The Fraught History of Naming Celebrities 'World's Most Beautiful'

The Fraught History of Naming Celebrities 'World's Most Beautiful'

From Back Row with Amy Odell by Amy Odell

April 30, 2026 · 46 min

About this episode

Andrea Lavinthal discusses the complexities behind People magazine's 'World's Most Beautiful' cover and its implications for celebrity culture.

People magazine's "World's Most Beautiful" editor Andrea Lavinthal joins Back Row to go behind the scenes of the most coveted — and complicated — cover in celebrity journalism. Anne Hathaway talked to People about The Devil Wears Prada 2, her husband, and her haters. But handing out this prize isn't as easy as it might seem. Andrea breaks down how the "World's Most Beautiful" franchise has evolved since Michelle Pfeiffer in 1990 (3:28), why "most beautiful" is more fraught for women than "Sexiest Man Alive" is for men (1:51), and how much creative control a star like Anne Hathaway has over the shoot (9:33). Plus: why Gwyneth Paltrow's "Most Beautiful" cover made an editor think it would get her fired (25:54). Links & Resources 📰 SUBSCRIBE to the Back Row Newsletter for exclusive scoops and bonus podcast episodes: https://www.backrow.net/ 📸 Amy on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/instamyodell/ Mentioned in this episode: ↳ People's Anne Hathaway cover story, photographed by Jonny Marlow ↳ JFK Jr.'s "Sexiest Man Alive" cover story This episode was edited by Chrissi Harris. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

People in this episode

Host: Amy Odell

Guest: Andrea Lavinthal

Topics covered

Mentioned in this episode

Organizations: People

Books & works: The Devil Wears Prada 2

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