Courtney

Cosmo has made several strides toward releasing women from male-developed constraints on their sex lives, but many of the popular magazine’s articles continue to take steps backward in the struggle for women’s liberation.

After examining the recent Cosmopolitan issues from March and April 2011, I found that nearly 15% of the articles were focused on getting a man, pleasing a man, doing things for a man, looking sexy for a man, understanding men’s thoughts about women, and solving relationship issues which were mostly caused by the man. The magazine remains frustratingly male-centered despite its efforts to denounce old stereotypes, and many articles excuse bad male behavior by saying that men are “hardwired” to think or act in a certain manner. The articles discussed below provide a taste of the sexist material that Cosmo continues to pour into the minds of its female readers.

One article in the April 2011 issue is especially worth noting. This article is entitled “What Men Hate for You to Wear to Bed.” The helpful article suggests that women should wear nightclothes which will excite their men, regardless of how much more comfortable or happy they might be in their own frumpy nightshirt. The primary disturbingly sexist ...