It was one of this magazine’s most controversial covers of the year — readers either loved it or hated it — but Time magazine has come down on the “loving” side. Time named The Advocate’s
May 2009 cover, which featured a screaming blow-up doll to illustrate
how the recession is hurting the porn industry, as one of the Top 10 Magazine Covers of the Year.

In describing the cover, Time’s Arthur Hochstein wrote, “This clever and hilarious cover either consciously or unconsciously pays homage to the famous painting The Scream by Edvard Munch. The article it sells is about how the recession has affected the porn industry — hard times indeed! The photo suggests, among other things, that if it gets bad enough, movie producers may have to substitute blow-up dolls for flesh-and-blood actors. The movies may be rated X, but this cover gets an A.”