Megyn Kelly's 'Vanity Fair' Cover Is Stunning

In today's age of divisive politics, it's a rare to find a member of the media who doesn't partake in fanning the flames. It's downright awe-inspiring when they also succeed in transcending partisan lines to appeal to all sides. Megyn Kelly is one of these rare figures, and her universal appeal gets dissected in the newest issue of Vanity Fair. But even before you reach Evgenia Peretz's glowing profile, readers will be blown away by Megyn Kelly's Vanity Fair cover. Wearing that familiar undaunted, undeterred expression on her face, Kelly is the picture of confidence elegance, and unequivocal competence.

In the piece, titled "Blowhards Beware: Megyn Kelly Will Slay You Now," Peretz uses the Fox News host's now-famous showdown with Donald Trump as a jumping-off point for dissecting her fearless journalistic prowess.

Unnerving would-be leaders, blowhards, and didacts from both parties has become Kelly’s specialty, as the world learned in August.

And even when her unnerved subjects turn on her, Kelly's nerves remain unaffected, as the public saw during her drawn-out, one-sided feud with Trump.

Kelly took the high road and said on-air that she had no reason to apologize to Trump, and that she would "continue doing my job without fear or favor."

As the title suggests, Kelly is highly proficient at slaying, and Bill Maher has even compared her to Khaleesi, mother of dragons. But one could have already gleaned this just by glimpsing her Vanity Fair cover. It's true: Kelly can slay while sitting perfectly still.

In the photo, shot by Patrick Demarchelier, Kelly is wearing a black, off-the-shoulder dress with long sleeves. Her hair is pulled back in a formal but effortless updo, and she wears simple jewelry. She exhibits an air of regality, and if you squint, you might mistake her for Princess Diana. But Kelly doesn't display a trace of the demureness that comes with being a royal.

Despite the fetching physical elements of the shot, it's not what Kelly is wearing or how her hair is style, but what she's exuding off the page that makes it such a striking cover. Though her posture is relaxed with her head resting on her hand, her expression is aware and alert, as if she is ready to pounce. That is perhaps the key to her talent: certain traits belie her faculty, putting people foolishly at ease before being hit with her signature brand of straight-to-the-point questions.

The most obvious of these traits is her gender, which men like Trump can't help but try to exploit because they've got nothing else on her — as he did with his asinine blood comments. But as Peretz writes, "Her accomplishments speak for themselves and have nothing to do with her gender." Just the look in Kelly's eye alone reflects a level of self-assuredness that would be universally envied by anyone. In short, Kelly's Vanity Fair cover shows the world exactly what a badass looks like.

Image: Vanity Fair