Cosmopolitan (magazine)

Cosmopolitan

May 2011 issue that features Paramore lead vocalist Hayley Williams.
Editor-in-Chief
Categories
Frequency

Joanna Coles
Female
monthly

Total circulation
(2011)

3,032,211 (USA)[2]

First issue
Company
Country
Language
Website
ISSN

1886 (as a literary magazine)

1965 (as a women's magazine)
Hearst Corporation
United States
(other countries also available)
English
www.cosmopolitan.com
0010-9541

Cosmopolitan is an international magazine for women. It was first

published in 1886 in the United States as a family magazine, was later
transformed into a literary magazine and eventually became a women's
magazine in the late 1960s. Also known as Cosmo, its content as of 2011
included articles on women's issues, relationships, sex, health, careers,
self-improvement, celebrities, fashion and beauty. Published by Hearst
Magazines, Cosmopolitan has 64 international editions, is printed in 35
languages and is distributed in more than 100 countries.[3]

Contents

1 History
o 1.1 Helen Gurley Brown arrives

2 Cosmopolitan today

3 Awards by Cosmopolitan, and features

4 Criticism

5 Editors (American edition)

6 References

7 External links

History
Cosmopolitan began as a family magazine, launched in 1886 by Schlicht &
Field of New York as The Cosmopolitan.
Paul Schlicht told his first-issue readers that his publication was a "firstclass family magazine", adding, "There will be a department devoted
exclusively to the concerns of women, with articles on fashions, on
household decoration, on cooking, and the care and management of
children, etc.There was also a department for the younger members of the
family."
Cosmopolitan's circulation reached 25,000 that year, but by November
1888, Schlicht & Field were no longer in business. John Brisben Walker
acquired the magazine in 1889. That same year, he dispatched Elizabeth
Bisland on a race around the world against Nellie Bly to draw attention to
his magazine.[5]
Under John Brisben Walker's ownership, E. D. Walker, formerly with
Harper's Monthly, took over as the new editor, introducing colour
illustrations, serials and book reviews. It became a leading market for
fiction, featuring such authors as Annie Besant, Ambrose Bierce, Theodore
Dreiser, Rudyard Kipling, Jack London, Willa Cather, and Edith Wharton.[6]
The magazine's circulation climbed to 75,000 by 1892.
In 1897, Cosmopolitan announced plans for a free correspondence school:
"No charge of any kind will be made to the student. All expenses for the
present will be borne by the Cosmopolitan. No conditions, except a pledge
of a given number of hours of study." When 20,000 immediately signed
up, Walker could not fund the school and students were then asked to

contribute 20 dollars a year. Also in 1897, H. G. Wells' The War of the

Worlds was serialized, as was his The First Men in the Moon (1900). Olive
Schreiner contributed a lengthy article about the Boer War.
In 1905, William Randolph Hearst purchased the magazine for US$400,000
(approximately $11,000,000 in 2007 prices) and brought in journalist
Charles Edward Russell, who contributed a series of investigative articles,
including "The Growth of Caste in America" (March 1907), "At the Throat
of the Republic" (December 1907 - March 1908) and "What Are You Going
to Do About It?" (July 1910 - January 1911) and "Colorado - New Tricks in
an Old Game" (December 1910).
Other contributors during this period included Alfred Henry Lewis, Sinclair
Lewis, A. J. Cronin, David Graham Phillips, George Bernard Shaw, Upton
Sinclair, and Ida Tarbell. A constant presence from 1910-18 was Arthur B.
Reeve, with 82 stories featuring Craig Kennedy, the "scientific detective."
Magazine illustrators included Francis Attwood, Dean Cornwell, James
Montgomery Flagg, and Harrison Fisher.

