Gabourey Sidibe's Controversial Elle Magazine Cover

Sept. 15, 2010 — -- She's not the white waif or blond bombshell usually found on magazine covers: Gabourey Sidibe beams out from the October issue of Elle, one of four actresses the magazine put on its cover to celebrate notable women in their 20s.

But unlike her fellow cover cohorts -- Lauren Conrad, Megan Fox and Amanda Seyfried -- Sidibe is black. Her body extends beyond the glossy's 8-by-12 margins. And the Internet has taken notice.

"It's hard to feel like busting out the Champagne when Elle's other 'game changing' women of a certain age are much more traditional glamourpusses," Mary Elizabeth Williams wrote in a Salon.com editorial. "The only other African-American woman on the list is Janelle Monae, and the only other who isn't whippet-thin is Meghan McCain."