People recently named Beyoncé The World’s Most Beautiful Woman of 2012:
The wife, mother, and music mogul covers the magazine’s special double “Most Beautiful” issue, on newsstands Friday April 27th.
In the exclusive interview, Beyonce says, “I feel more beautiful than I’ve ever felt because I’ve given birth. I have never felt so connected, never felt like I had such a purpose on this earth.” She adds, “The best thing about having a daughter is having a true legacy…The word ‘love’ means something completely different now.”
What do you think of People’s choice?
Check out a behind-the-scenes video for her cover shoot here.
See more at www.people.com/mostbeautiful.
Main image spied @ I am Beyonce
April 25, 2012 9:56 am
Not a fan of that cover picture, but i love Bey! It’s great to see a black woman voted World’s Most Beautiful
April 25, 2012 9:58 am
Congrats! :)
April 25, 2012 10:00 am
Congrats to King Bey! She exudes beauty both inside and out, and you can surely see an increased sense of confidence from her since she has given birth. Glad to see a black woman earn the title of World’s Most Beautiful.
April 25, 2012 10:03 am
i dont think so! but im glad they chose a black woman!
April 25, 2012 10:05 am
Congrats B! She is a beautiful, artistic, well rounded, and most importantly, HUMBLE individual- I have mounds of respect for her–particularly her work ethic and the value she places on her family and her privacy, while still remaining true to her fans– She and Jay-Z have given Black Love a new meaning and I love it- People Mag- you made a great choice!! ;)
April 25, 2012 10:08 am
Great choice. I love that they chose a black woman and Bey at that. She is the epitome of beauty, grace and a woman.
April 25, 2012 10:09 am
I Love Beyonce!! B the Beautiful!
April 25, 2012 10:21 am
That is a beautiful woman…………….love B
April 25, 2012 10:28 am
Major props to People for selecting a sista. So many times we see these mediocre looking white women / men voted most beautiful. Glad to see we’re being acknowledged for our beauty…even if it is someone who conforms to white standards of beauty.
April 25, 2012 10:44 am
@lolo I cosign with u
April 25, 2012 10:53 am
Lemme see Gabourey Sidibe up in there then I’ll be convinced that they’re letting us get a toe in…..s/n..go King Bey
April 25, 2012 10:57 am
that pic is ok, but i seen a behind the scene video where she look GORGEOUS! Congrats to her
April 25, 2012 11:07 am
Congrats Bey!
April 25, 2012 11:18 am
Congrats to Beyonce. Although, I don’t think she’s the best representation of black beauty as she’s worn a blonde wig for about a decade.
April 25, 2012 11:22 am
@lolodoll11
how does beyonce conforms to white standard of beauty?.is it her hair?,cause she had plenty of different hairstyles and colors over the years.
April 25, 2012 11:32 am
Congratulations, B! Welcome back to work! LOVE you. I am also happy they named her most beautiful after giving birth…THOUGH, I do know that was a business move. To get the FIRST post-baby interview, they had to come guns blazing!
April 25, 2012 11:33 am
I guess the whole white beauty is that the average black woman does not have light skin, dark green/brown eyes, and can get away with rocking Honey blonde hair or even really blond her. The only black woman to have also recieved this title I think is Halle Berry and even she has european features.I’ve met Beyonce a few times, and she does look someone with mixed heritage. I guess some of us would love to see a brown beauty celebrated like Gabby Union. I personally don’t care, because at the end of the day she’s still a black woman with mixed heritage that had to work her ass to get to where she is. White artist come out like Lady GaGa and outsell her in only a few years.I respect Beyonce for doing her best. Would I love to see darker women with wider noses get most beautiful, I want to see that within our own communties first.
April 25, 2012 11:48 am
Go Mama Bey!
April 25, 2012 11:54 am
PR written all over this.