March 1894 issue

With a circulation of 1,700,000 in the 1930s, Cosmopolitan had an
advertising income of $5,000,000. Emphasizing fiction in the 1940s, it was
subtitled The Four-Book Magazine since the first section had one
novelette, six or eight short stories, two serials, six to eight articles and
eight or nine special features, while the other three sections featured two
novels and a digest of current non-fiction books. During World War II, sales
peaked at 2,000,000.
Hearst formed Cosmopolitan Productions or Cosmopolitan Pictures a film
company based in New York City from 1918 to 1923 then Hollywood until
1938 for the purpose of making films out of stories published in the
magazine.
The magazine began to run less fiction during the 1950s. Circulation
dropped to slightly over a million by 1955, a time when magazines were
overshadowed during the rise of paperbacks and television. The Golden

Age of magazines came to an end as mass market, general interest

publications gave way to special interest magazines targeting specialized
audiences.
Helen Gurley Brown arrives
Cosmopolitan's circulation continued to decline for another decade until
Helen Gurley Brown became chief editor in 1965 and remodeled the
magazine as New Cosmopolitan. After countless denials by other
publications, Brown finally landed an opportunity to put her perspective
on a magazine.[7] The magazine was renamed again Cosmopolitan in
1967, and it was refocused as a magazine for women. The magazine
eventually adopted a cover format consisting of a usually young female
model typically in a low cut dress or bikini. The magazine focused on
young women and published articles that openly talked about sexual
issues.
This was not her first publication dealing with sexually liberating women.
Her 1962 advice book, Sex and the Single Girl, had been a best seller. Fan
mail begging for Brown's advice on many subjects concerning women's
behavior, sexual encounters, health, and beauty flooded her after the
book was released. Brown sent the message that a woman should have
men complement her life, not take it over. Enjoying sex without shame
was also a message she incorporated in both publications.[8]
In Brown's early years as editor, the magazine received heavy criticism.
The magazine ran a near-nude centerfold of actor Burt Reynolds in April
1972, causing great controversy and attracting much attention.[9]
In April 1978, a single edition of Cosmopolitan Man was published as a
trial, targeted to appeal to men. Its cover featured Jack Nicholson and
Aurore Clment. It was published twice in 1989 as a supplement to
Cosmopolitan.[10] Hearst abandoned this project after the company
purchased Esquire.
Cosmopolitan today

Cosmopolitan stand at The Brandery fashion show (Barcelona, 2010)

The magazine, and in particular its cover stories, have become

increasingly sexually explicit in tone, and covers have models wearing
revealing clothes. Kroger, America's largest grocery chain, used to cover
up Cosmopolitan at checkout stands because of complaints about sexually
inappropriate headlines.[11] The UK edition of Cosmopolitan, which began
in 1972, was well known for sexual explicitness, with strong sexual
language, male nudity and coverage of such subjects as rape. In 1999
CosmoGIRL!, a spinoff magazine targeting a teenage female audience,
was created for international readership. It shut down in December 2008.
The magazine currently features topics including sex, relationships,
beauty, fashion and health. The advice and feature articles in the US
edition are written to a presumed audience of white women.[12]
Cosmopolitan has 64 international editions worldwide published in 35
languages with distribution in more than 100 countries making
Cosmopolitan the largest-selling young women's magazine in the world.[3]
Some international editions are published in partnerships, such as licenses
or joint ventures, with established publishing houses in each local market.
International editions are published in Argentina, Armenia, Australia,
Azerbaijan, Brazil, Bulgaria, Central America, Chile, China, Colombia,
Croatia, Cyprus, Czech Republic, Ecuador, Estonia, Finland, France,
Germany, Greece, Hong Kong, Hungary, India, Indonesia, Italy,
Kazakhstan, Korea, Latvia, Lithuania, Malaysia, Mexico, Mongolia,
Netherlands, Peru, Philippines, Poland, Portugal, Puerto Rico, Romania,
Russia, Serbia, Singapore, Slovenia, South Africa, Spain, Taiwan, Thailand,
Turkey, United Kingdom, U.S. en Espaol, Ukraine, Venezuela, and
Vietnam. Editions that had been ceased are: Denmark, Georgia, Israel,
Kenya, Norway and Sweden.
Cosmopolitan has since the sixties been a women's magazine discussing
such topics as sex, health, fitness and fashion. Cosmopolitan also has a
section called "Ask Him Anything" where a male writer answers readers'
questions about men and dating.
Awards by Cosmopolitan, and features
Fun, Fearless Male and Female of the Year: For more than a decade,
the February issue has featured this award. In 2011 Russell Brand received
the magazine's Fun Fearless Male of the Year Award, joining Kellan Lutz
and Paul Wesley (2010), John Mayer (2008), Nick Lachey (2007), Patrick
Dempsey (2006), Josh Duhamel (2005), Matthew Perry (2004), and Jon
Bon Jovi (2003). In 2012, Nicole Scherzinger won the award. Mila Kunis
received the 2011 Fun, Fearless Female of the Year honor, a title that had
been previously awarded to Anna Faris (2010), Ali Larter (2009), Katherine
Heigl (2008), Eva Mendes (2007), Beyonc (2006), Ashlee Simpson
(2005), Alicia Silverstone (2004), Sandra Bullock (2003), Britney Spears

