Vogue Preview: Dakota Johnson covers the February issue, love it or hate it?

dakota vogue

Fifty Shades of Grey comes out on February 14th, Valentine’s Day. So Vogue gave Dakota Johnson the February cover. Is this a good call? I’m not sure. I mean, the timing lines up and I don’t have a problem with Dakota on the cover of February issues (March issues will probably line up better for the actual film release, but whatever). But I do take issue with Vogue Magazine promoting Fifty Shades and crowning Dakota as some kind of new fashion girl or It Girl or something. From the looks of things, Dakota is probably going to be one of the worst parts of this film. Second only to her bangs trauma. That being said, I am interested in seeing how Vogue styled her, and if Jamie Dornan was included in the photoshoot (some of the online sources say he was).

So, Vogue has released their February cover story or their shoot yet, so we only have this preview image. Plus, Vogue released this short film called “For Fifty Shades of Grey’s Dakota Johnson, It’s Never ‘Just a Minute’.” It’s a cute concept, I guess.

Meanwhile, Fifty Shades of Grey has become Fandango’s fastest-selling advance ticket R-rated film in history. People are going to go out of curiosity, for sure. Some are going to hate-watch. And some are going because they genuinely want to see the film. What does it all mean?

Here are some photos of Dakota out and about in casual clothes this weekend. She does have a great figure.

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Photos courtesy of Instagram, Fame/Flynet.

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103 Responses to “Vogue Preview: Dakota Johnson covers the February issue, love it or hate it?”

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  1. Jaded says:

    Meh. Like, that’s the only thing that comes to mind when I see her – meh.

    • ShazBot says:

      This. I don’t know if it’s the hair, or her seeming lack of personality, but she’s so Meh.

    • zinjojo says:

      You’re so right, everything about her is so Meh. So very uninteresting and boring.

      And was the image of the cover taken at a funny angle, because there seems to be so much arm!

    • QQ says:

      yep Same here: This is Beige

    • bns says:

      Only came in here to say this.

    • Marie-France says:

      To be fair Anastasia Steele was meh (among other things). Yes, I made the mistake of reading the first book. In my defense, I didn´t read the other two. F**k me once, shame on you and so on…

    • Megan says:

      She looks so much like her father to me.

      • SammyJ says:

        I totally thought the same thing!! That is so Don Johnson’s face years and years ago….

      • enike says:

        Yes! I can´t see any Melanie in her…. maybe her figure… the face is totally Don

        she is very pretty

      • Sugar says:

        She really does. Every time I see her I just think, “Don Johnson in drag”. It’s all I can see.

    • jammypants says:

      same here, meh

    • GoodNamesAllTaken says:

      Yep. Yawn.

    • Lovelym09 says:

      That’s the exact thing I thought! Lol

    • Charlotte_ says:

      absolutley! This woman has no charisma, no nothing. Just meh and boring. They couldnt get a popular name for the part so they took the daughter of someone who used to be popular 25 years ago. Meh and again meh.
      Instead of giving a new talent the part, hollywood again played it save and took a “name”. This book was huge hit, people would watch i even with a totaly unknown actress. I think dornan could be good but shes just meh. Does she have any other projects in the pipeline? Did she ever made a movie before this?

  2. kri says:

    On that cover she looks like Sophie hunter. Ugh, why is this girl getting any work? She is just flat. That dog is so adorable.

  3. BengalCat2000 says:

    I don’t like like the cover very much but I do find her beautiful. To me, she looks a lot like her grandmother.

    • chaine says:

      to me, she looks like a young Don Johnson wearing a wig. i don’t think i could see the movie cuz i’ll be thinking “Don Johnson in a wig” the whole time she’s getting it on with what-is-his-name.

      • BengalCat2000 says:

        Chane, I blocked out the fat that he’ s her father, now that you mention it, she does look a lot like him. Maybe Don Johnson and Tippi Hedren are separated at birth

    • Someonestolemyname says:

      I think she’s quite pretty.

  4. Karen says:

    She was wearing chanel at the globes. I wondered how the hell this chick got chanel. Makes more sense with anna wintour behind her.

    • StormsMama says:

      She was AWFUL at the Globes. This is a girl who does not have “it” and clearly got where she is on nepotism. In my mind, she will be a flash in the pan- gone after this movie.

    • Bridget says:

      I’m going to guess she got that dress after someone else passed it up and returned it. Think about all those lovely 2nd and 3rd choice gowns that didnt make the cut!

  5. captain hero says:

    Her?

