness-cosmo-cover.jpg?branch=production&width=3840&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=16:9 ---  * [Newsfeed](/tag/time-section-newsfeed/) ## Newsfeed Update your preferences in [Account Settings](/account/preferences/) Close # British _Cosmopolitan_ Announces Its First 'Non-Female' Cover Star In Over 30 Years  by [Cady Lang](/author/cady-lang/)  ## Cady Lang Update your preferences in [Account Settings](/account/preferences/) Close Dec 2, 2019 8:58 PM CUT  Jonathan Van Ness performs onstage at the 2019 Clusterfest on June 22, 2019 in San Francisco, California. Jonathan Van Ness performs onstage at the 2019 Clusterfest on June 22, 2019 in San Francisco, California.Jeff Kravitz—FilmMagic/Getty Images  by [Cady Lang](/author/cady-lang/)  ## Cady Lang Update your preferences in [Account Settings](/account/preferences/) Close Dec 2, 2019 8:58 PM CUT _Cosmopolitan_ UK debuts its first solo non-female cover star in 35 years, with its January 2020 cover highlighting [Jonathan Van Ness](https://time.com/5311959/jonathan-van-ness/ "undefined"), the beloved grooming expert on Netflix’s [_Queer Eye_](https://time.com/5311979/queer-eye-season-two/ "undefined"). In the cover image, Van Ness, who identifies as [non-binary](https://time.com/4703309/gender-sexuality-changing/ "undefined") and uses male pronouns, sports a voluminous orange and pink tulle [Christian Siriano](https://time.com/4725373/christian-siriano-interview/ "undefined") gown with a ruffled, off-the-shoulder neckline, paired with Nike sneakers with striped tube socks. “Jonathan Van Ness: Yep, we did it. You’re totally welcome,” the magazine’s cover line reads. While the British boy band One Direction fronted _Cosmopolitan_ UK in Dec. 2012, Van Ness is the first non-female-identifying figure to land the cover on their own since Boy George in 1984. _Cosmopolitan_ UK editor-in-chief Claire Hodgson tells TIME the choice to feature Van Ness is a way to represent the magazine’s diverse readership. “Jonathan is warm, funny, opinionated, kind and brave, all qualities that resonate with our audience,” Hodgson says. “He is encouraging people to love who they are, which is at the heart of what our brand stands for – we could all do with a little more self-love in our lives.” Van Ness shared the cover image on his personal Instagram account, along with the caption, “My body is ready 💗 1st non Female cover star of [@cosmopolitanuk](https://www.instagram.com/cosmopolitanuk/ "undefined") in 35 YEARS 🏳️‍🌈.” _Cosmopolitan_ U.S. featured actor Charles Melton on their April 2019 cover along with Yara Shahidi, in promotion of their movie _The Sun Is Also a Star_. _Cosmo_ is also well-known for its male centerfolds from the 70s and 80s; the magazine did not immediately respond to a request for comment on whether it has featured a non-female celeb on its cover solo. This isn’t the first time that Van Ness has broken boundaries and smashed gender-normative stereotypes; the _Queer Eye_ star has worn dresses on multiple red carpets and public appearances, [wrote candidly about being HIV-positive](https://time.com/5683249/queer-eye-jonathan-van-ness-h-i-v-positive/ "undefined") in his recent memoir, and recently became [Essie nail polish’s first non-female brand ambassador.](https://www.glamour.com/story/jonathan-van-ness-is-essie-first-non-female-brand-ambassador "undefined") _This article has been updated with details of Boy George’s 1984_ Cosmo U.K. _cover, 35 years prior to Van Ness’s._ ```json [{"@context":"https://schema.org","@type":"NewsArticle","@id":"https://time.com/5742588/jonathan-van-ness-cosmopolitan-cover/","mainEntityOfPage":{"@type":"WebPage","@id":"https://time.com/5742588/jonathan-van-ness-cosmopolitan-cover/"},"headline":"British Cosmopolitan Announces Its First 'Non-Female' Cover Star In Over 30 Years","datePublished":"2019-12-02T20:58:22.000Z","dateModified":"2026-04-13T08:01:05.517Z","description":"Jonathan Van Ness, hairstylist and public figure of 'Queer Eye' fame, is Cosmopolitan UK's first non-female cover star in 35 years.","url":"https://time.com/5742588/jonathan-van-ness-cosmopolitan-cover/","keywords":["Newsfeed","celebrities","onetime"],"thumbnailUrl":"https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/blt7dda97aa13beddbc/698a06da8fd2eee82e3608d3/jonathan-van-ness-cosmo-cover.jpg?branch=production&width=1200&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=1200:675&height=675","author":[{"@type":"Person","name":"Cady Lang","jobTitle":null,"url":"https://time.com/author/cady-lang/"}],"articleSection":"","image":[{"@type":"ImageObject","url":"https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/blt7dda97aa13beddbc/698a06da8fd2eee82e3608d3/jonathan-van-ness-cosmo-cover.jpg?branch=production&width=1200&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=1200:675&height=675","width":1200,"height":675,"headline":"Jonathan Van Ness","caption":"Jonathan Van Ness","creditText":"Jeff Kravitz—FilmMagic/Getty Images","representativeOfPage":true}],"publisher":{"@type":"Organization","name":"Time","url":"https://time.com/","logo":{"@type":"ImageObject","url":"https://time.com/images/logo.png","width":528,"height":156},"foundingDate":"March 3, 1923","sameAs":["https://www.facebook.com/time","https://www.instagram.com/time/?hl=en","https://twitter.com/time","https://www.pinterest.com/timemagazine"]}},{"@context":"https://schema.org","@type":"BreadcrumbList","itemListElement":[{"@type":"ListItem","position":1,"item":{"@id":"/tag/time-section-newsfeed/","name":"Newsfeed"}},{"@type":"ListItem","position":2,"item":{"@id":"https://time.com/5742588/jonathan-van-ness-cosmopolitan-cover/","name":"British Cosmopolitan Announces Its First 'Non-Female' Cover Star In Over 30 Years"}}]}] ```