Sex, Love, and Cosmo
Looking
at what today's youth is reading there is no wonder that there are more
cases of STD's then ever before, and it is not a shock that there are
more teenagers and young adults that are sexually active. The mass media
that is available to today's younger generation is highly sexualized
and is placed in the forefront as a model for what young adults are
suppose to emulate. With article titles such as, "Dirty Sexy Sex,"
and "21 Naughty Sex Tips," Cosmopolitan Magazine is undoubtedly
contributing to the "hook-up" mentality of today's young adults. Not
only are their articles becoming highly sexualized and racy, they are
also encouraging promiscuity and the lack of commitment within
relationships. Though it is a women's magazine there are articles after
articles that objectify the female body, and this objectification is
telling women that this is how they are suppose to be, how they are
suppose to behave.
In this content analysis, Cosmopolitan Magazine was examined to determine the magnitude of sexualized articles that were contained within each issue of Cosmopolitan. The findings showed there is no doubt that there is a correlation between the amount of sexual media consumed, and the amount of sexual activity that occurs. Cosmopolitan magazine is contributing to the highly sexualized atmosphere, idealizing sex, and discouraging love and commitment. They as a company are encouraging today's youth and young adults to be more sexually active.
A magazine that was originally founded to offer women a forum to express their individuality as a person, has become nothing more than "tabloid rag" of scandalous affairs, and a source of sex advice, and celebrity gossip. Originally Cosmopolitan Magazine was a woman's journal that contained articles dealing with art, science, politics, and household tips. The journal was written by women and for women to encourage the betterment of self, but modern Cosmopolitan ignores these values and promotes itself as a magazine for "Fun, Fearless, Females." What this advertising campaign fails to say is that in order to be one of these "Fun, Fearless, Females," a reader must use her body to advance rather than her mind and spirit. In actuality there is nothing "Fearless," about the female that Cosmopolitan Magazine targets. By the articles alone the evidence shows that the targeted demographic are individuals that have a lower body image, by showing pictures of gorgeous celebrities and then instructing the reader how to look like this movie star or have the social life of that model, with articles such as, "Beauty Q and A," or "The Sexist Eyebrows Ever." Just how sexy can eyebrows really be? The magazine encourages women to resort back to the primal practices of using beauty and sex to control a man in order to make advances in their lives like in, "6 Ways to train your boyfriend." There is nothing within Cosmopolitan Magazine that allows a woman to be "Fun or Fearless," the magazine in all actuality hinders personal growth by encouraging conformity. This type of effect that the media has on individuals has been examined through numerous research studies such as the study conducted by the American Academy of Pediatrics.
In 2006 the American Academy of Pediatrics published a study that analyzed the amount of sexual media adolescents viewed and whether it had a direct correlation to the amount of sexual "experimentation" they had participated in. The study looked at different forms of media including movies, television, music, and magazines. The subjects were school age children from 12-16 years old. The children were asked a series of questions to provide a range for the amount of media they interacted with daily, also called a sexual media diet (SMD).
The study was conducted through a longitudinal method, which is to evaluate x number of subjects in year one, and in the designated periods of time after, evaluate the same x number of subjects again. The purpose of using this type of study is to allow the researchers the ability to see the lasting effects of a SMD on the subject. The questions posed to the subjects were written to gauge whether or not the adolescents having sex, were the same individuals interacting with a larger amount of sexual material through the media. Results from this study show that in white adolescents the heavier the SMD was the greater the odds were that they were sexually active. The results were differing across racial lines however, and the study showed that in black adolescents they were not as affected by the media, but rather other factors including: their parents' beliefs and values, as well as how their peers behaved towards sexual activity (Brown 2006).
Based on this study adolescents are affected by their SMDs. Though other factors were shown to contribute to sexual activity, the overwhelming results were that a heavier sexual media diet correlates to the amount of sexual activity. The findings of this study support the hypothesis that Cosmopolitan Magazine is contributing to the "hook-up" mentality of today's youth and young adults. This study supports the idea that by Cosmopolitan magazine marketing to youth and young adults, and providing sexualized article after article, they are providing their readers with a heavy sexual media diet. Once an individual has finished reading an issue of Cosmopolitan Magazine they have been exposed to almost 30% sex focused articles that encourage sex, and condone pure sexual lust over relationships and love.
This same concept of media influence on sexual activity was also studied at Ohio University in 1999. The research in Ohio focused on middle and high school students in efforts to determine if the media was a cause in the increase in teen pregnancy and STD cases. Research in this case showed that teens are influenced by personal experiences and once the sexual media is introduced, teens respond to the media based on their life experiences.
