hello ♥ it's been a few days. for starters, i just wanted to let readers know that i've published my new portfolio at carbonmade, and i love it! the simplicity of it is wonderful. you can find it here.

cosmopolitan project:

i've been reading some really interesting feminist books lately and following the seventeen magazine project, which prompted me to do a little analysis post of my own to look at sexist themes in women's magazines. i chose the january 2011 issue of cosmopolitan to start with.

i'll be breaking up this review into four entries, as the magazine is ~200 pages long.

front cover: the front cover features scantily-clad skinny white actress ashley greene, the headline next to her reading "the ballsy way she scored twilight and a new love". other headlines include "what to do when your guy gets all quiet", "orgasm virgins: how they went from "um, not yet" to "omg yes!"", (what?) "2 things that mess with your birth control", "fashion trends you'll wear all year", "look leaner naked", "bedside astrologer: juicy predictions just for you" and "60 sex tips". while the "look leaner naked" article may center around exercise/health, its unfortunate title brings me to an automatic conclusion about this magazine's theme: men, how to get them to notice you, how to get them to like you, and how to get them to keep liking you once you've snagged them. the "what to do when your guy gets quiet" headline, as well as the sex tips and bedside astrologer, might further cement this idea in the reader's mind.

ashley greene's perfectly soft-focused hand grazes the bottom headline, "fashion trends you'll wear all year". sounds like we'd better read this article quickly, or we might not be know what's acceptable to put on our bodies this year. the "orgasm virgins" article might try to be informative, but reads as just insulting.

the only headline that seems rooted in any sort of independence or intelligence is "2 things that mess with your birth control": at least it offers health warnings without insinuating it'll impress your boyfriend or make you look prettier.

ads: the first fifty pages or so feature two ads for covergirl make-up, (an older black woman models one) a luxury car, estee lauder skin cream, ("it's the most important thing you'll put on today"- you sure?) an ad for lancome's "feminine fragrance", (called tresor in love, it features a photo of a tall, thin white model and adoring man) and clarisonic skin cleansing system, ("the power to be beautiful"). katy perry models OPI nail polish in a purple wig, givenchy shows a tall, thin, white model with justin timberlake, infusium hair products use a tall, thin white model to advertise their slogan, "meet the one that's meant for you", and a sketcher's tone-ups ad claims to "make your bottom half your better half". two ads for alcohol, a tall, thin, naked white model advertises chanel, bio-oil for stretch marks, a tall, thin white model advertises lingerie, and a tall, thin white model advertises tampons.

in looking at these ads with a more critical eye than i have in the past, i find that the only one that isn't selling some sort of objectification of women is the car ad for chevrolet. virtually all others feature either an air-brushed white model and/or a solution to your ugliness, weight problem, etc.

content (first 25 pages): the letters to the editor are mostly in reference to previous articles (about olivia munn, boyfriends, and marriage) that the readers liked. there was one letter complaining about PDA's place in an airport.

the "hot sheet", a trend page, describes lady gaga's prevalence in dreams, why we "unfriend" people on facebook, janice dickinson flashing a camera, postsex showers, sequined dresses, and the jersey shore (still?)

the interview with ashley greene directly follows. the article dictates exactly what she's wearing (a crewneck black sweater and ballet slippers, for those interested) and what she eats during the interview (asparagus salad and a sandwich consumed in "polite, tiny bites"). she mentions her relationship with joe jonas, how much she loves breakfast at tiffany's, and says that if she wasn't acting, she'd be jobless.

content (pages 25-50): next we come to an article called "10 things i don't get about women", a blatantly sexist recurring feature where a semi-famous man, this time chord overstreet from glee (because i really care what anyone named chord overstreet thinks of me) writes about 10 habits/traits/etc. that annoy him about women. the reader is, assumably, supposed to read the article and stop doing whatever this man disapproves of.

some of his pet peeves about women include "asking him what he thinks", "playing it too cool on dates", "blaming us for looking at your cleavage", "waiting too long to text back", and "always being late". not only are these vast generalizations about women, they propagate the idea that women are moreover stupid, petty, and immature. one point even defends ogling a woman's breasts despite her protesting. how does cosmopolitan reward these comments? next to overstreet's photo, the caption reads "what we don't get: how this hottie's still single!" stay classy, cosmo.

other articles in this section include "how a hookup can turn into love", a body-language analysis of jessica biel's desperation to keep justin timberlake around, and a "sexy vs. skanky" page: things deemed sexy include "older men", "extravagant international weddings", and "giving him a back rub"; things considered skanky include "thigh high socks" and "picking your nose". the word skank is used a few times in this issue. more on that later.

the "confessions" article follows, where readers admit to deeds like flashing a coworker and being caught having sex.

another article, "101 things about men", ups the desperation vibe a little with information on what cities have high male populations, ("research shows that guys are more eager to put a ring on it in locales where women are scarce") what men want your new year's resolutions to be, how to know he wants to "get serious", how to decode his text emoticons, what his next girlfriend says about you, and how to read his personality by the way he holds his pillow at night.

some of the less-offensive articles in this section are fashion-related, without featuring any models. there was one section on motorcycle boots, another on style ideas like sweaterdresses, and a third on how to shift an outfit from "day" to "night". the last page in this section finds budget versions of expensive "star styles", outfits worn by tall, skinny actresses. while it's difficult to put a finger on anything particularly wrong with these fashion segments, it doesn't say much for cosmopolitan that their only articles not shoving some sort of man-hungry, vain, slut-shaming or anti-femme idea down the reader's throat are somewhat materialistic and unnecessary. why do we really need these clothes?

i'll admit it- i read cosmo diligently at one point in my life. it made me laugh, and told me things i assumed i needed to know about sex, men, being attractive, and whatever else. in doing this review, i don't aim to piss off or alienate cosmo readers, but rather to look at why we feel the need to read this in the first place. in a society where i assume most women want to be successful and respected, we are also all too eager to consume blatantly sexist media. cosmopolitan offers a false sense of glamour and controlled promiscuity, a makeshift rulebook on how to be pretty and submissive.

off to study for finals now, but i'll try to write the next segment of this within a few days. xo