I don’t see why magazines like Cosmo don’t come forward and give their magazines REAL titles, like “Sluts R Us”? I mean, it’s not like this would embarass the staff or anything! - Jinx
Because then no one would buy it.
Women want to appear *Cosmopolitan *, not *Slutty * even though the articles in there are just too much to believe. I don’t even read them if I see them in the waiting room at the doctor’s. Magazine’s like that just kill brain cells and self esteem.
But, I read/heard somewhere from some magazine editor ( how’s that for a vague recollection?) that magazines offer escapism for the target audience. Cosmo’s audience, I am guessing, is 17 - 25, female.
We don’t call it cosmo here…
We call it “300 pages of WHY MEN SUCK.”
I try to discourage its presence in my house.
Really, stockton? I think magazines like Cosmo encourage almost a worshipful attitude towards men. Certainly not “why men suck.”
That’s what Ms. Magazine’s for! I joke, I joke.
I think Cosmo’s angle is " Dress and act like a whore to get the guy you want" “Degrade yourself to get a man who will crap all over you.” " You are not whole if you don’t have a man in your life." and " Your thighs are fat"
It has to be the same articles repeated, you’d think people would figure it out by now.
Thank you. I’ve wanted to start this thread for a long time. My sister gets some of these magazines sometimes, and I read them out of morbid curiosity. Every article in Cosmo can be reduced to “How can I be more of a slut?”
[outrageous hyperbole]And we wonder why people hate Americans![/outrageous hyperbole]
I thought it was “300 pages of How to Suck a Man.”
I think it’s both why they suck and how to suck plus some slut gear.
I’ve mostly veered away in recent years from Cosmopolitan and the like because its content is severely lacking in both taste and useful information. I mean, anything you read in a Cosmo about relationships or playing with a guy’s head to get him to want you more is [IMO] strikingly akin to the behaviour that I equate with losing a guy or shooing them away.
Personally, I prefer the mens’ magazines like Stuff, Maxim and FHM. They provide more useful information, like how to build a stripper’s pole in my living room. 
Well, besides the more “useful” information, they’re funnier and often have better reviews for music, movies and books.
-Indigo-
**Hijack **
I love **Maxim ** ( haven’t read the others listed) because it does have great articles and does not take itself seriously.
Their clothing style for the men is just awful, but maybe I am out of touch with what younger guys want to dress like. It is possibly the only part of their magazine I don’t even glance at ( next to the video game reviews.)
I just sent in some stuff for **Found Porn **. A children’s book called *How To Care For Your Pussy *
Resume bashing Cosmo.
Perfect! “Whiners 'R Us”. Men make your life miserable but hey, they’re basically stupid and maniputable, if only you have the right nail polish, handbag, etc.. Well, of course cunningly combined with the magic passive aggressive blend of sexual come-ons and contempt!
I “read”, if that’s the word, this dreck about once a year in waiting rooms when I’ve forgotten to bring along a book or crossword puzzle.
Cosmo IS notable, though, for managing to make sex not only inane, but boring. I’m just thorougly bummed that it’s in business and profitable. I really don’t want to dwell on that.
Veb
[sub]Have you noticed that even parodies fall flat because they can’t exaggerate enough beyond the original?[/sub]
Now, I object to this whole thread!
Actually, I decided on this nick 'cause at the time, I was in a phase of only drinking Cosmopolitans. I tend to be like that; find something (drink, book, CD) I like and ride it into the ground, then go on to something else, eventually returning to whatever it was I got bored with.
As for the magazine… The mag consists of the same few articles, slightly repackaged each issue:
*10,000 Ways to Trick a Man Into Love and/or Bed
7,000 New Sex Tricks to Give the Man Whom You’ve Tricked Into Love/Bed a Brain-Busting Orgasm
Trendy Clothes That You Must Have, Yet Cannot Afford
How to Slim Your Fat Ass Down so You Can Fit into Trendy Clothes You Can’t Afford, so as to Trick a Man Into Love/Bed and Proceed to Give Him Decades of Pleasure with Your Newly Learned Sex Tricks - and Then become a Happy, Successful Businesswoman*
:smack:
You’ve got the articles down, but let’s not forget the recurring theme of the cover!
How much cleavage can we get away with showing THIS issue?
:eek:
[quote]
Why isn’t Cosmo called “Sluts R Us”?
Because Cosmopolitan magazine at one time was fairly respectable. Helen Gurley Brown was the force behind the change. It was at first very much about self-esteem. Before that, female sexuality wasn’t discussed much. It served a good purpose for a short period of time.
I agree that encouraging people to play games in their relationships is not a good thing. That is different from suggestions on how to improve sexual relationships – hardly a “slutty” concept.
I always found US/Canadian Cosmo to be quite a slut-fest.
Then I read the UK Cosmo. HOLY CRAP!!!
If I’m to believe the magazine, all women in the UK screw as many men as they possibly can, go away to “Swapping” B&B’s, and walk around with their thongs hanging out the top of their pants.
Interestingly, when I visited, I encountered none of this - it must be a locals only sub culture. :rolleyes:
And when they write about those 7,000 sex tricks, they don’t EVER seem to mention “blowjob.”
Because then the magazine would suck and blow, and the Universe would collapse.
Well, that goes along with the “Slim Your Fat Ass Down” bit.
[sub]Plus, spitting is just so un-Cosmopolitan.[/sub]
I think that once you meet your man at the door wearing nothing but a smile, he’s supposed to just go into a semi-coma state thereby avoiding the nastier aspects of the business.
Apparently, if this technique is done right, the man will awaken the next day, buy the woman a piece of jewelery containing diamonds, and increase her shopping allowance.
The technique doesn’t end there though. When performed by a master, a divorce will occur within three years, after which the woman will use the settlement money to travel in search of a trade-up husband.
In a symbolic act of aquiescence, the original male mate will then become a hopeless alcoholic and pray for some other guy to marry her so the Gods of Alimony will cease they’re endless cries for alms.
(And to think, I thought I wouldn’t learn anything from the Animal Planet channel. Or maybe it was Cinemax. Whatever.)
Aren’t there a bunch of articles that are “What men REALLY think about whatever” and they ask some closeted male model, and a hunky fireman, and probably the janitor of their offices, as spokespersons for an entire gender.