April 25, 2012 11:57 am
I don’t understand what the big deal is. people find any reason to hate. How does she not represent black beauty? You have to be brown or dark skinned to be considered a “black beauty” now?? We come in all colors and shapes. Mary J Blige wears blonde hair. Does she represent black beauty? Rihanna wore blonde hair. what about her? Raven Symone, Chanel Iman, Keke Palmer, Lala, Ciara, etc had blonde in their ombre hair. Do all of them want to be “white”??? People only have an issue when BEYONCE does something.
April 25, 2012 12:00 pm
Also Claire has blonde hair now. what about her??????? SMH.
April 25, 2012 12:03 pm
@ BlkRose
Stay forever pressed girl. Congrats Beyonce
April 25, 2012 12:06 pm
I agree with Bella. I was excited to come to this site and read GREAT things about Beyonce being chosen for most Beautiful Person. At the end of the day to Caucasian people Beyonce is BLACK and she relates to the African American community in my opinion. I don’t see why this has to be taken to an entire different level and some of you have to come off as being so “angry” with a million points to prove. Damn! So in order for you to be “Black” you must have dark skin, a wide nose, coarse hair and none of these “so-called” European features? But let a white person mention the above features and all hell would break lose. BTW, I am African American and Hispanic.
April 25, 2012 12:08 pm
This is not a black woman on this cover Bey is calming to be creole! French and native American ( complete with nose job) Either it would have been nice to see Angela Basset or Tons Turner, or tarajhi or countless others on that cover . Dont buy into the hype light skin isn’t the standard of beauty and neither is the make-up wigs bleaching etc. Young ladies out there u are beautuful just the way you are. let me see who the top ranking black female singers are. Beyonce(light), Rihanna(light), and that Minaj chick(LIGHT!). Please name one brown girl that’s killing the game right now. There is none! simply because the black community doesn’t support them. Congrats for the cover Beyonce, but you don’t represent true black beauty.
April 25, 2012 12:09 pm
Forgot to add Alicai keys(MIXED). Give me a break, we allow Hollywood to present watered down images of black women to our daughters.
April 25, 2012 12:13 pm
@Lola
I’m a woman, not a girl. Get that right. Did I say she didn’t deserve the cover? did I say that she wasn’t black enough? I’m glad you like me, would you like an autograph!
April 25, 2012 12:17 pm
how does beyonce look mixed??i swear i cant stand when people say she doesnt look like a “average” black woman,since when do all black woman look alot.im around the same complexion as her,you wouldnt believe the dumb things people say and the sad part is it mostly come from black men and black women.i seen plenty of very darkskin woman with narrow noses.there no way in hell you can find one person to represent a whole ethnic group.
April 25, 2012 12:21 pm
I agree with Blk Rose & Lax, I LOVE Bey and glad she got it but she is of obvious mixed heritage as is Halle, its clear to see in her features and skin tone. She has black in her and is beautiful but does she represent black beauty? not really in my opinion our society has convinced us that to be beautiful you HAVE to be mixed, fair skinned “good” hair and features. I would love to see a brown skin girl with traditional black features be celebrated in the same way Bey and Halle are. Congrats to Bey but there are non-mixed black women out here who are beatiful too, when we get some shine that will be a great day for all women as sisters
April 25, 2012 12:26 pm
Damn skippy. Sure, beauty is in the eye of the beholder, but it’s more than her looks that win it for me…she is a dynamic, hard working, successful, sexy, business minded, driven, young black woman, wife, sister, daughter, and mother.
Get it Bey!
There are plenty of beautiful black women all over the world, but let’s face it…she has mass cross culture/race/age appeal hence why PEOPLE chose her (not because there are other black women we do not support, after all beauties like Queen Latifah, Viola Davis, Taraji Henson (to name a few of this era) that have made their respectable marks). And, just because she claims other parts of her culture doesn’t mean she is less black than anyone else. Let’s face it, many displaced Africans in the west are mixed with something due to slavery, migration, history, etc. I, for one, am a Jamaican Canadian with a Cuban maternal grandmother and a Hindu paternal grandfather. Because I recognize this and embrace it doesn’t make me any less Black then anyone else. So…whatever.