Teens respond to media from where they are and from what they know of life. Unfortunately, some teens don't often see "people like them" or lives "like theirs" in the media. When they do see or hear people and storylines they can relate, the data suggest these teens may be influenced more than peers who see images of themselves all the time (Steele, 1999, p. 340).
Based on this data in Sex, Love, and Cosmo Parts I and II, it is being suggested that Cosmopolitan Magazine contributes to the "hook-up" mentality is not far fetched. For the vast majority of American society the celebrities and super models that are seen in the magazine are not images that represent the general public, they do not lead lives like most Americans do. According to this study people are influenced by media images that do not represent themselves, but relate to their lives. If youth and young adults are seeing image after image of girls that are in sexual poses, providing sexual advice, showing sexual acts, the vast majority of these images are not representing the lives of the readers, but the articles appeal to a reader because it makes it seem like "any girl can get her man." The articles do not require and individual to be experienced in sex, and they are often written in a non intimidating manner, thus allowing most readers to feel as if this is what they should do to be happy.
According to the research done by Steele, youth and early adulthood is when "self-definition" occurs. The defining of self is typically based on factors including family, values, education, and friends, but as technology advances over time more and more individuals are being "raised" by the media. Parents use television as a form of babysitting while they cook dinner or do laundry, and media has become more prevalent then ever before. In years passed parents could shelter their children from images and events they did not want them to know about, but in today's age the vast accessibility of the media has taken control away from parents and flooded the eyes of teens and young adults with sexual images. The media has become an alternative source to base ideas and values off of, and is being used by teens and young adults for self definition (Steele, 1999).
Based on Steele's study media is contributing to the sexual activity of today's younger generations. The media is setting examples for teens and young adults; and magazines such as Cosmopolitan are essentially telling its readers, who are comprised of this demographic, that it is ok to have sex with various people. Cosmopolitan is in essence "making it ok" for its readers to think of sex in the concept of pleasure, rather than a symbol of love and emotion.
Another study published by the American Academy of Pediatrics calls for, "Reducing the amount of sexual content in entertainment programming, reducing adolescent exposure to this content, or increasing references to and depictions of possible negative consequences of sexual activity" (Collins, 2004, p.280). The study argues that by reducing the amount of sexual exposure a teen or young adult sees would directly decrease the amount of sexual experimentation they would participate in. The research presented in the study supports the idea that media regardless of its medium, directly effects teens and young adults. Based on the findings of this study, it can be argued that the media is encouraging sexual intercourse from teens and young adults. Cosmopolitan for instance printed on average nine articles per issue giving advice on sex positions and other various sexual topics. Cosmo's sexual prevalence within its magazine according to Collins findings is increasing the likelihood that teens and young adults will engage in more advanced sexual relations.
The study evaluated teens between the ages of 12-17 and found that those in the 90th percentile of a heavy sexual media viewing diet at the baseline(when the study first started) were more than twice as likely to advance sexually in the following year than those who were in the 10th percentile (Collins 2004). This study also found that though these statistics applied to African American children, there were other numerous factors that applied to their sexual interactions, and the media was only a portion.
In order to better understand the effects of media on teens and young adults a content analysis of Cosmopolitan Magazine was conducted to determine whether Cosmopolitan was contributing the "hook-up" mindset of today's teens and young adults. The analysis took three issues of Cosmopolitan from the year 2008 and broke the articles down into one of seven categories. The titles of the categories were based of off Cosmopolitans website that outlined each issue, and broke them down into six categories. These categories for this study were: Sex and Love, Style and Beauty, Guys, Celebs and Gossip, You, You, You, Fun and Games, and Real Life. For this study one additional category was added in order to make the findings more exact, and eliminate a broad topic.
Every article in each of the three issues was initially read and marked either, explicitly clear, unclear, could fit into two categories. The explicitly clear articles were then placed into one of the seven designated categories. The unclear articles were then read a second or third time to determine the best fit for their classification, it is important to note that none of the unclear articles dealt with sex or love, and ultimately pertained very little to this study other than for statistical value. The articles dubbed "could fit into two" were analyzed again and like the "unclear" section did not deal with sex or love. After all 196 articles were categorized they were revaluated one last time for accuracy and finalized within one of the seven categories.
