Dozens of magazines are made for women, but no one is as popular as Cosmopolitan. Being probably the only magazine with which reviewers seem to have a love/hate relationship, Cosmo is around since 1886 with 58 international editions, in 34 languages, sold in over 100 countries around the globe.
Fans, particularly male, find many reasons to like Cosmo although they don't buy it. But can you recall how many times have you seen a man seeing sneakily in Cosmo's pages while waiting in doctor's office to be called? I can tell you why! On almost any given page, there are scantily dressed women posing seductively. Even the fashion pages feature scantily clad models strutting down the runway. Almost all the ads show at least one scantily clad female and one male really checking her out. So no doubt why male audience likes Cosmo!
But, female fans have also a lot to look for in Cosmo's pages.
Number one: the sex tips, sex help, sex question and answers to spice up your love and sex life. We sure all know about sex and we sure all are buying, but is it really necessary to put a cover about the best orgasm tips, with red, bold, 19 Times New Roman letters that could attract even a visually impaired from an average distance? Well, yes, because sex sells much more than you can imagine. And Cosmo people know that if you're looking for juicy articles to get juicy answers about bedroom topics, Cosmo is the only magazine to look into.
Number two: the fashion tips. In every Cosmo issue there are articles about the hottest new fashion threads. Regardless if the clothes are shockingly overpriced and no average person could afford them, still you may get ideas about what hot celebrities wear, what is trendy and what is not. You don't have to be rich to be Orlando Bloom's or Josh Saunders' girl, but you have to be well dressed to be the boy's next door girlfriend. Let alone, Cosmo offers you advice about the latest trends in the make-up, hairstyle, skin as well as step by step instructions of how to achieve the make up of famous celebrities.
Number three: gossip. By reading Cosmo, you get the scoop on all of the Hollywood gossip. Who's dating who, who's wearing what, who's partying where through photos and stories on hot-shot celebrities.
Number four: confessions. This is the section where the readers write and share their most embarrassing, and funny stories. Betrayed women, who cut their ex's clothes into tiny shreds because they caught them cheating; employees, who got caught by their boss having sex at the office at night. Plus an "Ann Landers" type column plenty of advices on terrible problems that make you feel sorry for the woman that had to go through such mess.
On the other hand, Cosmo has been heavily criticized as boring, repetitive and pathetic for printing the same old stuff for so many years. Even worse it has been criticized fro been a porno magazine sold over the counter instead of being sold behind the counter. Male audience often categorizes Cosmo like the female alternative of Playboy and Penthouse.
Another criticism relates to the fact that although it covers useful and in-depth articles on mental and eating disorders, still it features fashion for skinny people. Also, although it tries to cover topics about cultural issues, stalkers, domestic violence and many others, it often gets repetitive, especially when providing advice about men. "Ten ways to get him to bed on the first date", "How to keep your man", "Get closer to your man" and all this stuff often gets rampant.
Personally, I find Cosmo interesting and entertaining. However, it appears to have nothing to do with fashion, but music and movie reviews. Also, the increasing amount of advertisements and pages dedicated to diets and celebrity tips are greatly overwhelming. The truth of the matter is that Cosmo often promises much more than what it actually delivers. It may even be fancier than required or more modern than expected. And I don't think that it deserves all the credit it gets, lacking real topics, featuring poor amount of fashion and being self-obsessed with diet articles.
But, for so many years, millions of loyal consumers have proved that women need it. And after all, since it has managed to create such a fuss around its editorial, it cannot but having something good to be reviewed for. Even it is all about negative advertising, still Cosmo has managed to dominate the market for so many years. So, enjoy!
