Last week while I was on vacation and taking a break from paying close attention to the magazine world, I wondered what I would miss. After a few hours back in the office, I knew the answer: the “True Blood” Rolling Stone magazine cover. 

Nothing sparks a conversation like nudity on a magazine cover. And this particular nude magazine cover sparked, as my articulate co-worker said, a “visceral reaction”–whether negative or positive–from just about everyone.

Apparently, nudity on a magazine cover also inspires reminiscing about past nude magazine covers that produced a frenzy. I’ve read two blog posts this week from the San Francisco Chronicle and the Washington Post touting “Naked Nostalgia” with lists that featured infamous nude magazine covers like the 1981 Rolling Stone John Lennon/Yoko Ono cover and the 1991 Vanity Fair Demi Moore cover.

All of this despite the pretty frequent prevalence of nudity on various magazines, like the 2008 GQ Jennifer Aniston cover that stirred up attention and had us wondering, “Nudity Sells, but is it Controversial?”

My conclusion today is the same as then: it’s hard to say about the controversy, but one thing is certain: there will be another nude magazine cover that people will talk about.