The three issues of Cosmopolitan were January 2008, March 2008, and April 2008. Only issues from 2008 were chosen because the research question asks if Cosmopolitan is currently contributing to the "hook-up mindset, and as such the data collected from the magazine need to be as accurate as possible. By using the newest editions of Cosmopolitan the monthly edition was being analyzed as the general public was reading the magazine. This sample best represented what Cosmopolitan is currently telling their demographic, which according to Hearst Incorporated (2008), the parent company of Cosmopolitan Magazine, is 18 - 30 year olds. It is important to remember however that though Hearst is "only" appealing to the adult side of the younger generation, Cosmopolitan can be purchased by anyone and is usually seen next to Cosmo Girl, the magazine for the younger crowd, 12 - 17 year olds (Hearst, 2008).
Ultimately the results of this study showed that on average 30% of each issue of Cosmopolitan Magazine is dealing with sex and love, predominantly sex. The sexual articles included things such as sex positions, sex toys, multiple partners, and even a few articles that dealt with the negative sides of relationships.
The next few charts present the focus of the content analysis, dealing mainly with sex and love. The articles categorized as sexual articles can be seen in the charts below. They present both the title of the article, the issue it was found in and the amount of pages dedicated to the sexual article out of the entire magazine. The importance of this chart is so that the individual article titles can be evaluated, representing the types of articles found in an average issue of Cosmopolitan, along with the mass amount of sexual articles that are presented.
January 2008 (9 articles--- 20/196pages)
January 08
How to Stay Hot for Each Other
4pgs
January 08
Dirty Sexy Sex
4pgs
January 08
Yowzer!
1pg
January 08
Sex Sessions that Ended in the ER
2pgs
January 08
Cosmo for Your Guy: Sexy talk She'll Love
1pg
January 08
How to Make Condoms More Fun
2pgs
January 08
Bedroom Blog
1pg
January 08
His Secret Sex Questions
3pgs
January 08
Read Hot Read
2pgs
March 2008 (9 articles--14/260)
March 2008
21 Naughty Sex Tips
4pgs
March 2008
Sex He Has Alone
1pg
March 2008
Guy Spy
1pg
March 2008
Cosmo for Your Guy:
Ways to take care of her
1pg
March 2008
Have Orgasms More Easily
2pgs
March 2008
"My Lust Went Bust"
1pg
March 2008
Why Don't You...
1pg
March 2008
You Tell US
1pg
March 2008
Red-Hot Read
2pgs
April 2008 (10 articles----33/268)
April 2008
Be A Sex Genius! 4pgs
April 2008
50 Things Guys Wish You Knew 4pgs
April 2008
Little Mouth Moves That Make Sex 2pgs
Hotter
April 2008
Special Section: If Men Edited Cosmo 7pgs
April 2008
Hot Sheet 2pgs
April 2008
His Point of View: What He Can't Get 1pg
Enough Of
April 2008
Cosmo for Your Guy: The Kind of "Dirty" 1pg
She's into
April 2008
The Art of the Strip Tease 8pgs
April 2008
Guy Confessions 2pgs
April 2008
Red Hot Read 2pgs
Additional findings of each issue included things such as the size of the sexual articles mentioned on the cover versus the non-sexual articles. In all three editions of Cosmo examined, a sex tips article was on the cover, but not only was it listed on the cover; it was in the upper left corner and was the second largest font on the cover. The only font larger was the Cosmopolitan title itself. The placement of the sex tips cover story is strategically placed where it will catch the eye of the reader and can be seen from a decent distance. The size of the font is about equivalent to that of an eye examination chart, which is usually placed approximately 20 feet away from the patient (Mayo Clinic, 2007).
In addition to the font sizes and the sheer magnitude of sexual articles, the more sex focused the article was, the more often a picture accompanied the article. Articles that were accompanied by pictures were ones such as "21 Naughty Sex Tips," "Be Sex Genius," and "How to Make Condoms More Fun." The pictures themselves are one of the alarming parts of the study, both in the basic number of pictures and the scantily clad women that are being photographed within them. The presentation of the articles and photographs was another worrisome finding of the magazine. They demonstrated a clear example of Cosmopolitan's sexual focus and illustrated the intensity of sexual media that could be found within the magazine.
Photo 1
Hearst Inc, January 2008.
