Cosmopolitan--Continuing the Burden of Women
Be his best ever! Is the claim made on the cover of the November 2001 issue of Cosmopolitan. Following these easy steps he'll be putty in your hands. Each month Cosmo offers different ways of pleasing your man sexually and visually. It gives women insight on how men think so that we are more equipped to please them, and it is full of dating advice for women who are searching for men and it tells us what to do once we have caught our prey. It is considered by many to be the know-all to pleasing and keeping our men, maintaining our beauty, and knowing what to wear from season to season. Face it, Cosmo is this generation's version of Good Housekeeping. While most readers of Cosmopolitan feel that the magazine is geared toward women who take pride in making themselves a better mate or making themselves better women in general, Cosmo fuels women's socially constructed gender roles by promoting the stereotypes of what a conventional woman is while aiding in keeping them silent by not using its power to promote gender equality.
COSMOPOLITAN magazine at The Brandery Summer Editi...
Cosmopolitan (magazine)
Cosmo nysnø til alleTaking a look at the ads that are chosen for Cosmopolitan was my first tool in uncovering the assumptions held by the creators of this magazine. Most of the ads found in the magazine show women in a very subordinate role. Be it subordinate to men or the objects that they are advertising, women were not made important. The underlying meaning of the ads show that a woman can only be heard through someone or something else. They tell women that passivity is what it means to be a woman. To give an example, on page 83 there is a Reebok ad. It shows an Asian woman standing holding...
Powerful Arguements
Being a fan of Cosmopolitan myself, I don't deny what is argued in this essay. However, one must stop and think what is being promoted by the media in today's world. Women are said to be equal, but in reality they argue for better treatment. Cosmopolitan reflects what women are "supposed" to be. Yes, we are to be submissive and silent. Afterall, this is what many of us have been brought up to believe not only by the media but by our families. I have been disappointed with the frivolous material that I find, but when I think about it, I read Cosmo to get away from the technical stuff and do some mindless reading. I don't really think that the month's "Fun Fearless Female" who knows the best local hang out is really a role model, yet I do believe that it gives me a perception of what I do not need to follow. I don't need a $200 prada purse. Cosmopolitan serves its purpose for many readers. It provides mindless entertainment, it gives us stronger women something to criticize, and it gives the weaker ones something to strive for (as pathetic as that is). Nothing can be done to change societies views. Cosmo's just showing us what the world is saying of us.
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