  6. Lilacflowers says:

    Aren’t there any models any more?

  7. Sabrina says:

    This cover looks terrible. Could they not have found another picture where she does not look so sad?

    A better cover would be to feature both Jamie & Dakota as I’m sure more people will be going to see the movie for him rather than Dakota.

  8. InvaderTak says:

    NIce. American Chic=New York. Good to know. And liner is the only makeup I need right now? Well, not if I want Dakota’s American Yawn look.

  9. Annie says:

    But she is so meh. She has no chemistry with Jamie. Not stylish, cute or interesting in any way.

  10. Insomniac says:

    *shrug* I think she looks really pretty on the cover. And has Vogue really been about fashion it girls lately? Once they put Kimye on the cover, it was all over.

    • FingerBinger says:

      Vogue has been putting “fashion it girls” on the cover for the last 10 years.

    • OhDear says:

      I think she looks nice both on the cover and in the “candids,” too. That being said, do people really consider her a fashion (or anything) It Girl?

  11. jenni12 says:

    She just seems so boring.

  12. UGH….My crappy theater is actually playing this movie. And my little sister is DYING to see it. The saving grace is that a) she’s only 15, so she can’t sneak in with her little friends to see it, and b) NEITHER of my parents would ever allow her to see it.

    And Dakota looks like the absolute worst part of the movie. She’s so monotone…..

    • mimif says:

      So in a nutshell, what you’re saying is you can’t wait to see it.

      • Troll. Don’t make me throw a tater at you, lol.

        And I’ll go if you go with me, or if I get some….herbs….in me, or I could get some from my grandma who has a little patch of….herbs…growing in her backyard.

      • mimif says:

        I’m only going if you’re awesome beer drinking aunt takes us. The End.

      • @mimif
        Does she have to shave her mustache (I’m pretty sure she hasn’t shaved it since 1980)? Other than that, she’s ready to go. She just has to take all of her rings off (at least 6 on each hand) so they don’t get covered in popcorn butter.

      • mimif says:

        No, the mustache stays or I’m not going! Wow, your aunt has 6 fingers on each hand? Better to hold the beer with, eh? 😉

      • Lol, mimif…..she stacks her rings on a few of her fingers….and they’re all giant gold and diamond rings too….she’s blinging!!!

        And geez, now you’re making me want to see it just to try and give a QQ style review of this awful movie…..plus I can throw it in my sister’s face, lol. She’ll be pissed.

      • mimif says:

        Wait a minute….she drinks beer all day, has a mustache that she hasn’t shaved since 1932 AND wears giant sparkly baubles on her 6 fingered hands?? Is she a pirate, per chance? I must meet her immediately.

    • mia girl says:

      @VG – Yup, some of the girls at my daughter’s highschool have read the books.

      I spoke with my daughter when the books became popular and even though she hadn’t expressed an interest to me, with other girls around her reading them, I preemptively told her that I did not want her to.

      I explained that reading about sexuality can be a great thing, but that these particular books should not be her first experience with that. The relationship is warped, the things that happen sexually are like going from zero (in her case) too 100 skipping all kinds of important emotional/sexual milestones along the way.

      I told her these books should not be something she (or any young woman) uses to personally understand sexuality in a relationship. Plus I told her she may just be plain grossed out by some of it, including the bad writing.

      She totally understood. I told her that if she was looking for books to read about the curiosity and awakening that happens when you are in your later teens years we would find something else for her.

      • Yeah a few girls in my math class were reading them a few years ago when they got really big. My college writing teacher said that she was going crazy taking them away from students she saw reading them…..she’s a hugely feminist and awesome and CRAZY writing teacher, and I think she was personally offended by those books. Lol. She couldn’t stand to see them.

        I read the first one at my aunt’s house and it was a great big meh with a side of stalking.

      • littlestar says:

        Good job, mia girl! You are so right, those books should NOT be young girl’s first parlay into erotica or sexuality. Christian was an emotionally abusive and manipulative man, no one needs to get the idea that he is some kind of ideal god women need!

      • mimif says:

        Wait just a hot second. Did mia girl just make a for rill serious post?

      • mia girl says:

        @mimif – I have priorities when it comes to my kids.
        No FSOG
        Yes Carl Poppa

      • mimif says:

        I was just teasing mia girl, I thought your rill serious post was great. I didn’t even know you had kids, I thought you were just a teenager like me.

        *runs off to La Jiggy Jar Jar Doooooo*

      • Jilly says:

        You sound like you know what you are doing! I really respect that and keep up the work.

