Lonsdorf

COSMOPOLITAN MAGAZINE:

What Would Parsons Say? I think that Parsons wouldn't have much difficulty in finding a princess like theme in Cosmo. Cosmo screams "gender approprate behavior!" Cosmo does a good job at telling what girls should be into; fashion, gossip, sex, they even have cooking recipes. As Parsons says, "A primary goal of gender construction in patriarchal culture is to prepare young girls for romantic love and heterosexual practices. Girls come to know that their value lies in men's desire for them." This is exactly what Cosmo does to its readers. They publish articles like "How to please your guy in bed" or "What Men are Really Thinking About Your Body." Cosmo preetches that to be a girl means that you have to make guys like you and life is not good without a man. What would Do Rozario say? In order to connect Do Rozario's reading to Cosmo, I"m going to focus mainly in the monthly published excerpts of romance novels and threat these stories like a big girl's version of a fairy tale. Most of these stories tell the tale of a women who is seeking the attention of a big strong man to fuffil their up most sexual desires.One example of the kinds of books Cosmo features was in the May 2004 issue called,**__THE ACCIDENTAL DIVA__, by Tia Williams.(** [] )Every big girl"s dream is to be told how beautiful and desirable they are by the opposite sex, right? These short stories are like what Do Rozario describes about how the prince in Snow White, "is the one who frames the narrative. He announces his great love at the begining of the film, and Snow White cannot be fulfilled until he arrives to kiss her...he takes ass the credit as champion of the disenfranchised and he takes Snow White to his castle" (pg. 39). All of the love stories published in Cosmo are about courtship just like the point Do Rozario makes about how most Disney fairy tales are aslo about courtship. Do Rozario says, "Mainstream Disney Studies in general present a retrospective picture: a princess caught in an agressively patriarchal society, it is a view perhaps encouraged by the avuncular nature of the corporate image" (pg.35). Just like how the prince gets the princess in the end the guy gets to sleep with the girl in the end of all those Cosmo romance stories. What would a fairy tale be without a prince and what would a romance novel be without a man? In our male doniated society, things would be pretty boring. __What would Hager say? 3-7-10__ A connection I found from the Power Puff Girls article to Cosmo was that even though Cosmo sometimes likes to say Power to Women, they usually contradict themselves by using patriarchal views and telling women what men find desirable. Just like we discussed in the Power Puff Girls article by Hager, that even though the Power Puff Girls are trying to go against patarchal views they seem to also contradict themselves. An example of this is that men created the image of the girls and I believe it’s mostly males who write for the show. Another example of this is from the episode we watched where V.V. is in jail and she says that horizontal stripes from her jump suite make her look fat. She is still influenced by men's views on what women should look like even though throughout the episode she is trying to discourage patriarchal values.

__What would Schrum say?__ Even though Cosmo is targeted towards older women, 20-25 year olds, Schrum's book has made some points that are similar to Cosmo. Seventeen was effective because it was able to target an increasingly homogeneous readership whose members were likely to purchase similar products from their advertisements. Cosmo is packed full of ads the first 10 pages are ads, selling clothes to beauty products. These ads use effective stratagies that convince women they need their products. Just as Schrum says that teenagers relied on the media and movies and music for guidence rather then get that information from their parents, Cosmo does the same thing, these magazines do not promote communication between parent and child. Cosmo is eager to explain this related with sex and most of the women I know started reading Cosmo a lot younger then the targeted group of 20-25 year olds. Many women's magazines have an  obsession with sex (esp. cosmo). Cosmo is geared toward an older readership than, Seventeen magazine, there are discussions of menstruation as in both magazines. Cosmo has a health section in their magazine where they usually talk about sex, std's, and all sorts of down south problems. One story I found was called, "Sexual Health: Can Having Sex During My period Effect My Flow?" and "Why Do I Get Tired During My Period?" (http://www.cosmopolitan.com/sex-love/sexual-health/tired-with-period) I think that Seventeen has a similar health section that talks about the same kinds of things. __What Would Brumberg Say__ ? Brumberg makes the clear point that in the 1990's a girl's menstrual cycle was more about sanitation then a girl entering to adult hood. Hygiene was discussed first and foremost, rather then the psychological changes a girl goes through once she begins to get her period. I related this artical to Cosmo in two ways, magazine ads and Cosmo's "Body Issue" section. Brumberg talks about how the idea that, "menarche was a matter of consumer decision making, and that coming-of-age was a process to be worked out in the market place rather then at home." You can not go through a Cosmo magazine, let alone any other women's magazine for that matter, without coming across and ad for tampons or maxi pads. Cosmo prints articals where they answer questions about your body. Like your period, your breasts, STD's and other personal information. Cosmo gives out the "vulgar information" that Brumberg said so many mothers feared. Cosmo is way more direct these days then in the old days. Cosmo is yet another way for girls to get information without having to actually talk to their parents. I don't know how Cosmo handled issues about menstruation in the 90's but theses days they seem to talk about the stress and emotions that come with your period. These days it is more about feeling good about your period than about hygiene.

__What would Beavis and Charles say?__ The article for this week talked about that girl's involvement with video/computer games better accessable because "it feeds into girls exsisting bedroom culture." And most girl's games were about "exsiting social dynamics and gender hierachies." Females had to be fitted around domestic chores and that men were able to spend more time playing the games. I related this to Cosmo by the fact that Cosmo sometimes encourages girls to learn how to play their boyfriends video games, so they can bond and spend more thime together; so girls can relate better to their man. Since women are busy doing household chores, while men have more leisure time sitting around playing video games, why is it that women have to adapt and learn to play a game in order to help their relationships? Why can't men learn how to do the laundry and then spend time together that way? Since we live in a male dominated society I dont see this kind of thing happing. Woemn clean the house, men sit on their butts playing a pointless video game. Its unfair to women.