True, there is no doubt that there is a serious inbalance in representation, but not just for Blacks but all people of colour. Ain’t nothing new, but that’s not Beyonce’s fault…she is just doing what she set out to do; be successful…as we all should.
April 25, 2012 12:26 pm
I don’t get it. I’m of mixed race and I’m proud to call myself a black woman. It really makes me upset when my own people make me feel like shit simply because I’m not brown with a wider nose or kinkier hair. Is there a light skin trend? I will agree that there is, but it’s not my fault that they throw women that look like me in music videos or how the industry makes light skinned women seem more desirable. I think Kelly Rowland is very pretty, and Amber Rose is not that cute in my book. Beauty is really about your facial features and how well they are put together. Skin color doesn’t matter in my book.
April 25, 2012 12:28 pm
Beyonce is proud of her creole heritage..people on this site are proud of their Nigerian heritage, Jamaican heritage, Dominican heritage, etc. what the hell is the difference…?
There are plenty of dark and brown skinned women in the top of their game. Azealia Banks is an up and coming rapper who doesn’t even have an album out and she has already been in V, GQ, W, Trace, etc. Tika Sumpter, Gabrielle Union, Kerry Washington, Lala, MJB, Kelly Rowland, etc.
Beyonce is talented. That’s why she outshines a lot of other artists. You can’t sit here and tell me Beyonce is a better entertainer than Kelly or Michelle because she’s LIGHT.
There are plenty of light skinned flops. Being lighter honestly isn’t the winning factor. Skin color needs to stop dividing minorities. So over it.
April 25, 2012 12:28 pm
shes awesome! love her!
April 25, 2012 12:32 pm
OMG >______< nobody needs to be against us, we do a fine job of being against ourselves. My mother is the same complexion and rocks the same color hair as Bey. She has what you all would call "European" features and she birthed my dark-skinned, curly haired, full-lipped self. I guess she doesn't represent Black beauty either. =(
April 25, 2012 12:34 pm
**yawn**
April 25, 2012 12:34 pm
@makeeasweet when I say conform to white standards of beauty, I’m referencing the lace wigs, blonde hair, previous nose job to narrow her nose, etc… There are several others had they been selected, I would’ve made the same comment. It is what is it. As I said earlier, glad they chose a “sista” but at the end of the day she still conforms to white standards of beauty. We can agree to disagree.
April 25, 2012 12:36 pm
@Bella
Well said!
April 25, 2012 12:40 pm
I think Beyonce makes women of darker complexion feel insecure. She’s all over the place and I think that does hurt some brown/dark girls feelings. I walked around never feeling pretty, simply because all the lighter chicks got the boys and even while in college they received the most attention. So many darker women are forced to ride in the back of the bus while mixed or lighter women get the star treatment. That’s just my opinion.I’m not shocked that we walk around with the most weave and sometimes even makeup to water down our blackness. I can only speak from my own personal experience. I’ll understand if nobody agrees with me. I’m not a Beyonce fan, but she does deserve this cover.
April 25, 2012 12:40 pm
wow people are full of crap.most of the woman in my family are rihanna complexion to queen latifah complexion.a dark skin black woman does not represent all black woman and neither does black woman like beyonce represent all of us.i swear why cant she be a beautiful woman on a cover of a magazine ,nothing about race or color.
April 25, 2012 12:41 pm
I love Beyonce she exudes sex appeal, grace, and an inner beauty that shines on the outside!
