Cosmo Girl Reigns

The creation of the Cosmo Girl was basically done single-handedly by Helen Gurley Brown, the editor-in-chief of Cosmopolitan magazine from the mid-1960s until 1997. The objective of the Cosmo Girl and the reality of what it actually is are two completely different concepts. The objective, as Ouellette suggests, was that "she [Brown] articulated a girl-style American Dream that promised transcendence from class roles as well as sexual ones" (Gender, Race, and Class in Media). That doesn't sound bad, does it? However, the "Cosmo Girl" that Brown created as a prototype to accomplish this objective is not something I am in support of.

Brown wrote, "There are girls who...don't want to be that driven, to have that many affairs; they don't want more than one man or one dress at a time. They don't care about jewelry and they don't want a sable coat or Paris for the weekend...But 'my girl' wants it" (Gender, Race, and Class in Media). The reality of the Cosmo Girl is a woman who is very materialistic, a heart-breaker, sexually promiscuous (and unashamed), and able to rise and be successful in the workplace--with an emphasis on being flirty, flakey, and fun.

Clearly, it stuck. I think the majority of popular women's magazines today have used this idea of the Cosmo Girl and centered their messages around and magazine content around it. Why? Because it sells. Other feminist magazines such as Ms. are reaching an audience, sure...but not like Cosmopolitan. It's the dominant ideology that's being put out in our society today. Take this issue of Glamour magazine as an example. The cover reads: "25 Things You Do That Guys Secretly Love, What to Eat to Lose Eight Pounds This Month, Amazing Hair: The 1-2-3 Plan Every Woman Should Know," and so on. I must admit, I enjoy reading these magazines, even thought I do not fully embrace what they stand for, nor do I choose to live my life this way.

For me, it's a hard pill to swallow that even today women are still subordinate in the the professional work setting. I think Brown really understood this, which I give her credit for. She was an extremely intelligent woman. But she used the power feminine sexuality as leverage and told women it's how they will become successful--not through intelligence or talent or hard work. Her message reached and resonated with millions of women, who in then internalized the message of the Cosmo Girl, using it as a plan to transform their own life situation (economic, love life, social status--whatever it was). And the truth is that it's still being used today.