I'm a little surprised that everyone is so shocked by her appearing on the cover - it was downright predictable! The past January issues specifically have had women like Greta Gerwig, Frances McDormand, and Stella McCartney on the cover - certainly successful and famous women, but not exactly typical cover-girls. In fact the past year or so has seen a poet, 3 plus sized models, a vice president, a trans model, 4 or 5 women over 50, etc. all appear on the cover of American Vogue. I know it's a brave new world, but is an acclaimed and beautiful white 30-something Hollywood actress/director nabbing a cover such a shock?
Olivia has been typical cover-girl material for years. I'm sure she's been on Elle, In Style (she was one of their "Badass Women" covers recently), Harpers Bazaar, Allure, Glamour, all the usual suspects, but despite starring on a hit TV show, writing and directing a hit film, being in multiple major Hollywood movies (and working with people like Scorsese, Clint Eastwood, etc. in the process), and amassing a good sized fan base (she has millions of followers on Instagram, for example), Anna never gave her a cover. Now she has one, so the cynic in me might say Harry's the reason, but I don't think it's that cut and dried. She met Harry *because* she was doing so well that she was able to cast him along with a slew of other in-demand stars in the new film she wrote and directed. She's starring in a new Oscar-buzz type movie from the director of La La Land with Brad Pitt and Margot Robbie out in 2022, she's attached to direct a new Marvel film. Her career is on fire. Ironically, the Harry Styles fanbase really hates her (typical toxic stan behavior) so while Vogue may be capitalizing on the press she'll get because of her dating life (there's already stories about her all over today, all linking back to Vogue) I don't think they're relying on Harry's fan base to buy this issue. She brought her a-game to the shoot, and she has an enviable career that only seems to be gaining steam.
