‘The Odyssey’ Star Elliot Page Graces Cover of ‘New York’ Magazine’s Men’s Style Issue

Laura Bais
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Men’s fashion magazines often follow a predictable formula of sharp tailoring and studio lighting featuring a single posed star. However, ‘New York’ magazine has taken a bold approach with its inaugural standalone Men’s Style Issue, and the results are already making waves online.

This 89-page print edition breaks away from conventional men’s fashion norms, opting instead for the narrative journalism that the magazine has been known for over the years. It features four different covers rather than just one, and editor-in-chief David Haskell is optimistic about its success.

One of the standout covers features Elliot Page, captured by photographer Ryan McGinley. The images went viral shortly after their release. The main cover showcases Page shirtless in blue striped shorts, arms crossed in front of a rustic wooden door, while another image depicts him leaning beside a mirror in a tiled room.

The cover line highlights his presence at the Russian & Turkish Baths, teasing a lineup of stories that includes ‘The Armani Succession’, ‘The Chrome Flippers’, and a feature on Alex Katz and Wisdom Kaye. Another line hints that McGinley himself “sweats it out.” The headline frames the entire issue as a reflection on the process of getting dressed and undressed.

For this debut issue, the magazine spent time with some of New York’s most stylish men at the East Village bathhouse, where McGinley documented the experience. This setting is particularly fitting for an issue centered around clothing coming on and off.

The bathhouse, located in the basement of a tenement on Tenth Street, has been a popular spot for New Yorkers to sweat since 1892. It is managed by two owners who alternate weeks, and its clientele has included everyone from gangsters to hipsters, artists to politicians.

McGinley is a natural choice for this unfiltered environment. He had a solo exhibition at the Whitney Museum of American Art at just 25 and has spent years photographing celebrities for major publications.

This cover appears during a significant year for Page. He attended the New York premiere of Christopher Nolan’s ‘The Odyssey’ in July and also narrates and co-executive produces ‘Second Nature’, a documentary that challenges long-held assumptions about sex, gender, and sexuality in nature.

Page shared with Democracy Now! that he became involved in the project because he found it “so affirming as a trans and queer person.” In a separate discussion with The Trevor Project, he expressed that his greatest joy is “feeling present in a way that I didn’t imagine possible before.”

This sense of presence is evident in the bathhouse images, which emphasize steam, tile, and candid expressions rather than the polished look typical of style issue covers.

The reaction to this cover is particularly noteworthy given the events of July, when a viral image falsely claimed to show Page on the August Men’s Health cover. The magazine later confirmed that it had never published such an image, with many pointing out that it appeared to be AI-generated.

The ‘New York’ images come with a credited photographer and a cover line that specifies the location, making them easily distinguishable from that hoax. This also illustrates how quickly a magazine cover can capture the internet’s attention.

With its unique setting, four-cover strategy, and one of the year’s most talked-about stars, the debut Men’s Style Issue has already sparked conversations. Whether it will become an annual tradition for ‘New York’ remains to be seen, depending on its sales performance.

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