April 25, 2012 12:59 pm
@Browngirl
As a dark-skinned woman who was made fun of not only for her dark skin, but her full lips and kinky hair (only to see things do a 360 as an adult, adored for those same features) it is a struggle. But Beyonce does not ‘represent’ women of colour any more than any other woman represents us. We are, at the end of the day, individuals. And we can not rely on society to show us our value, that is up to us and no one else. Albert Einstein once said ‘if you put a small value on yourself, rest assured that the world will not raise your price’…and it’s a cruel world, so don’t look to them to set your value.
I have women in my family light close to white and as dark as onyx…that is the beauty of our race; like a rainbow but our value is in who we are as people.
April 25, 2012 1:10 pm
what is the big deal with blond hair, i’m convinced its her features (which she cant help she was born that way!!) in combination with the hair color that has ppl making such an ignorant assumption about her trying to be white. Plenty of black celebs have blonde hair. why doesn’t rih get accused of trying to be white, or not being black enough? is it because her ethnic features don’t allow it that she doesn’t face the same criticism. Is Mary trying to be white? Claire?
April 25, 2012 1:27 pm
Yayyy congrats to Beyonce!
April 25, 2012 1:44 pm
Wow. I don’t think her selection is that deep (european features, fairer skin, does she represent black women, is she trying to look white). It just means that she has good PR people. This isn’t the noble peace price, it’s freaking People magazine, a notch above TMZ. Anyways, congrats
April 25, 2012 1:48 pm
Congratulations Beyoncé, well deserved. I have always said that she is one of the most beautiful person I have ever seen in person. Her skin is like the sun drenched in ice cream. Her having a mellow/ calming aura is a plus.
She is simply a beautiful soul.
April 25, 2012 2:01 pm
@Soul Touch
I agree 100%. Those of us descended from slavery in the South, can put money on having a mixed racial heritage whether we “look” like it or not. This whole who’s mixed, who isn’t, who’s dark, who isn’t, who’s light, who isn’t, who’s hair is what color……all that stuff is irrelevant. For the sake of this post, I will say Beyonce AND the sum total of ALL her parts, has been chosen by People mag as the most beautiful. She has always lived publicly as a Black woman (as far as I know), so I’m gonna say she’s a gorgeous representation of the various shades of “chocolate” we all come from…(white, milk, mocha, dark, etc.). Since women of color RARELY see the cover of ANY damned mainstream (Caucasian) magazine, I’m will go on to further say Kudos to Beyonce for being one of the few to get that opportunity. Heck, it’s about damned time they recognized our beauty anyway! I get tired of looking at the Nicole Kidman’s and the Angelina Jolie’s of the world. It’s been too long in coming I say!
April 25, 2012 2:15 pm
@ Soul Touch
You took me to church. PREACH!!
April 25, 2012 2:47 pm
@Glow
My sentiments exactly!
@Lola
Divide and conquer, we make it so easy for them.
April 25, 2012 2:50 pm
Umm..Are women really fighting and debating over this? How sad, and utterly disappointing. Always looking for something to complain about. She looks absolutely stunning. Instead of trying to tear down another sister..Scratch that. Another WOMAN, we should be celebrating her recognition. *Sighs*
April 25, 2012 2:51 pm
I can not believe how deep this discussion has become. It seems as if there are alot of hurt and insecure women commenting. Just saying. LOVE BEYONCE THO!
April 25, 2012 2:54 pm
Co-sign ^^^^^^
April 25, 2012 3:26 pm
Shut up all of you. Beyonce or any other person can’t make you feel any type of way about yourself. If you’re insecure about your complexion, features, or hair then blame the people who raised you because that’s where it begins. And as an adult get over it already!!!!!
