Who started the trend of celebrities posing nude on magazine covers? Demi Moore! Yep, she started the naked cover trend in August of 1991 on Vanity Fair's cover - posing while heavily preggers. She posed again a year later for the same magazine, and then again on Rolling Stone's February 1995 cover. Since then, many celebumoms (including Angelina Jolie post-Shiloh, seen above) have taken it all off - or mostly all off and shown us their famous assets.
More covers after the jump!

Why do they pose almost naked for magazines? Do they feel the need to let the world know that they're still hot (if they've posed post-baby)? Do they need the money? Attention seekers? Their publicist made them?
If they've done all their posing pre-kids, do they now regret it? Will they be embarrassed to tell and/or show their kids the magazine cover?
And not to say, we, as women and moms, should be ashamed of our bodies, but does that mean we should put it all out there for the world to see? I say 'we' like I'm going to be posing naked on a cover, but my grown kids (and my younger ones) would probably be mortified. Plus, Vanity Fair hasn't called.
Some famous moms, who have taken it off are:
Demi Moore as mentioned (and seen) above and Angelina Jolie.

Britney Spears - pre-baby, pregnant and post-kids, although lately, she's been keeping it covered (yay!). Spears posed on the October 2003 issue of Rolling Stone, August '06 issue of Bazaar and the 2007 September issue of Allure.

Christina Aguilera has done her fair share of nude-ish covers. She posed way back in 2002 on Rolling Stone, March 2007 saw her on the cover of Maxim, July 2007 she appeared on Ralph and did the pregnancy pose for Marie Claire in January of 2008.

Jennifer Lopez has shown off her assets on Entertainment Weekly's October 1998 cover, September '01 issue of Stuff and GQ's December 2002. All of hers were before twins Max and Emme. Will she pose nude again? Time will tell!

Heidi Klum took it off for Esquire twice - once in 2001 and next for the September 2006 cover. And she appeared sans clothes on the cover of Jane in August 2006. And since Klum is a Victoria's Secret Angel, she's no stranger to prancing around in skimpy lingerie. Seal must love that!

Cindy Crawford - both before kids and after: June 2001 Esquire cover and again for Esquire in September 2006.

Nicole Kidman (with then-husband Tom Cruise) for Time's July 1999 cover.
And the naked truth is - sex sells.
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