Photo 2
Hearst Inc, April 2008
The picture of the article "How to Make Condoms More Fun" is an example of the types of articles found within the magazine. This article was considered by Cosmopolitan Magazine to be the sex safety article for January. The author of the article, Laura Gilbert wrote, "Making condoms sound playful is easy. But coming up with cutesy names isn't enough to get a guy to like wearing one, despite the fact that they ward off unwanted pregnancies and STDs. Lucky for you, Cosmo has found ways to maximize pleasure while using protection" (Hearts Inc. January, 2008, p. 105). This articles lead-in was the only sentence that even mentioned pregnancies and STDs, whereas two pages went on to talk about ways to enjoy condoms. Though there is nothing inherently wrong with this and they did mention that condoms can protect against such things there was no real warning about what could happen with out using protection, yet Cosmopolitan claimed this to be a sex safety article all the same. Other articles were also found to be misguiding.
Cosmopolitan Magazine is undoubtedly contributing, if not encouraging, the "hook-up mentality of today's teens and young adults. Based on the research found by the content analysis of Cosmopolitan, along with the supported findings of the above mentioned studies there is a clear correlation to sexual interactions and media involvement. Using the logic presented in the studies above it would only be fair to say that the more teens and young adults are exposed to the sexual content of Cosmopolitan Magazine the more likely they are to become more sexually advanced.
Statistical findings show in the content analysis that 30% of each monthly issue of Cosmopolitan is filled with sex focused articles that mention a portion about love and relationships, the positive and the negatives of them. The analysis shows that many of the articles within Cosmopolitan are being misrepresented as truth and fact, opposed to pleasure and fantasy. A magazine that was once written to advance and promote woman, is now being exploited as a tool to manipulate the sexual actions of women. Cosmo did not become sex crazed over night however; it was an evolution through the suffragette movement on into the feminist era, and now to new feminist movement. One of the former editors-in-chief of Cosmopolitan Magazine once said, "Good girls go to heaven, bad girls go everywhere." This mentality seems to be a driving force behind the modern Cosmopolitan magazine as it progressively depicts the "bad girl" as the one who is enjoying herself and its making it alright to be bad. Based on this analysis that notion is one of the contributing forces to the sex filled magazine.
All three research studies above stated that teens and young adults use media more then ever before, and as such the media is more responsible for the outcome of today's teens and young adults then in the past. One article explained that the heavier a sexual media diet was, SMD, the more likely it was that an individual would participate in sexual experimentation (Brown, 2004). Based on the content study of Cosmopolitan, the magazine is forcing its reader to have a heavy sexual media diet, by bombarding its pages with one sexualized story after another. It is not as if Cosmopolitan sectioned off a third of its magazine for sex articles and a reader could chose to skip that section, the articles are throughout the individual monthly issue. The articles can creep up on a reader and their placement is unavoidable to miss, at least their titles and pictures that is.
Through creative tactics and strategic planning Cosmopolitan has made it impossible for a reader to not be effected by the heavy sexual images presented within the magazine. From the font size to the misguiding article topics the reader has no choice but to be exposed to sexual media. Visually Cosmopolitan Magazine inflicts sexual media on its readers by their font size of titles and there cute and creative pictures. Based on the analysis, a cover of Cosmopolitan is designed to be seen from a good distance away in the supper market or bookstore. If unobstructed the articles that regard sex and sexual acts can be seen almost 20 feet away, which affects more than just their readers, but also the individuals who just see it as they wait to check out. Hearst Incorporated argues that Cosmopolitan is not for teens because of its content, but just like cartoon cigarette add, why use images that appeal to teens if they "really" aren't suppose to buy them. Visually alone teens can read the sexual titles from several feet away, and if nothing else unknowingly intrigue their minds making them more sexually curious.
For the intended readers of Cosmopolitan Magazine, the 18-30 year olds, Hearst Incorporated admits that this is their most participatory age range. This demographic answers poles, this demographic of readers writes in sharing sex stories, and sex tips advice. This demographic of readers even writes letters to the editor thanking them for their sex articles and praising how well the advice works. The "letter to the editor" portion of Cosmopolitan only proves that readers tryout what is put into the articles of Cosmopolitan Magazine and that the magazine and its officials are not only aware of this but proud.
Cosmopolitan may be designed for the "fun, fearless, female," but all this magazine is doing is forgetting its original purpose to promote femininity and equality, and instead focuses on sex. It is belittling women and encouraging them to use their bodies over their minds. Cosmopolitan is not only contributing to the "hook-up" mentality of today's teens and young adults, it is encouraging and outright saying it is ok to have loveless sexual relationships.
Sources:
Brown, J. D., L'Engle, K. L., Pardun, C. J., et al. (2006). Sexy Media Matter: Exposure to Sexual Content in Music, Movies, Television, and Magazines Predicts black and White Adolescents' Sexual Behavior.
Journal of the American Academy of Pediatrics, 117, 1018-1027.