April 25, 2012 3:36 pm
Congrats Beyonce’………….B has came a long way, so proud of her many successes. I’m not here to argue but I was disgusted at some of the above comments but I’m glad to see majority of the woman on here seeing the positivity in this shoot instead of finding something negative to comment about. Bt quickly I want to say blonde hair and fair skin doesn’t make you any less black than wearing feathered earrings makes you a bird. We come in all hues,facial feautures,etc that’s what makes us as blacks so beautiful. Name a race more diverse than ours. And yes most blacks are mixed blooded, our ancestors were doing the most lol not many blacks are pure African. We all got mixed up at some point of time before,during,and after slavery but we are no less back nor less beautiful. BLACK IS BEAUTIFUL, CONGRATS AGAIN BEY
April 25, 2012 4:03 pm
I’m tired of dark skin /brown black women saying light skinned black women are not black
It’s out of order
We should uplift each other as women of colour/ethnic women , not fight and tear each other down
Congrats to bey
April 25, 2012 4:09 pm
i agree with Lea above, i believe they paid for this.
April 25, 2012 4:28 pm
Some of y’all need to calm all the way down! It is not that serious. This is the most beautiful according to People, a celebrity worshipping magazine. Bey been on this list for a minute, I guess it just her time for the cover( or her pr team really stepped it up this year ; yes every celebrity damn near campaigns for every accolade they have. Merit is subjective, just like beauty). They use the same 50 folks we all know every year. I’m not shocked at this they want the 1st interview/ cover story post Baby and whether u like her or not, she is a pretty woman.
April 25, 2012 4:35 pm
I skimmed the comments and noticed some light vs dark..soooooo I am going to go on over to the next post. bye bye
April 25, 2012 4:59 pm
OMG I dont believe what negative comments people have to say, Black, Brown, Red, Orange, light skin, dark skin, blonde hair, light eyes or whatever you want to say, she is beautiful. Congrats Beyonce!
April 25, 2012 5:19 pm
People wanted to snag a “so called” 1st post baby interview so they took the cash!
She is pretty, but she is also a thief, a fake, a liar, and overrated. I am tired of the industry acting like she is the only female with talent..her singing skills are average at best!
I am sick of her and I don’t have to raise her up or praise her…when was the last time she raised one of her Afr-Am sisters up? And I am not talking about Solando!
April 25, 2012 6:09 pm
Beyonce is a beautiful woman, but I digress. She’s not THE WORLD’S MOST Beautiful woman…
April 25, 2012 6:29 pm
someone of you are just…angry!
I wont write a novel like many of your have, congrats to Beyonce! I am happy for her!
I am a dark skin black woman and no, Beyonce or any other fair skinned woman does not make me insecure! (thats the weirdest thing Ive heard today).
April 25, 2012 6:30 pm
@blue looks like jay z..just because…did you not read her letter to Michelle Obama or the countless times she’s praised the women that paved the way for her…or perhaps the hair school she opened for women to get on their feet…yeah…smh..
April 25, 2012 7:45 pm
Yay Bey
April 25, 2012 7:56 pm
I wasn’t going to comment again but I feel compelled to. Beyonce is beautiful I dont think this can be disputed (though some try lol) but she DOES claim mixed heritage and there is NOTHING wrong with that. Does it make her less black? I dont know, but it DOES make her a biracial also nothing wrong with that. As another poster commented most African Americans (including islanders-these places too are part of the “Americas”) are mixed no news here either but it WOULD be nice to see a black woman with more traditional African features honored in the same way and I dont think there is anything wrong with expressing this sentiment either. I dont think any of the posters who expressed this, including myself, are taking credit away from Bey. And it saddens me that we would be attacked as having low self esteem or being envious for expressing this, the truth is the truth is the truth and what is more upsetting is that sisters first reaction is to attack one another instead of trying to empathize or understand each other, smh and that is why black people will always be losing :-(
April 25, 2012 8:00 pm
oh and @Mimi is goes far beyond the people that raised you, we live in a society that praises whiteness and everything closer to white will always be praised more. Even if the people that raised you tell you every day that your dark black skin and kinky hair and wide nose and big lips are beautiful eventually one day you will be faced with a whole society that will tell you the opposite and that is a hard thing to get around
April 25, 2012 9:16 pm
@ Soul Touch, thank you so much for that.