        So, I’m a 23-year old virgin and the way Ana’s first time is described, terrified me. “Ripping through her virginity” plus they don’t change the sheets after. It was weird and I hope it’s not like that for me.

    • Kiddo says:

      Kids HAVE WAYS. It’s not to difficult to get a someone a few years older to usher you in.*

      * Or so a “friend” told me.

      • Kiddo says:

        Not TOO difficult.*

        Obviously not as difficult as writing is for me.

      • mimif says:

        Dur dur dur dee dur!

      • Oh, I know Kiddo–believe me. When I think of the crap I got up to when I was younger…..lol, I’m gonna watch over my kids like a freaking hawk.

        But in my particular theater, I’m pretty sure that they don’t let you into R rated films (when it seems like you’re straddling the line) unless you have some form of ID.

        But also, my little sister is like one of the worst liars in the world. The minute she starts telling you this big, long story, you know that she’s trying to hide something.

      • Kiddo says:

        Your little sister sounds kind of hilarious, Virgilia Coriolanus.

        @mimif, PUMPKIN SPICE. So, there! I’m saying all the words about words that I want to word.

      • mimif says:

        thosetwowordswerenevermeanttobeputintoalatteforcryingoutmoobra!

      • Kiddo says:

        mimif
        #agreebutlopezstarteditwiththatpumokinspicemakeup

      • mimif says:

        Ah, I get it now! I thought you somehow secretly ferreted out my pathological aversion to punkin spice lattes, and how every year I have to keep trying them just to make sure they’re still disgusting. #yepstilldisgusting

        p.s. I am thisclose to getting fb’d on the Rogen post.

  13. roxy750 says:

    I think she is very pretty.

  14. Talie says:

    She lacks any charisma — it’s amazing she got the role.

    • littlemissnaughty says:

      Well, not really. The characters is walking ZzzQuil as well, at least from what I gathered. I only made it to page 100.

      I look at that cover and it’s as if she’s actively trying to be as bland as possible. Her eyes are completely dead.

    • Lucy2 says:

      She does seem rather charisma free lately. She was kind of cute on that show of hers a while back, but it was carried by the other actors/characters.

  15. scout says:

    I chose not to read any of these books and not planning to see movie either.
    I do like Dakota, very pretty and shy too. She gets uncomfortable when spotted by cameras. Hope this movie is just a stepping stone (not a good one IMO) for her and she gets better movies after this.

  16. Racer says:

    Whats up with those lines under her eyes….does she need more rest?

  17. LAK says:

    I am curious to see this film simply because I admire Sam Aaron Johnson as an artist. I’m hoping her artistic sense will save the film.

    Simultaneously, I am also dreading seeing the film because I read a behind the scenes article in VF. It seems the author had a lot of control to extent where they had major headaches during production of translating book to film and having to explain the differences of medium to the author.

    • littlestar says:

      I’m hoping she’s able to take a crappy book and make it into a watchable movie – she seems like a smart and talented woman!

      Do you happen to have a link to that VF article by chance?

      • LAK says:

        The links won’t come through. Google VF, Sam Taylor Johnson FSOG. Several articles pop up, open the link that asks whether the s*x scenes would work.

        There is so much about how the author interfered in the production.

        I think JK Rowling is the standard for authors being involved in their own creation, but FSOG author comes across as an irritating presence for wanting the film to be like the books.

        Having the set designer AND the director explain why stuff that works in the books isn’t going to work on a set or on camera to someone who has no film experience is really ridiculous. And yet they had to do it.

        Daily decisions on everything they shot.

        That said, the article mentions that the author has created a FSOG cottage industry of merchandising which makes her a lot of money and she wants the film to be faithful to her merchandising world. Much of her resistance was due to that.

        Her merchandising world was created long before the film.

  18. Mia4S says:

    I wouldn’t pay a dime to see this movie but I’m fascinated by the PR. They obviously are no good together off screen (Golden Globes? So FLAT), but that won’t matter if the movie “works”. Still…this fan base. However the studio can’t push a maybe-real life romance angle (because then he’s a POS cheating on his wife and abandoning a new baby). Maybe they could at least pretend to be good friends? They haven’t even managed that, LOL!

    • Lara says:

      Isn’t it because they were having an affair during filming and I guess it didn’t work out well… That may just be something I made up because if he sleeps around then I have a better chance

      • Mia4S says:

        Ha! Well fair enough!