Collins, R. L., Elliott, M. N., Berry, S. H., et al. (2004). Watching Sex on Television Predicts Adolescent Initiation of Sexual Behavior: A Longitudinal Study of Sexual Media and Adolescent Interactions.
American Academy of Pediatrics, 114(3), 280-288.
Cosmopolitan Magazine. (2008, Hearst Inc.). Retrieved April 7, 2008, from http://www.Cosmopolitan.com
Hearst Inc. (2008).
Cosmopolitan Magazine: History. Retrieved April 6, 2008, from http://www.hearst.com
Hearst Inc. (2008).
Cosmopolitan Magazine: Readership Demographics. Retrieved April 6, 2008, from http://www.hearst.com (reviewed again for changes July 28, 2008)
Hearst Magazines. (2008 January).
Cosmopolitan Magazine, 224(1), 1-196.
Hearst Magazines. (2008 March).
Cosmopolitan Magazine, 244(3), 1-260.
Hearst Magazines. (2008 April).
Cosmopolitan Magazine, 244(4), 1-268.
Mayo Clinic. (2006, October 20).
Eye Exams: What to Expect. Retrieved April 17, 2008, from http://www.mayoclinic.com/health/eye.html
Steele, J. R. (1999). Teenage Sexuality and Media Practice: Factoring in the influences of Family, Friends, and School.
The Journal of Sex Research, 36(4), 331-341.
In this content analysis, Cosmopolitan Magazine was examined to determine the magnitude of sexualized articles that were contained within each issue of Cosmopolitan. The findings showed there is no doubt that there is a correlation between the amount of sexual media consumed, and the amount of sexual activity that occurs. Cosmopolitan magazine is contributing to the highly sexualized atmosphere, idealizing sex, and discouraging love and commitment. They as a company are encouraging today's youth and young adults to be more sexually active.
A magazine that was originally founded to offer women a forum to express their individuality as a person, has become nothing more than "tabloid rag" of scandalous affairs, and a source of sex advice, and celebrity gossip. Originally Cosmopolitan Magazine was a woman's journal that contained articles dealing with art, science, politics, and household tips. The journal was written by women and for women to encourage the betterment of self, but modern Cosmopolitan ignores these values and promotes itself as a magazine for "Fun, Fearless, Females." What this advertising campaign fails to say is that in order to be one of these "Fun, Fearless, Females," a reader must use her body to advance rather than her mind and spirit. In actuality there is nothing "Fearless," about the female that Cosmopolitan Magazine targets. By the articles alone the evidence shows that the targeted demographic are individuals that have a lower body image, by showing pictures of gorgeous celebrities and then instructing the reader how to look like this movie star or have the social life of that model, with articles such as, "Beauty Q and A," or "The Sexist Eyebrows Ever." Just how sexy can eyebrows really be? The magazine encourages women to resort back to the primal practices of using beauty and sex to control a man in order to make advances in their lives like in, "6 Ways to train your boyfriend." There is nothing within Cosmopolitan Magazine that allows a woman to be "Fun or Fearless," the magazine in all actuality hinders personal growth by encouraging conformity. This type of effect that the media has on individuals has been examined through numerous research studies such as the study conducted by the American Academy of Pediatrics.
In 2006 the American Academy of Pediatrics published a study that analyzed the amount of sexual media adolescents viewed and whether it had a direct correlation to the amount of sexual "experimentation" they had participated in. The study looked at different forms of media including movies, television, music, and magazines. The subjects were school age children from 12-16 years old. The children were asked a series of questions to provide a range for the amount of media they interacted with daily, also called a sexual media diet (SMD).
The study was conducted through a longitudinal method, which is to evaluate x number of subjects in year one, and in the designated periods of time after, evaluate the same x number of subjects again. The purpose of using this type of study is to allow the researchers the ability to see the lasting effects of a SMD on the subject. The questions posed to the subjects were written to gauge whether or not the adolescents having sex, were the same individuals interacting with a larger amount of sexual material through the media. Results from this study show that in white adolescents the heavier the SMD was the greater the odds were that they were sexually active. The results were differing across racial lines however, and the study showed that in black adolescents they were not as affected by the media, but rather other factors including: their parents' beliefs and values, as well as how their peers behaved towards sexual activity (Brown 2006).
