Author J.K. Rowling has issued a sharp public criticism of the British magazine Glamour UK after it featured nine transgender women on the cover of its 2025 Women of the Year issue.

In a post on X, she wrote: “I grew up in an era when mainstream women’s magazines told girls they needed to be thinner and prettier.

Now mainstream women’s magazines tell girls that men are better women than they are.”

The cover, released on 29 October, showcased nine transgender women including Munroe Bergdorf, Maxine Heron, Taira, Munya, Bel Priestley, Dani St. James, Ceval Omar, Mya Mehmi and Shon Faye.

The selection drew immediate attention and heightened tensions around the definitions of womanhood and gender identity in the public space.

Rowling’s remarks triggered strong reactions online.

Some users applauded her defence of what she described as female-only spaces, while others condemned her comments as harmful toward the transgender community.

Supporters of the magazine’s cover emphasised that the choice reflected a broader, inclusive vision of womanhood and recognised the achievements of trans women across modelling, activism and public life.

The debate surfaces amid ongoing discussions in the UK over gender, identity and women's rights.

Rowling has previously been outspoken on these issues, aligning herself with campaigns emphasizing biological sex-based definitions of womanhood.

Advocates for transgender rights view her latest comment as part of a longer trajectory of dismissal of trans women’s identities.

While Glamour UK has not issued a detailed response to Rowling’s post, the episode underscores the cultural divide over gender recognition in Britain, with major media outlets increasingly serving as battlegrounds for wider social debates.