I stopped reading Rolling Stone when N*Sync hit the cover. I just abandoned all hope and moved on.
So I'm never surprised when they throw some half-naked, dime-a-dozen pop slut on the cover and call her a rock star.

But I have to say, calling Britney Spears one of the women of rock was lower than I thought even RS could go.
Maya of Mother Goddess puts powerful words into play about this embarassment in her open letter to Rolling Stone.
Read it.