Tuesday, 22 September 2009
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Giving Cosmo Another Shot
When I was 19, I thought it would be an excellent idea to subscribe to Cosmo magazine. Each month it was delievered to my mailbox. It was exciting to read about all these older girls and their "glamourous" love lives. How they'd need to seduce very handsome men, what they'd dress up in when they went out and learn just what guys were thinking about when they meet us for the first time.
Being a rather shy 19 year-old college student with a boyfriend that (at the time) lived many states away, it was like a portal into another world; a fast paced one that was much more exciting than writing papers on the history of tattooing and lengthy essays on Lilith.
12 issues later and I was convinced of one thing: I'd never subscribe again.
Each month, the topics were the same. "How to Get Your Guy To (Blank)". "What To Wear Tonight So He'll Want To Have Amazing Sex With You". "Is He A Cheater? 10 Ways To Tell".
They rarely ever deviated from the standard, which I suppose is the whole point of Cosmo. It's not meant for most girls who are into substance as a whole. It's for "women" who like to seduce men, play mind tricks and use sex to get men to stay in relationships that are otherwise doomed to failure.
Last year, my cousin, Adrian, started to get Cosmo delivered. Since she is away a lot, she has my address listed as her own when it comes to magazines, bills and packages she may receive. Cosmo doesn't come delivered in a plastic bag so, one very boring afternoon, I decided that it would be okay if I flipped through an issue that was waiting for her on my kitchen table.
I was hoping that Cosmo had changed. At least a little. Maybe they added some Vogue-esque pieces on fashion or gotten tired of their old standard and mixed up the format. I was surprised at their "new" layout.
The beginning of the issue was rather promising. They did an interview with the featured actress that was lighthearted and fun then had her do a little multiple choice survey thing. I thought it was such a nice idea, something that was fresh but something we could automatically relate to and be interested in.
I was quickly disappointed by the rest of the magazine. While they had discussed some major health issues for women, everything else was still the same. Sex, sex, sex. And, I suppose, that is what Cosmo has always been about. It was a minor relief to hand the magazine over to Adrian when she came to pick it up.
A few days ago, I recieved one of those really common "we want you to subscribe" letters in the mail. From Cosmo. They were offering 2-years for $16, which is a steal since one year usually costs $18. (I checked their site.)
Since I have always believed Cosmo could do better if only they knew how, I went ahead and shelled out the $16 that I could have otherwise used on a subscription to Rolling Stone. I am hoping beyond all hope that Cosmo has changed, at least in some minor way, or is on the road to evolution.
Still, even if they aren't, it won't be a total loss. I will have learned by the end 24 new sexual positions. Thanks Cosmo!
Do you read Cosmo? What do you think of its content?
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Comments (50)
thong. as. hair tie.
I dont buy magazines anymore but I rarely bought cosmo. Cosmo is directed towards a "sexual" magazine, so any issue they sell will have sex involved, thats just who Cosmo is...if you are looking for fashion, there's always vogue and all those other fashion magazines, sometimes Seventeen can be interesting...
It's really all the same topics, hence why after two years I cancelled my subscription. Plus their idea of hot guys were a basically a bunch of smooth talkers who just want in your pants at a dance club, and I'm after more mature men. Hence why I guess I date a guy who's older than the GQ models in Cosmo.
I read Cosmo every now and then. I don't find any of it really interesting as it is practically the same time after time. Sometimes I like the woman on the cover so I steal it from a friend or buy it myself but I'd much rather spend my money on my Vogue subscription or a fresh copy of Nylon.
@mountaingirrl@xanga - Hahaha! Love it.
I used to read cosmo when I was like 18-20 but now I find it really boring (like the OP said, every month its the same). Now im suscribed to Womens Health and I looove it, plus the 2year suscription was $20dlls.
If the new positions you learned don't deliver the pleasure you were promised, demand your money back. Then sue them!
I can just imagine how this would play out in court: "Your Honor, my client was promised an 11 on the 1 to 10 Earth-Shattering Orgasm Scale. She only got a 9 and a half, so we are sueing on the grounds of emotional and physical distress."
I've read it a couple of times at restaurants that offer them to customers, and I find it really hilarious. Entertaining indeed, because I don't take it seriously.
@mountaingirrl@xanga - So...they're just getting worse?
@sarahzthoughts@xanga - *LMAO* I love that!
@pawnshop_heart@xanga - I would love to be on that jury!
I used to read Cosmo when I was in middle school, about 13 or 14. But now I've realized that mostly young girls read them. I no longer read it.
But when I'm bored... I'll flip through it if I come across it.
I only read it once, in a doctor's office while I was waiting for the anesthesia to kick in before surgery. Needless to say, I don't remember anything about it.
@jupiter312@xanga - All I remember of any issue are the sex articles. How bad is that?
it bores me
there aren't any interesting stories about women and stuff
i do read cosmo but i don't really take any of their dating advice or anything. i usually read it for their fashion and of course, their sex positions. but their decent. i don't subscribe or anything. i usually just pick it off the rack from the bookstore or grocery stores because i've realized that it's pretty similar in the articles.
Cosmo just wants to be "shocking" but it's getting old. I'd NEVER subscribe to it while living at home. I'm not too keen on my family knowing that I'm reading about different sex positions.
Somewhat off topic, but is Cosmo Girl any more interesting and not too kiddish? I've been subscribing to Seventeen since middle school and wanted to try a different magazine, but don't know which route to go.
I love Cosmo! But I do admit it talks about the same thing over and over...And what Cosmo says about guys liking stuff up the butt...well...apparently it feels good man. If anyone wanted to know. :P
thesex positions are always the same... i've got 5 years worth to prove it. the sex tips are usually common sense things and basically the same tips over and over, nothing new. i like to read the embarrassing stories, the horoscopes tend to be interesting... every once in a while they have interesting stuff in the real life reads. i learned a lot about sexual health, menstration, and the vagina in general from the magazine but those facts also get repeated over and over through out the issues. my subscription has been up for a couple of months now but i just don't think its worth the money... i'll probably still read it while waiting in line at walmart... and during those 5 minutes read through all the interesting content and not really miss anything.
in 5th grade me and my best friend would steal her mother's cosmos and read the naughty stories together.
I'll read the magazine during a 4 hr train ride to NY, and I often do, but I wouldn't buy a subscription to it. it is pretty redundant.
Aw, I love Jessica Alba, she looks gorgeous in that pic! I use Cosmo as controversial discussion fodder with guys I barely know and go boating on the lake with. No, seriously. It's interesting what they'll say and what you'll learn about points of view. Even better is reading between the lines and observing the way people answer the questions.
i actually just ended my subscription to them.. I hope you have better luck with them than i did! lol and $16/2 YEARS aint bad.. if i had that deal I POSSSIBLY might consider it ;)
I've learned that the fewer syllables to a women's magazine, the smarter it is. Vogue. W. Elle. You get the picture.
@mountaingirrl@xanga - CLASSIC ! lol.
I red it, but i totally go to the fashion first. liek seriously. i like to find stuff in various stores similar to what they have printed in the mag, and if i may say, i get many compliments on how i look =) thank you cosmo! lol. As for the relationship articles, ehhhh. they're only interesting to read but will it ever work is the question! dun dun dun dunnnnn. haha.
I love Cosmo. Sure it can be redundant, but I enjoy the blooper stories also sometimes they have fun nutrition/fitness facts. As for the sex tips, I like to go through the lists with my boyfriend and we pick stuff to try out haha so it's fun :)