Based on this study adolescents are affected by their SMDs. Though other factors were shown to contribute to sexual activity, the overwhelming results were that a heavier sexual media diet correlates to the amount of sexual activity. The findings of this study support the hypothesis that Cosmopolitan Magazine is contributing to the "hook-up" mentality of today's youth and young adults. This study supports the idea that by Cosmopolitan magazine marketing to youth and young adults, and providing sexualized article after article, they are providing their readers with a heavy sexual media diet. Once an individual has finished reading an issue of Cosmopolitan Magazine they have been exposed to almost 30% sex focused articles that encourage sex, and condone pure sexual lust over relationships and love.
This same concept of media influence on sexual activity was also studied at Ohio University in 1999. The research in Ohio focused on middle and high school students in efforts to determine if the media was a cause in the increase in teen pregnancy and STD cases. Research in this case showed that teens are influenced by personal experiences and once the sexual media is introduced, teens respond to the media based on their life experiences.
Teens respond to media from where they are and from what they know of life. Unfortunately, some teens don't often see "people like them" or lives "like theirs" in the media. When they do see or hear people and storylines they can relate, the data suggest these teens may be influenced more than peers who see images of themselves all the time (Steele, 1999, p. 340).
Based on this data in Sex, Love, and Cosmo Parts I and II, it is being suggested that Cosmopolitan Magazine contributes to the "hook-up" mentality is not far fetched. For the vast majority of American society the celebrities and super models that are seen in the magazine are not images that represent the general public, they do not lead lives like most Americans do. According to this study people are influenced by media images that do not represent themselves, but relate to their lives. If youth and young adults are seeing image after image of girls that are in sexual poses, providing sexual advice, showing sexual acts, the vast majority of these images are not representing the lives of the readers, but the articles appeal to a reader because it makes it seem like "any girl can get her man." The articles do not require and individual to be experienced in sex, and they are often written in a non intimidating manner, thus allowing most readers to feel as if this is what they should do to be happy.
According to the research done by Steele, youth and early adulthood is when "self-definition" occurs. The defining of self is typically based on factors including family, values, education, and friends, but as technology advances over time more and more individuals are being "raised" by the media. Parents use television as a form of babysitting while they cook dinner or do laundry, and media has become more prevalent then ever before. In years passed parents could shelter their children from images and events they did not want them to know about, but in today's age the vast accessibility of the media has taken control away from parents and flooded the eyes of teens and young adults with sexual images. The media has become an alternative source to base ideas and values off of, and is being used by teens and young adults for self definition (Steele, 1999).
Based on Steele's study media is contributing to the sexual activity of today's younger generations. The media is setting examples for teens and young adults; and magazines such as Cosmopolitan are essentially telling its readers, who are comprised of this demographic, that it is ok to have sex with various people. Cosmopolitan is in essence "making it ok" for its readers to think of sex in the concept of pleasure, rather than a symbol of love and emotion.
Another study published by the American Academy of Pediatrics calls for, "Reducing the amount of sexual content in entertainment programming, reducing adolescent exposure to this content, or increasing references to and depictions of possible negative consequences of sexual activity" (Collins, 2004, p.280). The study argues that by reducing the amount of sexual exposure a teen or young adult sees would directly decrease the amount of sexual experimentation they would participate in. The research presented in the study supports the idea that media regardless of its medium, directly effects teens and young adults. Based on the findings of this study, it can be argued that the media is encouraging sexual intercourse from teens and young adults. Cosmopolitan for instance printed on average nine articles per issue giving advice on sex positions and other various sexual topics. Cosmo's sexual prevalence within its magazine according to Collins findings is increasing the likelihood that teens and young adults will engage in more advanced sexual relations.
The study evaluated teens between the ages of 12-17 and found that those in the 90th percentile of a heavy sexual media viewing diet at the baseline(when the study first started) were more than twice as likely to advance sexually in the following year than those who were in the 10th percentile (Collins 2004). This study also found that though these statistics applied to African American children, there were other numerous factors that applied to their sexual interactions, and the media was only a portion.
In order to better understand the effects of media on teens and young adults a content analysis of Cosmopolitan Magazine was conducted to determine whether Cosmopolitan was contributing the "hook-up" mindset of today's teens and young adults. The analysis took three issues of Cosmopolitan from the year 2008 and broke the articles down into one of seven categories. The titles of the categories were based of off Cosmopolitans website that outlined each issue, and broke them down into six categories. These categories for this study were: Sex and Love, Style and Beauty, Guys, Celebs and Gossip, You, You, You, Fun and Games, and Real Life. For this study one additional category was added in order to make the findings more exact, and eliminate a broad topic.
