MUNA’s Katie Gavin Gives Lucy Dacus A Shave While Recreating Iconic Lesbian Cover
Lucy Dacus and Katie Gavin paid homage to a legendary ’90s magazine cover—and sapphics everywhere felt it.
When Lucy Dacus and MUNA’s Katie Gavin stepped in front of the camera for the April 2025 cover of Alternative Press, they were stitching themselves into the fabric of queer cultural history. Their take on the iconic 1993 Vanity Fair cover with k.d. lang and Cindy Crawford mixes throwback vibes with modern queer energy, and fans are screaming their approval.
The original image, photographed by Herb Ritts, was considered daring for its time. Lang, the dapper crooner, lounging in a barber’s chair; Crawford, the ultimate supermodel, clad in a swimsuit and heels, perched above her with a straight razor. The photo was a landmark moment. In 1993, queerness in mainstream media was still whispered about, if it was mentioned at all. The cover challenged that silence. It screamed butch-femme visibility in a world that barely acknowledged LGBTQ+ people existed.
Here’s the original:
Fast forward to 2025, and Dacus and Gavin are echoing that same scream—with the added volume of three decades of progress and pain behind them. Dacus, relaxed and self-assured in a sharp suit, plays the lang role while Gavin, radiant and razor-in-hand, channels Crawford:
Related: Lucy Dacus Confirms Her Relationship With Julien Baker
At a time when LGBTQ+ rights are under renewed attack in the U.S. and abroad, the image carries a political weight. It’s a visual declaration: we’re still here. We’re still creating. The subversion that once felt revolutionary is now legacy-building. And Dacus and Gavin know exactly what they’re doing.
They’re not new to this. Both have long used their platforms to center queerness, not just in their lyrics but in how they show up in the world. Dacus’s recent confirmation of her relationship with boygenius bandmate Julien Baker was met with a collective swoon—and a barrage of meme-worthy reactions. Gavin, meanwhile, has helped make MUNA one of the most beloved queer bands on the scene, turning heartbreak and queer euphoria into anthems.
So when they pose in a queer homage like this, it lands differently. It’s not cosplay—it’s canon.
Brandi Carlile called the cover “iconic” in a comment. “This is my Roman Empire,” joked another commenter.
One user summed it up perfectly: “Great day to be gay.”
