Cosmo-Not-For-Me

I’m not exactly the world’s biggest feminist. It’s not that I don’t condone some forms of feminism; it’s just never been my bag. \nBut when I picked up the February issue of Cosmopolitan Magazine, the self-proclaimed “#1 Women’s Magazine,” I became quite disappointed. My disappointment started as early as the cover. I was initially interested in reading about this month’s cover girl Katherine Heigl. Then I saw that three of the headlines mentioned “him”: “Arouse Him Like Crazy!” “45 Ways to Get Even Closer to Him” and “The Most Satisfying Sex Position: It Turns Him On ... and It Feels Awesome for You!” I did some research on the history of Cosmopolitan Magazine. According to its Web site, Cosmo started as a general interest magazine in the late 1800s, but it became a publication for independent, sexually-liberated women in the 1960s. Part of the reason for its popularity was the way it made women not feel guilty for having pre-marital sex and discussed the issues they cared about. For example, the first issue focused on the birth control pill — which was still new at the time. \nFast forward some four decades later — and my, how things have changed. Women no longer have to abide by Victorian-era sexuality, or lack thereof. Instead, plenty of women are having guilt-free, premarital sex. Which is great, but according to Cosmopolitan articles, the sex is mainly about pleasing guys, while women pleasing themselves seems secondary. And this seems quite contrary to Dr. Joyce Brothers’ statement that “over the years, the magazine has consistently given women permission to steer their own sexuality.” In fact, the only part of the magazine that seems to focus on women steering their own sexuality is the ads section, if you know what I mean.\nI’ve never stumbled upon any men’s magazines that focus so much on pleasing and accommodating women. And I’ve definitely never read a cover story about a guy that mainly focuses on his marriage, unless it’s a story about Keven Federline. Why should the #1 women’s magazine focus on pleasing men? It might be because women in their 20s or 30s feel like their biological clocks are beginning to tick, and nobody wants to marry a cougar. Men, however, can stay bachelors as long as they like, and it’s always acceptable. \nI was also disturbed to find a piece titled, “10 Subliminal Tricks that Make People Adore You.” Here’s a new one ladies: how about being yourself for once. \nI’ll admit, there were a few good things I got from this issue of Cosmopolitan Magazine. I found a quick and easy recipe for potato gratin, one of my favorite dishes ever. Sadly, this was under a feature titled “Dinner He’ll Love You For.” I also learned that Tommy Lee Jones was Al Gore’s roommate at Harvard and that Anne Hatthaway originally turned down Heigl’s role in “Knocked Up” because “the birthing scene was too graphic.” But if those are the only perks of Cosmo, I’d like a refund.