Every article in each of the three issues was initially read and marked either, explicitly clear, unclear, could fit into two categories. The explicitly clear articles were then placed into one of the seven designated categories. The unclear articles were then read a second or third time to determine the best fit for their classification, it is important to note that none of the unclear articles dealt with sex or love, and ultimately pertained very little to this study other than for statistical value. The articles dubbed "could fit into two" were analyzed again and like the "unclear" section did not deal with sex or love. After all 196 articles were categorized they were revaluated one last time for accuracy and finalized within one of the seven categories.
The three issues of Cosmopolitan were January 2008, March 2008, and April 2008. Only issues from 2008 were chosen because the research question asks if Cosmopolitan is currently contributing to the "hook-up mindset, and as such the data collected from the magazine need to be as accurate as possible. By using the newest editions of Cosmopolitan the monthly edition was being analyzed as the general public was reading the magazine. This sample best represented what Cosmopolitan is currently telling their demographic, which according to Hearst Incorporated (2008), the parent company of Cosmopolitan Magazine, is 18 - 30 year olds. It is important to remember however that though Hearst is "only" appealing to the adult side of the younger generation, Cosmopolitan can be purchased by anyone and is usually seen next to Cosmo Girl, the magazine for the younger crowd, 12 - 17 year olds (Hearst, 2008).
Ultimately the results of this study showed that on average 30% of each issue of Cosmopolitan Magazine is dealing with sex and love, predominantly sex. The sexual articles included things such as sex positions, sex toys, multiple partners, and even a few articles that dealt with the negative sides of relationships.
The next few charts present the focus of the content analysis, dealing mainly with sex and love. The articles categorized as sexual articles can be seen in the charts below. They present both the title of the article, the issue it was found in and the amount of pages dedicated to the sexual article out of the entire magazine. The importance of this chart is so that the individual article titles can be evaluated, representing the types of articles found in an average issue of Cosmopolitan, along with the mass amount of sexual articles that are presented.
January 2008 (9 articles--- 20/196pages)
January 08
How to Stay Hot for Each Other
4pgs
January 08
Dirty Sexy Sex
4pgs
January 08
Yowzer!
1pg
January 08
Sex Sessions that Ended in the ER
2pgs
January 08
Cosmo for Your Guy: Sexy talk She'll Love
1pg
January 08
How to Make Condoms More Fun
2pgs
January 08
Bedroom Blog
1pg
January 08
His Secret Sex Questions
3pgs
January 08
Read Hot Read
2pgs
March 2008 (9 articles--14/260)
March 2008
21 Naughty Sex Tips
4pgs
March 2008
Sex He Has Alone
1pg
March 2008
Guy Spy
1pg
March 2008
Cosmo for Your Guy:
Ways to take care of her
1pg
March 2008
Have Orgasms More Easily
2pgs
March 2008
"My Lust Went Bust"
1pg
March 2008
Why Don't You...
1pg
March 2008
You Tell US
1pg
March 2008
Red-Hot Read
2pgs
April 2008 (10 articles----33/268)
April 2008
Be A Sex Genius! 4pgs
April 2008
50 Things Guys Wish You Knew 4pgs
April 2008
Little Mouth Moves That Make Sex 2pgs
Hotter
April 2008
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Additional findings of each issue included things such as the size of the sexual articles mentioned on the cover versus the non-sexual articles. In all three editions of Cosmo examined, a sex tips article was on the cover, but not only was it listed on the cover; it was in the upper left corner and was the second largest font on the cover. The only font larger was the Cosmopolitan title itself. The placement of the sex tips cover story is strategically placed where it will catch the eye of the reader and can be seen from a decent distance. The size of the font is about equivalent to that of an eye examination chart, which is usually placed approximately 20 feet away from the patient (Mayo Clinic, 2007).
In addition to the font sizes and the sheer magnitude of sexual articles, the more sex focused the article was, the more often a picture accompanied the article. Articles that were accompanied by pictures were ones such as "21 Naughty Sex Tips," "Be Sex Genius," and "How to Make Condoms More Fun." The pictures themselves are one of the alarming parts of the study, both in the basic number of pictures and the scantily clad women that are being photographed within them. The presentation of the articles and photographs was another worrisome finding of the magazine. They demonstrated a clear example of Cosmopolitan's sexual focus and illustrated the intensity of sexual media that could be found within the magazine.
Photo 1
Hearst Inc, January 2008.
