Beyoncé Unveils Her Vogue September Cover

Beyoncé debuted her cover for Vogue’s September issue Monday morning, after gaining full guest editorial control of the iconic edition and hiring the first black cover photographer in its 126-year history. The superstar did not give an interview to the magazine, but instead penned her own long-form captions to accompany her photos. In them, she spoke first about her struggle to accept her body after her difficult pregnancy with twins, and noted that she went back on tour in an effort to lose the weight. But eventually, she said, she regained her signature confidence. “Whenever I’m ready to get a six-pack, I will go into beast zone and work my ass off until I have it” she wrote. “But right now, my little FUPA and I feel like we are meant to be.” She also spoke about the importance of opening doors for other black artists, and explained her decision to hire 23-year-old Tyler Mitchell to shoot the cover. “Imagine if someone hadn’t given a chance to the brilliant women who came before me: Josephine Baker, Nina Simone, Eartha Kitt, Aretha Franklin, Tina Turner, Diana Ross, Whitney Houston,” she said. “They opened the doors for me, and I pray that I’m doing all I can to open doors for the next generation of talents.”