Why This Elle Brazil Cover Matters Even More Than You'd Think

Every once in a while, a magazine cover comes along that seriously makes you want to pick up the issue. The latest glossy to make us stop in our tracks comes courtesy of Elle Brazil: The magazine's anniversary cover features two women, alongside the headline "Fall In Love." And what's even better is that the cover actually previews the issue's theme: It's pro-LGBTQ. Excuse us while we fight back happy tears.

The magazine posted the cover to its Instagram account yesterday, with a touching caption: "In a world that seems to be increasingly divided, affection, collectivity, partnership, empathy and, above all, love are values ​​in which Elle believes. In today’s fashion it has not been different: collaborative collections, family ties, loaded pieces of symbolic value, and passionate speeches guide this new moment when the heart speaks louder than anything else. Fall in love for our anniversary edition!" it reads. And the comments on the post are — thankfully — just as positive.

The glossy followed up by posting another version of its cover, featuring models from all different backgrounds in some sort of colorblocked cuddle pit, clad in next season's brightest outerwear. The shots were lensed by photographer Will Vendramini, who shot the images with the issue's theme of "Affection" in mind. "'Affection' was the theme and what I feel when I see this out today! Thank you to everyone that was part of it!" he wrote on Instagram. The covers showcase Elle Brazil's support for the LGBTQ community, despite the country's current anti-gay epidemic. The publication has put two transgender Brazilian models on its covers, including Valentina Sampaio (who recently covered Vogue Paris) as well.

The images and message are particularly poignant considering that last year, gay, lesbian, and transgender individuals in Brazil were the victims of violent attacks; most fatalities didn't even involve robberies, nor were the police able to identify suspects, as The New York Times reported. In the past four years alone, nearly 1,600 people have died of hate-related attacks in Brazil. Despite these circumstances, we applaud Elle Brazil's commitment to pushing forward and including fashion in in the conversation, especially with such a beautiful cover.