Vogue US, who should be next? Nicki Minaj and Alton Mason

Anyone involved in the fashion industry knows the importance of Vogue. The revered magazine is a dictator of taste and style within the fashion industry, and you haven't truly made it in fashion if you haven't made it in Vogue. Vogue US, helmed by editor-in-chief Anna Wintour since 1988, is one of the big four, alongside British Vogue, Vogue Italia, and Vogue France (Paris). Being asked to cover any of these four is a testament to how impactful a person has been, and while it is true that models make up for most of the cover stars, here's whom I believe has made such a transcending impact on the fashion industry that they should have been long given a Vogue US cover.

The strongest contender is Rap Icon, Nicki Minaj. Minaj has been part of mainstream media since 2010. While she is credited for completely reshaping what it means to be a female rapper and bringing female rap to unforeseen heights and new standards, her impact on the fashion industry shouldn't be neglected. When Nicki debuted, she marketed herself with a unique campy look: leopard print wigs, ice cream cone necklaces, mouth masks, and much more... This showcased how the rapper wasn't scared to take risks which caught the eye of Anna Wintour, who later invited Minaj to a charity event during fashion week (2011).

While these campy and colorful looks were eyecatchers; and opened the door for other female rappers to explore self-expression through fashion more, by the time she was ready to release her third album 'The PinkPrint' Minaj opted for a more toned-down look. Around this time, she started working with stylist Rushka Bergman, who was involved with Vogue L'UOMO (the male version of Vogue Italia). Minaj appeared on the cover of the October issue as we had never seen her before.

But we couldn't discuss Nicki Minaj and fashion without looking at her 2017 - 2019 ventures. Nicki started strong in 2017, signing a modeling contract with Wilhelmina Models. This was also the year the 'Nicki Challenge' became a thing. Nicki was seen boarding her jet with jet-black inches (of hair) that almost touched the floor. She continued this hairstyle which only became longer and longer. This sparked the interest of the late Karl Lagerfeld, who invited her to be on the cover of ELLE in July 2018.

This is also the year the rapper released her comeback single 'Chun Li.' In the song, she raps about 'Fendi prints on'; this boosted Fendi's sales and popularity to such a peak that Silvia Venturini Fendi invited Nicki to collaborate with the Fashion House. The 'Fendi Prints On' capsule collection was later released in 2019 and almost instantly sold out.

I must argue that these are no small feats; her impact on the fashion industry shouldn't be minimized. Vogue US has seen several less impactful cover stars. Minaj being a hip-hop artist is mainly why she hasn't been on the cover yet. Most Vogue US cover stars are models, pop stars, and moguls. I would argue that Minaj is also all of those things. She's spoken about the neglect herself on Joe Budden's podcast. She feels she more than deserves to have been asked to cover the magazine at least once.

While 'Supermodel' is an almost exclusive female title, if there's a male model who'd come close to the title, it's him.

Alton Mason has been building his career since he debuted for Yeezy and is arguably the most iconic male model. He was the first black male model to walk for Chanel, made the Forbes 30 under 30 list in 2021, and recently starred in the Elvis biopic alongside Austin Butler. Harry Styles made history as the first solo man to appear on the cover of Vogue US in 2020, and no man has appeared on a solo cover since. I would argue that it's only fair for Alton to receive a solo cover.

Vogue US has received negative feedback in the last few years for not presenting enough models with a cover and favoring celebrities. I understand that Vogue is doing whatever sells at the moment, but there's no reason why a single person should receive five offers while the next one is neglected simply one.