Munroe Bergdorf makes history as first transgender woman on Cosmopolitan UK cover

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British activist and model Munroe Bergdorf has made history as the first transgender woman to appear on the cover of Cosmopolitan UK.

Posting the news to her Instagram, Bergdorf: “I can’t believe I’m writing this… BEYOND excited to share that I am @cosmopolitanUK’s covergirl for their 50th Anniversary Issue!

“I’m also the first transgender woman to ever feature on the cover in those 50 years of publication 🤯”

Bergdorf will appear on the magazine’s February/March edition which is on sale on 21 January. It will also mark 50 years since the first issue of Cosmopolitan UK went to print.

Speaking to Cosmopolitan, Bergdorf said she “hasn’t fully processed” being on the cover yet and that it fills her with “joy and pride”.

In the issue, the 34-year-old offered some guidance for people who are questioning their gender: “The best advice I have is there’s no one way to be trans. Gravitate towards what you feel, rather than what you feel you should do. You’ll find so much peace that way.

“When I began my transition, I felt pressure to assimilate into what society deems to be a woman. I wish someone had just told me, no matter how I dress, how I look, if I’ve got make-up on or if I don’t, I’m still a woman. In every single iteration of my being.”

Claire Hodgson, Cosmopolitan UK’s editor-in-chief, described the activist as a “trailblazer”.

“No one encapsulates what it means to be a Cosmopolitan cover star more than Munroe Bergdorf, and I’m thrilled we’re celebrating Cosmopolitan UK‘s 50th anniversary with such an important trailblazer on our cover," she said.

In the interview, Bergdorf added that trans conversations need to happen “in the real world and in the mainstream”.

She continued: “To do that, we need to platform trans voices – we can’t keep being subjected to this nonsense of non-trans people offering up their opinions on a community they’re not part of. Trans rights do not have a negative impact on cisgender people. Trans equality is everyone’s equality.”

To read the full interview, visit Cosmopolitan UK.