What would Inness say? 4-23-10 Inness talks about how females are a part of the tradiditionally male action figure world. Action figures are usually defined as tough and mocho.Even though female action frigures are not as dominate in the market place as male action figures, Illness says In her book __It's a Girl Thing__ that, "Women are gaining a new acces o heroric roles" (pg.78). Cosmo magazine gies an example of the gender devide that gives seperates males and females. Men's magaizines are usually moch and tough, they are usually bout cars, toolas, video games, and motorcycles. Women's magazines usually are more about rasing children, love advice, and gardening. It would be weird in our society for a boy to pick up cosmo and read it cover to cover. Just like it is kind of frowned upon in our society when a boy palys with dolls or an easy bake oven. Examples of how gender roles should be do not just end with kid's toys, they go on into the adult years as well. Toys are just the first way in which males and females relize the seperate roles that are relegated to them in society. Illness also writes, "Barbie, GI Joe and other dolls and action figures create a gender divieded universe in which boys and girls learn about their differnces, not their similarities. This division potentally has a lasting impact as we mature..." (79)

What would Inness say? 4-32-10 lnness writes bout how American Girl dolls are aimed at upper middle income families. The dolls are more liked then barbies by most parents even though they are crazy expensive. Inness also believes that these dolls are operating to enforce gender spicific behaiors. Inness writes in her book, __Anti Barbies: The American Girls collection nd Political Ideologies__ that, "Although the idelogy passed on by the American Girls about women's socially desirable roles might appear more subtle then the messages veyed by Barbie the American girls are no less imbuded with ideology and the messages they convoy are not always as liberating to girls as the messages first appear" (169). I think this is also true about Cosmo. Cosmo's messages are about being beautiful on the outside. It teaches women that if they want to be desirable to men they have to dress and look a certian way. There was one article published in the March Issue of 2010 that was talking about cool jobs you could do if you weren't happy with your old one. Most of the jobs didnt relly require much skill, one being that you could be a Doggy Flight Attendent. In this job you cater to the every need of all the furry pet passengers. I dont think that Cosmo does a good job of making women feel empowered. they dont go against the social norms. Cosmo most of the time inforces our society's gender sterotypes. Articles like !0 things guys crave in bed and 21 Sex Tips all are bout ways to please your guys sexually. What about us women??



What would Gaunt say? 5-2-10

In the book, __Games Black Girls Play__, by Kyra Gaunttalks about how certain chants rhythms used by African American girls reflects and inspires the principles of black popular music making. She says that she observed that African American girls embody the ideals of black music making in the games they play" (pg. 2) She believes that through these games black girls learn about appropriate and transgressive gender and racial roles. I also think that Cosmo plays an important role in teaching young girls what is gender appropriate and what the racial roles are. Cosmo seems to put the message out there that girls are dominated by men. Cosmo says that we are suppose to be goddesses in the bedroom, and girls must learn how to please their man in every way they can. It kind of teaches that a girls place is in the bedroom. Another interesting thing about Cosmo is that I think Cosmo magazine trys to do a good job of incorperating African Americans in their issues. In the March 2010 issue there was a 8 page spread called "8 Must Try Trends and all eight pages had a African American model. There were also adds for beauty products by Beionce, Queen Latefia and Hali Berry. The above cover shows Rihanna as the featured Cosmo cover girl. The cover below shows Sara Nuru as the cover girl. However, a thing Cosmo could work on is its diversity with in couples. Cosmo also puts pictures of models next to their articles, (usually of couples making out half naked) which are usually either a white couple or a black couple. There are no inter-racial couples featured, I never really see any Asian or Hispanic couples either.

What would Lamb and Brown say? 5-10-10 Lamb and Brow talk about how gender apprproate clothes start at a very young age for girls. Their book __Pretty in Pink: What Girls Wear__ discusses how clothing stores sell "older girls" clothes to very young girls. They also talk about how girl clothes are ususlly pink or red. which is a very big gender bias. They say how its hard to find just a plain t-shirt since so many come with suggestive sayings or somehow prove we live in a male dominated society. Clothes thsese days make girls grow up too fast. "They tell your daughter-at an early age when she needs to feel big, try new things, andwiden her reach-that how she looks is more important than what she can do and more important than racing to the corner or rolling down the grassy hill as fast as she can" (Prety in Pink: What Girls Wear pg. 14). Girls are taught so young that the only thing that matters is what you look like. What does Cosmo say to girls with the clothing they feature in their magazine? In Cosmo's "Fun Fearless Fashion" section there usually are a few clothing items that are either pink, frilly, and/or sparkaly, but they also have some things in nutral colors like black or brown but there usually is some sort of detail that sets them aside from being too manly. In the March 2010 issue there was a white tank top featured, but it had ruffles surrounding the cleavege part. There usually are never just plain t-shits they usually have girly prints or snazzy buttons. In the Apirl 2010 issue of Cosmo there was an article called "8 Jobs, 8 Hire Me Styles." This article featured a model posing as different carreer choices. The reatil Associate had on skinny jeans, a tight blazer and a pink purse. The Lawyer had a tight black pencil skirt and a cropped blazer with a prink frilly blouse undernieth. The Web Developer, Publicist, Forensic Scientist and Medical Worker all had on high heels. These outfits were all pretty sexy. They shout the message that you need to look hot and sexy in order to try and score a job at an interview. Its not like you could wear these kinds of outfits in the actual field anyway. Why is it in our society that girls have to wear high heels to look mature and proffessional. The high heel is a sex symbol created by men.