An old adage holds that you can’t judge a book by its cover. But magazines? That’s a different story. Magazine covers are our bright and inviting front porch, our flirty gaze from across the room, our oversize inflatable arms flapping in a windblown used-car lot. They’re the original clickbai t, explicitly conceived and shamelessly designed to get you, the brilliant potential Washingtonian reader, to buy this magazine. Pretty please? We’ve been covering Washington for 60 years. Over that time, our covers have served as something of a cultural mirror—reflecting our region’s hopes (new Presidents, finding love) and fears (ongoing crime, losing hair), our desires (sex, cheap eats) and discontents (teen sex, expensive divorces), our anxieties (money) and obsessions (also money). Along the way, we’ve picked the area’s very best restaurants, celebrated its top doctors, and sussed out its hidden gems. We’ve taught you how to complain (to get better service), how to make a million (twice!), and how to get jewelry from men (¯\_(ツ)_/¯). Oh, and we’ve also ranked Washington’s “biggest male chauvinist pigs”—you’re welcome—while boldly asking the question no one else would: Can a Bald Man Be Elected President? As we celebrate our anniversary, here’s a look back at some of our weirdest, wildest, most memorable covers—and the recurring themes that tie them together.   Subtext is for Cowards When the image says it all Thinking. Who has time for it? These covers save you the trouble. Turns out a picture really is worth a thousand words—so long as the picture features a pig-head mask, an attorney prepped for a firing squad, or an entire cereal bowl full of drugs. You wanna contemplate visual nuance? Go to the National Gallery! + August 1971 + January 1971 + September 1972 Topping our list … + October 1979 + October 1973 CAUTION … + December 2018 + November 1990 + September 1981 + September 1986 A White House Full of …   Famous Faces Not all of our celebrities work in national politics. Leafing through Washingtonian’s archives can feel like meandering down the Hollywood Walk of Fame—just swap showbiz stars for award-winning chefs, acclaimed sports figures, beloved news anchors, and (deep cut) Howard Stern. Through their talents and tribulations, these local luminaries became part of our city’s pulse—and lore. + December 1984 In the business … + June 2018 + July 2025 + July 1978 + September 1984 + August 1986 + August 1972 This is not … + July 1982 This is actually … + March 1990 + July 1994 + May 2018 Today the boxes …   Who Wants to be a Millionaire? We do! But at what cost? We stress if we have too little. Worry if we have too much. Want it, need it, chase it, celebrate it—and then ask if maybe, just maybe, it’s not worth all the trouble. Money is never far from the hearts and minds of Washingtonians, and our feelings about the almighty dollar have been consistently inconsistent. + October 1989 + October 1994 + November 2006 Does this look … + August 1974 + February 1981 + February 1998 + January 1982 Wine, jewelry, furs … + March 1985 + November 1985   Thirsty Washingtonian Our horniest covers. Awooga! Typically, our covers don’t show much skin. It’s not that we’re prudish–we just like to leave something to your imagination. But that hasn’t always been the case. Every now and then, we’re not above using sex to sell. + February 1972 The faces you make … + February 1992 + June 2021 Fevers, coughing … + October 1966 + September 1974 + June 1968 + July 1995 + June 1973 + March 1986 + December 2011 + September 1983 + May 2009 + April 1973 The watergate era …   States of Disunion Love and marriage and dueling pistols. Given our ongoing obsessions with sex and money, is it any wonder we’ve also devoted multiple covers to divorce? Sure, we’ve occasionally tried to help readers remain blissfully partnered–all the way to the afterlife, in fact (see below left)–but most of our attention, alas, has been devoted to splitsville. + November 1984 Before ChatGPT … + February 1976 DC transitioned … + March 1980 + December 2021   Kids These Days Checking in on our wayward youth Here’s how it works. You’re young, rebellious, awash in hormones, and sneaking out to parties–then, before you know it, you’re older and panicking that your children are doing the same, only now everything’s different and more terrifying, because, um, Snapchat or something. Like time itself, generational fretting is a flat circle. + May 1976 Relax … + June 1978 + September 1993 + August 2007   At Your Service We’ve always had your back–and then some As a city magazine, our core mission is to help you squeeze every last drop of self-actualization out of the place we all call home–whether you’re planning a weekend getaway or searching for a reputable dentist. Over the years, those marching orders have led us to Washington’s finest, and also down some roads less traveled. + February 1973 + December 1973 + May 1975 Wait … + April 1980 + May 1980 The secret? + November 1983 + February 1986 Genuinely … + April 1989 $495,000? + August 2004 Mobile computing … + April 2011 + November 2020   Washingtonian Regrets What were we thinking? Sure, a lot has changed in Washington since 1965. But some things have always been in questionable taste—say, repeatedly using ice-cream cones as a visual metaphor for race relations or flippantly asking feminists what they’re whining about this time (in 1973, it was probably the right to open a credit-card account). Looking back, these cringe-worthy covers are best remembered as teachable moments, with the lesson being: A thousand times no. + October 1976 + October 1986 + October 1996 Yikes. + January 1973 Our guess … + April 1982 + December 1996 Also on fire … + What Happened? November 2001 Former production manager Cathy Dobos explains: “I don’t have an actual answer, but our schedule may have led to that decision. The food cover was probably planned months ahead of time—written, photographed, ads sold to it. With only a few weeks between 9/11 and deadline, they managed to pull together the special section, but the issue would have been coming out six weeks after 9/11. So maybe the thought was that it didn’t need to be the cover shot. I do think the large type above the logo made it seem like an important story­—but comparing the two topics in hindsight, it might seem like the priorities were off balance.” The post 60 Years of Covering Washington first appeared on Washingtonian. ...read more read less