It’s finally here: Beyoncé‘s September cover of Vogue magazine is out since yesterday, and it might just be her most authentic and real photo shoot and interview yet. Ever since the world heard that she would have complete control over the September issue, everybody just held their breath until it was out. On Monday, Vogue debuted the inside images and cover, both shot by Vogue’s first Black cover photographer in its 126-year history: 23-year-old Tyler Mitchell.
The young artist has already made history with his debut alongside the “queen”, by putting Beyoncé in a rare light, different than everything we have seen so far. Minimal make-up courtesy to her longtime makeup artist Sir John, natural hair in braids, accessorised with big lush flowers on her head.
The look was meant to impart a deeper message: “I think it’s important for women and men to see and appreciate the beauty in their natural bodies,” she says in her cover story “That’s why I stripped away the wigs and hair extensions and used little makeup for this shoot.”
But the best part about this issue: the real talk. Beyoncé, in her own words, gets real about body acceptance, society pressures, her own family legacy, and much more in the September issue.
“After the birth of my first child, I believed in the things society said about how my body should look. I put pressure on myself to lose all the baby weight in three months, and scheduled a small tour to assure I would do it. Looking back, that was crazy. I was still breastfeeding when I performed the Revel shows in Atlantic City in 2012.”
“After the twins, I approached things very differently. I was 218 pounds the day I gave birth to Rumi and Sir. I was swollen from toxemia and had been on bed rest for over a month. My health and my babies’ health were in danger, so I had an emergency C-section. We spent many weeks in the NICU. My husband was a soldier and such a strong support system for me. I am proud to have been a witness to his strength and evolution as a man, a best friend, and a father. I was in survival mode and did not grasp it all until months later. Today I have a connection to any parent who has been through such an experience. After the C-section, my core felt different. It had been through major surgery. Some of your organs are shifted temporarily, and in rare cases, removed temporarily during delivery. I am not sure everyone understands that. I needed time to heal, to recover. During my recovery, I gave myself self-love and self-care, and I embraced being curvier. I accepted what my body wanted to be. After six months, I started preparing for Coachella. I became vegan temporarily, gave up coffee, alcohol, and all fruit drinks. But I was patient with myself and enjoyed my fuller curves. My kids and husband did, too. I think it’s important for women and men to see and appreciate the beauty in their natural bodies. To this day my arms, shoulders, breasts, and thighs are fuller. I have a little mommy pouch, and I’m in no rush to get rid of it. I think it’s real. Whenever I’m ready to get a six-pack, I will go into beast zone and work my ass off until I have it. But right now, my little FUPA and I feel like we are meant to be.”
What a refreshing, empowering and loving moment in time.