10 reasons that make me a Cosmo reader. Review on Cosmopolitan

“Never read beauty magazines, they make you feel ugly” so goes the ditty. Hey what about Cosmopolitan, which features articles, like “10 super ways to look like a movie star”. For the uninitiated, some of the articles can be pretty lurid “101 ways to thrill him” and some of the ‘fashion looks’ extremely difficult to reproduce in real life. But I would like to put forth reasons as to why I have stuck on with the magazine,

1. Fashion looks / tips : Some very nifty mix and match tips are given and these can be reproduced using stuff bought from Linking road and stalls near railway stations. Designer stuff is also featured (for those who can afford it), but I look at it to gasp at the prices mentioned. (‘Malini Ramani’ togs for Rs. 8000 and above, yikes!). Basically it gives the same thrill as walking into a designer shop – looking at all the clothes and not buying it.

   
   




2. Good looking models splashed all around the magazine : Ok, now this is what is usually told, that we women tend to compare ourselves to these nubile nymphets and then get depressed. But moi, never! I do not worry about something that I will never achieve. I know, that flat washboard tummies are for the Nina Manuels. For me a little fat is good (that is what my husband says – mebbe to appease me). However, after reading about them or after looking at their pictures, I sometimes feel as beautiful as them. There could be a deep down psychological reasons for this – if there are psychiatrists out there… help out please! And yes, the male models are pure eye candy. They are chosen well.

   
   




3. Career tips: To tell the truth most of the career tips given are textbook stuff that any new jobseeker could reel off just as easily “Try to visualize your angry boss in PJs” etc. But the important thing here is that whenever bosses are mentioned, the pronoun used is “she”. Hurray! Its great to have women as bosses (ask my juniors; if they reply in the negative, I will have them for breakfast.)

   
   




4. Love & Lust columns : Now who would not want to read about ‘5 foxy skills to ….’ And “25 signs that show the dude is yours”. Now the only advice is that ‘do not try to emulate the tips given’. One of the skills was getting up in the middle of the night and jumping on the poor partner. There are chances that the poor partner may wake up in the hospital nursing a mild shock. You could try the harmless ones and write a ‘thankyou’ letter to the magazine for re-igniting the lost spark in your relationship. (You could end up winning a cosmetic goody bag from them, so what if a little story telling is required).

   
   




5. Health Check : Very good tips given on how to get a ‘J Lo behind’ or a flat washboard tummy (oh yes, I am hung up on that). For all this, you need not go to the gym or don up the jogging outfit. Most of the exercises featured can be done in the privacy of your home.

   
   




6. Confession columns : Most of the confessions and agonizing problems written are very ‘foreign’. (Maybe they really are written by genuine people and I am hopelessly outdated). But I read them for vicarious pleasure. So what if I am living an ordinary life, there are others who find their boyfriend’s father more attractive or have done it at their work place…

   
   




7. Cosmo for the guy : There are some very good hints written for the males who would like to understand and impress the cosmopolitan woman. But I do not have the reader demographics to know whether there are males reading this magazine at all.

   
   




8. Quizzes : After completing a number of these quizzes, I know for sure, that I am a control freak and a hypochondriac but not impulsive enough. Most of us are sane enough to manipulate the answers to get the characteristic that we think best suits us. But I suggest doing these quizzes with your girlfriends. It is a lot of fun (mostly because you cannot lie).

   
   




9. Stylish and Sassy : Compared to the other magazines in the genre, Cosmo is much more open about ‘unmentionables’. For those who prefer the ‘prude’ way, you could always talk it over with your favourite aunt.

   
   




10. Price: well, it was an issue earlier, when I was just a student. But then I started working and 50 bucks is okay as an indulgence. For those who still think that Rs. 50 is on the higher side, you need to travel by Mumbai locals. Past issues of Cosmo (without the cover) is sold for as low as Rs. 10. There is nothing ‘very urgent or recent news’ that is carried on the magazine, therefore, a month late magazine does not really hurt.