        I actually think the studio would prefer that story to what I think is the reality; I just think they aren’t that friendly or connected in real life. Again, that should be fine if the on screen chemistry works. It’s just that the tumblr/Twihard crowds seem to invest so heavily in “real life” crossovers that I can’t help but feel it will be a PR issue.

  19. The New Classic says:

    This girl is as bland as a bowl of oatmeal and her face is tragic. I would love to know what strings were pulled to get her into that 50 Shades of Gray role. At least in the Twilight movies Kristen Stewart was able to look like a woman that a guy would lust over. Dakota looks like she should be playing a maid or something. I didn’t read the books but was thinking of seeing the movie, but I feel like trying to watch this chick act would keep diverting my attention. She really wasn’t very good in the preview clips. 🙁

  20. kibbles says:

    You’d think they’d make her look sexier for the cover. I have not seen any sexy covers of this woman even though she is the lead in what is supposed to be the sexiest movie of the year. Even photoshoots with she and Dornan are not sexy. I don’t get it. There has to be stylists and photographers good enough to make the shoot look sexy with the right lighting, clothes, and makeup.

    • patricia says:

      Are you talking about those silly promotional photos of them looking like a YA/The Fault in our Stars/ Sweet Valley High teen melodrama? The one with Dakota wearing a red shirt and Jamie looking like he’s trying to get away from her while she drapes herself all over him? Or the one, where she’s wearing a black pantsuit, that looks like a promotional shoot for an upcoming law drama on NBC? The angles on this poor girl’s face are so unfortunate on both those shoots. I know this because my co-worker thought it would be funny to laugh at how unattractive she looks in every picture. Yeah, I didn’t see the funny in this. Either Dakota is the most plainest looking girl or she simply doesn’t take nice pictures. I don’t know. Quite frankly, she’s become such a joke that I want to feel bad for her, but I can’t because she was far too desperate for this part. Next time, know what you’re getting into, Dakota, and the fanbase that comes with it.

  21. Kate says:

    This girl is like oatmeal. Or maybe some sort of bland fiber cereal. Oh wait, fiber implies she’s good for you.

    So pretty much oatmeal, then.

  22. Suzy from Ontario says:

    Maybe if she dyed her hair blond or bright red. Something to brighten her up she’d be less blah

    • Morgan says:

      Her hair is just awful – so mousy and in her face. I thought the bangs and shaggy look was for the role but she doesn’t have that excuse anymore.

  23. Green Is Good says:

    Blandy McBlanderson here makes Blake Notsolively look slightly intriguing .

  24. Suzy from Ontario says:

    kibbles, I agree. I clicked on this link because I thought they’d doll her up for a cover and I actually wanted to see what she’d look like with a good makeup and hair job, but she looks the same as always. Meh

  25. Bridget says:

    Vogue has been in a tailspin for years. Of course they put 50 Shades Of Grey on the cover, desperately hoping that the fans will actually buy the issue.

  26. KLO says:

    BLAH.

    Dakota is actually a beautiful girl, I remember her before the bangs – gorgeous face.

    It´s like she is being styled to look as plain jane as possible.

    But I will probably see the movie…..LOL

  27. minx says:

    She was cute and lively in that bit part in The Social Network.
    But it’s like all the air has gone out of her. I’m wondering if she knows she’s going to be slammed for 50 Shades and she’s already depressed about it.

  28. smcollins says:

    I can’t say anything about the movie since it hasn’t come out yet, so who really knows, but I did love her on the tv show Ben & Kate (I was so disappointed when it got canceled). She was very sweetly charming and funny. And, she was blonde, which definitely suits her better. I’m not so sure she lacks personality as much as I think she’s just really shy, and obviously isn’t used to the spotlight (despite her lineage, she really has been sheltered from all of that). Hopefully when all the big premieres start happening she’ll find her footing and loosen up. For her sake, anyway.

  29. anon says:

    I think her face is pretty . It has nice proportions, nice eyes, nice skin, good nose.
    There is nothing wrong with her face.
    Personality wise I can’t tell, she does seem a bit plain but isn’t it what she is supposed to be in the book – a plain Jane?

    The reason the movie will bomb is that Jamie Dornan is not a good lead. He is a type B personality, not type A. And Jamie and Dakota have no chemistry, they are just not believablle. But again I blame this on Jamie Dornan not having a dominant personality. He is nice to look at and a good actor but he is just wrong for this movie.

    • jaye says:

      You don’t have to HAVE a type A personality in order to play a character with a type A personality.

