Critics argue the cover is exploitative, while the magazine defends it.
The cover of New York magazine's latest Health Issue included a Photoshopped picture of former president Donald Trump and President Joe Biden in their shorts, which sparked a flurry of criticism. The image, which compares the two political rivals on medical scales, has drawn criticism for being improper and immoral.
The magazine defended the cover, arguing that it was a statement on the candidates' ages and health-a subject that the public is becoming more interested in. Social media users and critics have, however, voiced anger over the photograph, denouncing it as exploitative and insulting.
New York Magazine's Instagram post featuring the controversial cover image garnered thousands of likes and comments, with a majority of social media users expressing outrage and labelling it as immoral.
"What a disgusting decision to make this a cover. We can now point to the media's contribution to making the U.S. a joke to the world," commented a user.
"I'd just like to note that if a publication photoshopped a woman's head onto a body in underwear and posted it, then the comments would be different. This is such a weird thing to do to anyone," wrote another user.
"What a disgusting decision to make this a cover. We can now point to the media's contribution to making the US a joke to the world," commented a third user.
"We had already been thinking about how to address the fact that this health issue would drop in the middle of the presidential campaign, when the presidential debate put the health and age of the candidates in the centre of the national conversation," New York's executive editor, Genevieve Smith, said of the cover in a press release.