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alternate history

What If History's Greatest Monsters Had a 'Stylist' Cover Too?

How the free fashion rag might have depicted Hitler, Pol Pot and Mussolini.

This morning, Stylist put French fascist du jour Marie Le Pen on its cover, with the line "WARNING: Contains views and policies that some liberal, modern women will find disturbing."

Initial outcry was predictable: Stylist, the critics said – essentially a L'Oreal brochure featuring the occasional interview with an inspiring woman about the schedule of her working day – should not be dabbling in the dangerously political like this.

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But is this the first time Stylist has put a fascist on its cover? It is not: thanks to an unnamed whistleblower, VICE is proud to reveal for the first time that, actually, the magazine has a long history of this sort of thing. Here are just a few choice cuts from the archives:

DAVID DUKE – MARCH, 1997

– The best moisturiser for ageing skin;
– Naomi Campbell: What's in Your Fridge?;
– The Grandest Wizard: How Racism Swapped Cloaks For Suits;

ENOCH POWELL – APRIL, 1968

– Ageing skin: what's the best moisturiser for you?
– That Hippy Look: flower crowns for every occasion!
– British Bad Boy: Dipping a Toe in Enoch's River of Blood

ROBERT MUGABE – AUGUST, 2014

– Signs of Skin Ageing: the best moisturiser for your age
– Zoella: We Can't Decide if She's Good or Bad or What But We Know That For Some Reason We Hate Her
– Mugabe at 90: Famine, Finances & A FAB-U-LOUS Moustache!

BENITO MUSSOLINI – JUNE, 1942

– Know Your Skin Age: take our quiz to find out how old your skin REALLY is (and what moisturiser you need to use to combat it!)
– Drawing Your Tights On with a Pencil – Feminist Statement?
– CHOO, CHOO! Catching Up With Italy's Dashing, Outspoken PM

STEVEN BANNON – NOVEMBER, 2016

– The Future of Your Skin: what moisturisers we'll be using in 2026 (and how you needn't worry about signs of ageing!)
– How Many Instagram Followers is TOO Many Instagram Followers?
– Breit Young Thing: How One Website's Editor Ended Up Basically Being the President… Without Once Taking a Shower!

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ADOLF HITLER – MARCH 1932

– Which Tub of Vaseline Should You Moisturise With if Your Skin is Ageing?
– How to Meet a Man When Every Single Eligible Bachelor Died in the War
– Heads Up, Europe: Adolf Hitler Isn't Afraid to Say What He Thinks!

JOSEPH GOEBBELS – MAY 1941

– Tired Skin? We Don't Really Know What To Do About That
– Six Ways with Potatoes!
– Joseph Goebbels: How This German MP Had a Difficult Childhood, And Why We Should All Be Nice to Him as a Result

POL POT, JUNE 1988

– 100 Signs Your Skin is Ageing Beneath You
– Let's Spray A Load of CFCs Into the Air and Hope For the Best
– Potty 2 Hotty: Touring Skull Mountain with Cambodia's Most Provocative General Secretary

UPDATE: Since publishing this article, Stylist released a statement explaining why they put Le Pen on the cover, saying: "Stylist vehemently does not support [Marine Le Pen] or her views, and any misinterpretation of our stance on Marine Le Pen is regrettable and unintended."