  30. mollie says:

    The cover of SELF maybe, but Vogue? Eh, no.
    They were going for American clean earthiness ala a Ralph Lauren model but they got blah.

  31. penny says:

    My friends and I are not the target audience for this film. I have a life and functioning brain cells that I’d like to keep. I have no desire to fund EL James’s lavish lifestyle and feed her ego by giving her my money. I’ve read the gentleblaze livejournal post about this woman’s superiority complex and her insane fandom and it’s appalling. The only time I’ve seen Dakota “act”, and I use the term loosely, was in Need for Speed. She was so lifeless and dull that this is truly nepotism at its finest. Dakota always looks lost and uncomfortable. Jamie, on the other hand, looks embarrassed and grumpy. Dakota, at least, owns her desperate need for attention and fame. I can respect that. By the way, I wish we could use GIFS to express our feelings, because I’d really like to use the one of Cher, from Witches of Eastwick, when she confronts Jack Nicholson and unleashes hell on him. Her sentiments regarding him are exactly how I feel about FSOG. She says to him, ” You are physically repulsive, intellectually retarded, you’re morally reprehensible, vulgar, insensitive, selfish, stupid, you have no taste, a lousy sense of humor and you smell.” I love Cher.

    • LAK says:

      I love that line. My BFF and I used to recite it to each other all the time. We were so obsessed with WITCHES OF EASTWICK.

      I think we could recite entire film, but that line was our favourite.

      That and, ‘Have a cherry!’

      Ta for the memories 🙂

  32. Newgirl says:

    Maybe she ‘s shy when she sees the camera. Perhaps over time her personality will come out more. There’s actresses out there that aren’t that great either. Shrugs….

  33. Nephelim says:

    Anastasia Steele is not:
    A Ripley (aliens)
    A Sarah Connor (terminator)
    A Femme Fatale ( Gilda like…)
    Some Woman from the Hours movie
    A Joan d`Arc
    Sooo… She doesn´t need to be this charismatic, extrovert, sexy, non beige person which some people are asking for.
    She is just a simple girl , shy and not exactly the life of the party ( an Ingenue)
    Dakota is kinda perfect for the character.

  34. pk says:

    I think she is pretty…she looks so much like her father.
    She is still kind of young…maybe the “blandness” is more shyness and insecurity.

  35. Andrea says:

    zzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzz

  36. Shelley says:

    I can’t imagine reading the books; I’m listening to them on CD, and the reader does a great job. Totally admire her – what a difficult assignment, hopefully a well-salaried one. I got books 1 & 2 from our library as I have a long commute and wanted to see what all the fuss is about. Surely it’s not the dull sex scenes!?

    The 2nd one is better than the first, at least at the halfway point, where I am – but the writing is…not great. I don’t understand why an editor didn’t at least kill the Inner Goddess and Subconcious sub-Anna-characters. They add nothing but incredible annoyance.

    As an aspiring writer, I’m trying to see what made these books click with anyone, let alone bajillions of people, and honestly so far I don’t get it. However, I don’t see Anna as dull, vapid, etc – although if you stopped with the first book, which I do understand, I see why you’d think that.

  37. jane16 says:

    Horrible cover. Plain, uninspiring model, and terrible photography. Why do her arms look so disproportionately huge? That troll doll woman continues to bury Vogue, with her celebrity worshipping. I remember when Vogue covers were art, with beautiful models.

  38. Emily says:

    It’s actually hard to look at her in the fifty shades trailer. She’s that unattractive to me.

  39. Anna says:

    Ohhh so her parents are FAMOUS. This whole thing makes so much more sense now. & no that’s not sarcasm. This photo sums up my general opinion of her (as another poster said “meh”) but now that I know she is related to Don Johnson this has cleared things up.

    On that note…so this photo has a very “could be anybody” look to it—to give it WAY to much credit is this a commentary on her character in the movie or—more realistically perhaps–do you think the photographer just didn’t give a crap about her or the movie and just took a quick photo and declared it “good enough”?

    • anon says:

      She is not only Don Johnson’s daughter. Her mom is Melanie G.

      • Anna says:

        And the plot thickens… lol J/K That’s actually cool. I didn’t know she was related to Don Johnson until I saw it on here just now and was like “Oh, ok, that explains all the publicity.” I just always kind of thought it was weird that she was such a BIG DEAL…it was always OMG DAKOTA JOHNSON is in Fifty Shades….but yeah, now it makes all kinds of sense. And even more so with knowing who her mom is. =D