(2002), Debra Messing (2001), Jennifer Love Hewitt (2000), Shania Twain
(1999) and Ashley Judd (1998)
Bachelor of the Year: Cosmopolitan's November issue features the
hottest bachelors from all 50 states. Pictures and profiles of all the
Bachelors are posted on www.cosmopolitan.com, where readers view and
vote for their favorite, narrowing it down to six finalists. A team of
Cosmopolitan editors then selects the Bachelor of the Year, who is
announced at an annual party and media event in New York. The 50
bachelors generally appear on programs such as The Today Show.[13]
Past Winners Include

Chris Van Vliet 2011[14]

Ryan "Mickey" McLean 2010[15]

Brad Ludden 2008

Brian Watkins 2007

Matt Wood 2006

Practice Safe Sun: In the May 2006 issue of Cosmopolitan, the

magazine launched the Practice Safe Sun campaign, an initiative aimed at
fighting skin cancer by asking readers to stop all forms of tanning other
than tanning from a bottle.[16] In conjunction with the campaign, Cosmo's
editor-in-chief, Kate White, approached Congresswoman Carolyn Maloney
(D-NY), known for her support of women's health issues, with concerns
that women weren't fully aware of the dangers of indoor tanning and the
effectiveness of the current warning labels.[17] After careful review, the
Congresswoman agreed that it was necessary to recommend that the FDA
take a closer look. She and Representative Ginny Brown-Waite (R-FL)
introduced the Tanning Accountability and Notification Act (TAN Act - H.R.
4767) on February 16, 2006.[16] President Bush signed the act in
September 2007, and the new federal law requires the FDA to scrutinize
the warning labels on tanning beds and issue a report by September 2008.
[18]

Cosmo Blog Awards: Cosmopolitan UK launched the Cosmo Blog Awards

[19]
in 2010. The Awards attracted more than 15,000 entries and winning
and highly commended blogs were voted for in several categories
including beauty, fashion, lifestyle and celebrity. The 2011 Awards
launched in August 2011 and nominations are open until 31 August 2011.
All UK-based bloggers and blogs written by British blogges abroad with a
British perspective can be entered.
Criticism

