TIME Magazine has released its 100 most influential people of 2021 list that also includes seven different cover iterations. Sadly, no Aussies made this year’s list, which you can read in full here.
Those lucky enough to score a prestigious cover included royals Prince Harry and Meghan Markle, US gymnast Simone Biles, British actress Kate Winslet, singer-songwriter Billie Eilish, as well as Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala, the director-general of the World Trade Organisation, Jensen Huang, CEO of of technology company NVIDIA, and Cathy Park Hong, a poet, writer and professor.
Check out the seven stunning covers below:
However, it was arguably the cover of the two wayward Royals that grabbed most attention and none of it for the right reasons.
Prince Harry and Meghan’s cover effort has been roasted by internet users who believe the image was too heavily photoshopped.
TIME released the seven covers yesterday, with the one of the Duke and Duchess of Sussex called out for their weirdly glowing skin, creepy eyes and with the receding Duke instead sporting a rather thick bouffant of hair.
And the tweets were soon flying. “The airbrush is doing some heavy lifting there,” wrote one. Another added: “Terrible retouching job. They look CGI.”
“The cover looks so fake… oh wait it’s because they are,” penned another.
Another wondered: “Is Harry wearing a rug? Or just overdone the air brushing?”
“Who approved this shot?! Is he standing? Is he sitting? Is he holding on to her shoulder so he doesn’t fall? Why would you make such lovely looking people look like this?” another asked.
While another wag compared the image to Will Ferrell’s Step Brother movie poster.
Not that it was all bad news for Harry and wife. Others praised the couple and the cover. “Amazing cover! Love all the good work they are doing despite the vicious attacks coming at them by The Firm,” wrote a fan. “Keep up the good work #HarryAndMeghan! Your humanitarian work speaks for itself.”
One of the more interesting of the top 100 was the inclusion of Britney Spears who apparently topped TIME’s reader poll for who they thought was the most influential.
None other than Paris Hilton (who didn’t make the list) penning a tribute to the singer. “Britney embodies joy and shares the light of her beautiful heart, forever the superstar. So we stand by her and root for her as she turns pain into purpose, her unwavering spirit stronger than ever,” Hilton wrote.
TIME editor in chief Edward Felsenthal said the 100 list features “extraordinary leaders from around the world working to build a better future” who “in a year of crisis have leaped into the fray”.
The list, which is not ranked, included 54 women. It also comprised political figures such as president Joe Biden, vice president Kamala Harris and even former president Donald Trump.
Other notable names who made the list include Dolly Parton, Scarlett Johansson, Naomi Osaka, Jason Sudeikis, Lil Nas X, Shonda Rhimes and Tom Brady.
