Janet Jackson, Rolling Stone
The year 1993 was when a 24-year-old Janet Jackson came of age. After signing a contract worth nearly $50 million with Virgin Records, Jackson debuted on her new label the sexually charged album janet. It was chock-full of racy lyrics, but the carnality didn't stop there. For janet's cover, photographer Patrick Demarchelier snapped shots of the pop star shirtless, her chest covered only by then boyfriend Rene Elizondo's hands. According to the Los Angeles Times, Jackson offered photos from the session to Rolling Stone for its September 1993 cover story on the pop star. "We had a choice of shooting her ourselves," said Laurie Kratochvil, Rolling Stone's director of photography. "But they offered us this, and the image is very powerful. With the album, you get the face on the front and the stomach and legs on back. We get the middle part."