[1] The magazine was published on a bimonthly basis[1] first by the Modeinstitut Berlin and then, by the Verlag für die Frau.

[9] Sibylle covered brands from East German and other communist countries without featuring those reflecting the Western consumerism.

[1] Each issue of the magazine was controlled by the women's commission of the party's central committee before the publication.

[11] Ute Mahler, a photographer and curator who worked for Sibylle, argued that the East German authorities did not consider the magazine as a significant publication and therefore, censorship was not strict.

[11] Nevertheless, some of the issues of Sibylle were not permitted by the East German authorities due to its coverage of women wearing blue jeans or mini skirts;[9] in one case, a frown was retouched into a smile.

[5] Although Sibylle was a fashion-oriented magazine, it also covered articles dealing with art, literature, travel, theater and included interviews.

[11] The work by German photographers Roger Melis, Günter Rössler, Werner Mahler and Sibylle Bergmann was frequently featured in the magazine.