Cosmopolitan Magazine Analysis

According to Merriam-Webster, Cosmopolitan means “having wide international sophistication.” It is also a popular beverage made famous by HBO’s Sex in the City. Cosmopolitan, therefore, is undoubtedly a fitting title for a magazine geared towards single woman who are looking for advice about sex, fashion, and sophistication. Each month a variety of hegemonic articles are presented to Cosmopolitan’s target audience as a means to satisfy their desires to learn about sex, fashion, and beauty while continuing to subliminally reinforce the contrasting notion that women are flawed individuals and must change themselves to be more readily accepted by men and the rest of society.

Cosmopolitan directs all articles and advertisements towards a specific target market. The magazine’s audience includes primarily single, white, upper-middle class women between the ages of 18 and 39. Cosmo includes models of other ethnicities but places an emphasis on Caucasian females. This publication is also directed towards heterosexuals. While an occasional article will discuss the topic of homosexuality, the focus is on how heterosexual women can learn to be accepting and tolerant of “those girls.”

There are two types of readers who will purchase Cosmopolitan: the one who refers to it as her bible and the other who enjoys a good laugh and the mere entertainment the monthly magazine provides. Each type of reader has different goals, concerns, and interests. The faithful magazine-lover meticulously reads the articles from cover to cover with intentions of learning the newest fashion tips and hottest sex position that she “must try tonight!” This reader has her favorite sections, possibly “Real Life Reads” or “Love and Lust” and has high expectations that this month’s article will top last month’s list of Top 10 Ways to Meet Your Man. The casual reader, however, does not have the same expectations. She flips through the pages, reading other girls’ embarrassing stories, taking a silly quiz that will determine if she is actually in love, and browsing a few of the 101 sex tips even though she knows they are going to be the same tips as last month’s magazine. The writers of Cosmopolitan are aware that their readers have different intentions for reading the magazine and are sure to address the variety of needs.

The writers and editors of Cosmopolitan act as a friend to the reader telling her she is not alone with her questions about men, fashion, or sexuality. Articles attempt to comfort the reader by informing them, for example, that it is acceptable to engage in pre-marital sex because there are women throughout the world that are doing the same thing. The message in the article reinforces that all women are the same in the sense that they all have the same problems (and Cosmo will help fix them). The message also emphasizes that men are polar opposites of women and are thus very confusing to women. Cosmo aims to bridge the gap between men and women by befriending the reader and comforting her with her female dilemmas.

Cosmopolitan encourages its readers to embrace certain identities as a woman. The

predominant belief is that women must learn how to get a man and keep him. Gauntlett explains how “magazines are accused of suggesting that a man is the route to happiness” (Gauntlett, 192). In every issue there are articles that teach women the tricks of how to attract men in a variety of circumstances based on their looks, actions, and conversations. Once a woman has “her man” she must then read articles about how to pleasure him and keep him interested in her. The articles present the idea of casual sex, as it has done so for generations; however, ambiguity exists as the magazine does not primarily promote promiscuity or serious, long term relationships. While the topic of sex is not left to the reader’s imagination, the seriousness of the relationship is left unclear.

Gauntlett continues to explain that “if women manage to be sufficiently lovely and fragrant, then they will be fortunate enough to have a man come along and sweep them off their feet вЂ" ideally into wedded bliss” (Gauntlett, 192). The idea that women

must always look attractive is highly stressed in every issue of Cosmo. Makeovers and makeup tips teach women how to be beautiful. Many of the articles and images focus on the flaws of women and provide “feel bad messages” to readers. This gives women constant the feeling of imperfection and furthers their already existing insecurities. When women feel they have flaws they must do one of two things, buy products to fix the flaws, or continue purchasing Cosmopolitan to learn how to correct them. Both options produce revenue for companies, which is significantly more profitable than making women feel good about themselves.

The messages of Cosmopolitan are hegemonic in nature in regards to gender,

race, class, and sexuality. Women are depicted