April 25, 2012 10:02 pm
i wonder who she paid for this title….”The world’s most beautiful woman”?… HA!…next
April 25, 2012 11:27 pm
I agree with People Mag she is BEAUTIFUL! And sorry chicas but stop hating because she is a light skin chick that is absolutely stunning and at the top of the game right now, so what if she isn’t dark skin does that mean she doesn’t represent women of color…. Get over yourself to me it make you sound insecure. I’m Latina and she makes me proud just being a minority! Take a seat!
April 26, 2012 12:49 am
Oh GTFOH! People love to hate on Beyoncé and I’m tired I’d it. Beyonce was claimed people’s most beautiful and why do u feel the need to come on here and spew hate?? I seriously don’t know what she does to ppl to gain all this negativity but it’s ridiculous
April 26, 2012 2:27 am
@EshaDiva you missed the mark completely. The entire point of my comment is that if you have people telling you that you’re beautiful everyday it won’t matter what society tells you. My parents still doted on my siblings and I to this day, have I been told the opposite by people in the world? Hell yea, I said word and keep it pushing because confidence has been instilled in me from an early age. Ok sure our society has an obsession with whiteness, but why should we? It honestly does not and never has affected me thanks to the people who raised me.
April 26, 2012 3:17 am
She def deserves this…she is beautiful and has put in some hard work….
in all her behind the scenes video, she seems to be a good person inside and out and beautiful with and without makeup…
congrats Bey!
April 26, 2012 7:36 am
Sister’s unite- don’t fight…please (!) The underlying tension that comes from some of the comments is likely based on where a person was raised (I live on a small island which is predominently black but where whites have most of the wealth) and therefore my background incorporates some of the negativity that alot of black women have faced above- but luckily I had a mother who from birth proclaimed me beautiful and I beleived it! Regardless of whether you feel this woman is black or not -she does claim to be black (in addition to other heritages which is her choice- in my family there is black, portuguese, native american Indian and white- but I only refer to my self as black and so would you if you saw me). This is only a magazine and I’m sure she doesn’t even care what the world thinks; (nor does she likely consider them in valuing her “worth”) only what the people who love her think… and that is what I would pass on to you.
April 26, 2012 8:49 am
I think that we should be looking at her approach to her life and how she always makes sure that she is celebrated, appreciated, rewarded, and awarded for her accomplishments. she always makes sure that she is represented in the best possible light and I think that is what we should focus on. she is about the only black artist with a killer PR team and others should take notes. congratulations for yet again putting yourself on top, Bey
April 26, 2012 11:26 am
@Mimi
As my mother use to say ‘people don’t make you feel bad, you ALLOW them too make you feel that way’…
April 26, 2012 12:37 pm
@Mimi I got the point I just disagree with your point, my parents told me the same but as a youth and yes even today I have to mentally fight with myself. If you didnt/don’t have that mental struggle kudos to you, you should teach a class on how to block out a whole society and its ideology cause you’re def a strong minded individual then but not everyone is and I think its a little silly, in fact, to imply that everyone will have high self esteem if their parents tell them too smh
I think sistas dont want to admit the real issues and thats why we cant get anywhere.
April 26, 2012 12:40 pm
@ Mimi I got the point I just don’t agree, if everyone only based their ideas on what their parents told them the world would be a different place. Its unrealistic and instead of addressing it from the other angle so we can correct this way of thinking we just blame the victim smh
April 27, 2012 2:59 am
Wow congratulations to Beyonce for such an esteemed distinction! I suppose we should also congratulate her make-up artists, her personal trainer, her hair stylist, her dermatologist etc…
I am not hating on Beyonce specifically, this is what I think of all this celebrity mongering.
Goodness gracious, why we place these celebrities on pedestals is beyond me.
Also, I love how people who have never met this woman or have met her a couple times can give such glowing character references and also negative character references.
April 27, 2012 5:26 am
Congrats Mrs. Carter!