In its January 1988 issue, Cosmopolitan ran a feature claiming that women
had almost no reason to worry about contracting HIV long after the best
available medical science indicated otherwise. The piece claimed that
unprotected sex with an HIV-positive man did not put women at risk of
infection, and went on to state that "most heterosexuals are not at risk"
and that it was impossible to transmit HIV in the missionary position.[20]
This article angered many knowledgeable people including AIDS and gay
rights activists. In 2005 Cosmopolitan ran a promotional giveaway of free
condoms in the Netherlands.
Whilst considered a magazine for adult women, Cosmopolitan has been
accused of subtly targeting children.[21] These accusations stem from
various factors, including the design of the magazine covers, which use
extra large fonts and minimum words and the use of bright colors. Former
model Nicole Weider accused the magazine of using slang "which is used
by young people not adults" and using (then) underage celebrities such as
Dakota Fanning and Selena Gomez as well as other celebrities popular
with teens such as Ashley Greene and Demi Lovato, in an attempt to gain
the attention of underage girls.[21]
Victoria Hearst, a model and granddaughter of Cosmopolitan-founder
William Randolph Hearst, has lend her support to a campaign which seeks
to have Cosmopolitan classified as under the guidelines of "Material
Harmful to Minors" laws. Hearst states that "the magazine promotes a
lifestyle that can be dangerous to womens emotional and physical well
being. It should never be sold to anyone under 18".[22] Donald Clark, the
secretary of the Federal Trade Commission (FTC), has also shown interest
in the matter.[23]
Editors (American edition)

Frank P. Smith (18861888)

E. D. Walker (1888)

John Brisben Walker (18891905)

Bailey Millard (19051907)

S. S. Chamberlain (19071908)

C. P. Narcross (19081913)

Sewell Haggard (1914)

Edgar Grant Sisson (19141917)

Douglas Z. Doty (19171918)

Ray Long (19181931)

Harry Payne Burton (19311942)

Frances Whiting (19421945)

Arthur Gordon (19461948)

Herbert R. Mayes (19481951)

John J. O'Connell (19511959)

Robert Atherton (19591965)

Helen Gurley Brown (19651997)

Bonnie Fuller (19971998)

Kate White (19982012)

Joanna Coles (2012-)

The Evolution of Cosmopolitan Magazine

Cosmopolitan Magazine has been around since 1886 so it has seen quite a
great deal of change over that time. The evolution of The Cosmopolitan
Magazine into what is known today as Cosmo shows just how dramatic
that change has been. In its early days, The Cosmopolitan was billed as a
womans fashion magazine that included articles on the home, family, and
cooking, but also included articles like Some Examples of Recent Art and
The Progress of Science.

Later it became more focused as a showcase for new fiction and published
works by authors like Upton Sinclair, Sinclair Lewis, Kurt Vonnegut, Willa
Cather, and H. G. Wells. Typically, each issue would have five to eight
short-stories, a full novelette, a full short novel, and some article on
fashion and health. During this time, the cover art was almost exclusively
illustrated even when the covers featured celebrities.

With the introduction of television, there was a drastic decline in the

demand for fiction-based magazines. In response to the waning sales
there was a radical shift in the direction of Cosmopolitan. In the mid
sixties, Helen Gurley Brown stepped in as editor in chief. She brought with
her the message of sexual freedom for single women, and started
replacing the cover illustrations with photos of young models in minimal
clothing. Sales increased as a result.

Since then the magazine has become more sexually centered. It still
features many articles on having pleasurable sex and maintain fulfilling
relationships. There is a much greater emphasis on how women can make
themselves more desirable to men. One look at the website reveals the
tone of the magazine. These are the first three articles listed:
4 Traits Men Find Irresistible
What Men Secretly Think of your Hair and Makeup
What You Should Do if He Cheats

The late Kurt Vonnegut (who had multiple short stories featured in
Cosmopolitan in the fifties) had this to say about the magazine: One
monthly that bought several of my stories, Cosmopolitan, now survives as
a harrowingly explicit sex manual. Indeed, browsing through the cover
art of the past few years gives one the impression that there are an
infinite number of sex positions. It is hard to feel sexually liberated while
reading a magazine that talks about the vagina (or Hoo-Ha) like its
something you can buy at a pet store. They have also been criticized for
perpetuating a nearly impossible standard of beauty and for retouching
models to make them appear thinner. Today Cosmopolitan retains almost
no reminants of its origins. It is fascinating to see how it has shifted with
the culture and how our culture has changed because of it.
Lauren McGuire is a SocImages intern and an assistant to a disability
activist. She recently launched her own blog, The Fatal Foxtrot, that is
focused on the awkward passage into adulthood.