From Our Editor-in-Chief: Welcome to the 2025 World's Most Beautiful Issue

Yahoo

24-04-2025

One of my first memories working at PEOPLE was the night the 50 Most Beautiful People issue was set to ship, back in 2005. The managing editor at the time had Julia Roberts on the cover, but reporting had just come in confirming that Brad Pitt and Angelina Jolie were a couple after his split from Jennifer Aniston earlier that year.
There was talk of running it as the cover instead but people were divided, so the editor hung the two mocked-up options outside her office and invited the entire staff to vote on which should run, including me, then just an editorial assistant.
I voted for the Julia Roberts cover and I remember her being shocked that so many young staffers were choosing the annual franchise over a splashy news moment. 'People wait for this all year!' I remember saying. We ran Julia as the cover.
Related: See Every Celebrity PEOPLE Named the World's Most Beautiful — and Who Got the Honor in 2025
It's been called a lot of things during the 35 years we've had this franchise: 50 Most Beautiful People (with men in the mix too!), World's Most Beautiful, the Beautiful Issue or just 'beauties,' as we all internally reference it. But the spirit of this issue remains the same.
We're taking a look at stars who have dominated the cultural conversation. We're examining and challenging the cultural beauty standards that so many people grapple with. And we're celebrating the determination and inner strength that is what really shines through on the screen for these women.
I couldn't be more excited for this year's cover star, Demi Moore. Last year, her film, The Substance, took a visceral look at Hollywood's toxic obsession with youth, earning her a Golden Globe and a Screen Actors Guild Award. It also forced her to face her own years-long journey towards self-acceptance.
'Demi admitted she has been through a lot of pain and growth to get to this place in her life where she's now found true peace of mind about who she is and what she wants,' says editor at large Julie Jordan, who has done the 'beauties' cover interview 16 times.
'It's hard not to be starstruck even though I've been doing this so long because these women are truly stunning (never mind the smoke and mirrors of a shoot). I'm always grateful that they seem very normal with the same insecurities most of us have and more than appreciative for being given the cover.'
This year is also an exciting moment for the franchise. We are debuting it on PEOPLE's brand new app, where you can see a fun motion version of the cover. The PEOPLE App will also feature exclusive behind-the-scenes content from all our shoots, including a full, podcast-style video of Julie's cover interview with Demi, and will be the only place where you can watch People's brand-new reality show, The Fourth Wall, which will drop three new episodes every week.
Related: Meet the Cast of PEOPLE's Short-Form Reality Show The Fourth Wall
This week you'll get an exclusive inside look at the making of the 'beauties' issue featuring PEOPLE staffers throughout the ranks spilling the tea. I hope you enjoy this year's issue everywhere it lives: in print, online, on social, on YouTube and on the PEOPLE App.
Keep reading, clicking and watching!
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