Cara Delevingne’s historic Playboy cover shoot gets mixed reactions: ‘Not the feminist serve it claims to be’
The mixed reaction to Cara Delevingne’s Playboy cover. (Andreas Rentz/Getty)
Cara Delevingne became Playboy’s first out lesbian print cover star, but the reactions have been mixed.
On Tuesday (14 July), Delevingne’s magazine photoshoot for the Summer 2026 issue dropped.
The shoot was photographed by Zoey Grossman, with a profile written by Ottessa Moshfegh, author of My Year of Rest and Relaxation. Delevingne also wears the iconic Bunny Suit, making her the first supermodel to do so on a Playboy cover since Kate Moss in 2014.
The buzzy shoot has stoked conversation about Playboy’s historic hetero-centric branding.
Delevingne addresses this in the Playboy interview. She reportedly shared: “Of course, Playboy is an essentially heterosexual institution.
“That’s why I felt the photoshoot was like a ‘screw it’ and an act of rebellion, and having an incredible creative team led by women, many of them queer, was so much fun and different.”
Some have branded this move a radical step towards queer inclusivity in a space usually dominated by the male gaze.
‘Not the feminist serve it claims to be’
Delevingne praised the nature of the shoot. “I’ve been naked before in shoots, in movies. But it always made me feel a bit gross when it was for someone else, of course, it was my choice and I agreed to it, but it never felt empowering,” she said.
“I didn’t feel great after it. But today I had so much fun. I’ve never felt more comfortable in my body and in my sexuality. I feel like I’m in more of my prime as a woman and as a sexual being.”
Many also praised the shoot, with comments celebrating Delevingne’s presence: “The eyebrows. The attitude. The confidence.”
Others remarked “this feels effortlessly iconic” and “a lesbian on the cover is a win”.
However, there were some who were not as charmed by Delevingne’s semi-nude cover shoot.
“Lowkey hate how everyone present Cara Delevingne’s photoshoot for Playboy as some kind of empowerment for either women or lesbians,” one commenter wrote about the show.
Another comment on Delevingne’s Instagram post: “[Really] not the feminist serve it claims to be.”
Though Playboy is going through an era of rebranding, Hugh Hefner’s Playboy empire has benefited from the objectification and exploitation of women.
Though it’s empowering for Delevingne to appear on the cover on her own terms, there’s the question of whether that’s enough to realign the publication’s history and impact on women and the LGBTQ+ community.
Share your thoughts! Let us know in the comments below, and remember to keep the conversation respectful.