Photo 2
Hearst Inc, April 2008
The picture of the article "How to Make Condoms More Fun" is an example of the types of articles found within the magazine. This article was considered by Cosmopolitan Magazine to be the sex safety article for January. The author of the article, Laura Gilbert wrote, "Making condoms sound playful is easy. But coming up with cutesy names isn't enough to get a guy to like wearing one, despite the fact that they ward off unwanted pregnancies and STDs. Lucky for you, Cosmo has found ways to maximize pleasure while using protection" (Hearts Inc. January, 2008, p. 105). This articles lead-in was the only sentence that even mentioned pregnancies and STDs, whereas two pages went on to talk about ways to enjoy condoms. Though there is nothing inherently wrong with this and they did mention that condoms can protect against such things there was no real warning about what could happen with out using protection, yet Cosmopolitan claimed this to be a sex safety article all the same. Other articles were also found to be misguiding.
Cosmopolitan Magazine is undoubtedly contributing, if not encouraging, the "hook-up mentality of today's teens and young adults. Based on the research found by the content analysis of Cosmopolitan, along with the supported findings of the above mentioned studies there is a clear correlation to sexual interactions and media involvement. Using the logic presented in the studies above it would only be fair to say that the more teens and young adults are exposed to the sexual content of Cosmopolitan Magazine the more likely they are to become more sexually advanced.
Statistical findings show in the content analysis that 30% of each monthly issue of Cosmopolitan is filled with sex focused articles that mention a portion about love and relationships, the positive and the negatives of them. The analysis shows that many of the articles within Cosmopolitan are being misrepresented as truth and fact, opposed to pleasure and fantasy. A magazine that was once written to advance and promote woman, is now being exploited as a tool to manipulate the sexual actions of women. Cosmo did not become sex crazed over night however; it was an evolution through the suffragette movement on into the feminist era, and now to new feminist movement. One of the former editors-in-chief of Cosmopolitan Magazine once said, "Good girls go to heaven, bad girls go everywhere." This mentality seems to be a driving force behind the modern Cosmopolitan magazine as it progressively depicts the "bad girl" as the one who is enjoying herself and its making it alright to be bad. Based on this analysis that notion is one of the contributing forces to the sex filled magazine.
All three research studies above stated that teens and young adults use media more then ever before, and as such the media is more responsible for the outcome of today's teens and young adults then in the past. One article explained that the heavier a sexual media diet was, SMD, the more likely it was that an individual would participate in sexual experimentation (Brown, 2004). Based on the content study of Cosmopolitan, the magazine is forcing its reader to have a heavy sexual media diet, by bombarding its pages with one sexualized story after another. It is not as if Cosmopolitan sectioned off a third of its magazine for sex articles and a reader could chose to skip that section, the articles are throughout the individual monthly issue. The articles can creep up on a reader and their placement is unavoidable to miss, at least their titles and pictures that is.
Through creative tactics and strategic planning Cosmopolitan has made it impossible for a reader to not be effected by the heavy sexual images presented within the magazine. From the font size to the misguiding article topics the reader has no choice but to be exposed to sexual media. Visually Cosmopolitan Magazine inflicts sexual media on its readers by their font size of titles and there cute and creative pictures. Based on the analysis, a cover of Cosmopolitan is designed to be seen from a good distance away in the supper market or bookstore. If unobstructed the articles that regard sex and sexual acts can be seen almost 20 feet away, which affects more than just their readers, but also the individuals who just see it as they wait to check out. Hearst Incorporated argues that Cosmopolitan is not for teens because of its content, but just like cartoon cigarette add, why use images that appeal to teens if they "really" aren't suppose to buy them. Visually alone teens can read the sexual titles from several feet away, and if nothing else unknowingly intrigue their minds making them more sexually curious.
For the intended readers of Cosmopolitan Magazine, the 18-30 year olds, Hearst Incorporated admits that this is their most participatory age range. This demographic answers poles, this demographic of readers writes in sharing sex stories, and sex tips advice. This demographic of readers even writes letters to the editor thanking them for their sex articles and praising how well the advice works. The "letter to the editor" portion of Cosmopolitan only proves that readers tryout what is put into the articles of Cosmopolitan Magazine and that the magazine and its officials are not only aware of this but proud.
Cosmopolitan may be designed for the "fun, fearless, female," but all this magazine is doing is forgetting its original purpose to promote femininity and equality, and instead focuses on sex. It is belittling women and encouraging them to use their bodies over their minds. Cosmopolitan is not only contributing to the "hook-up" mentality of today's teens and young adults, it is encouraging and outright saying it is ok to have loveless sexual relationships.
Sources:
Brown, J. D., L'Engle, K. L., Pardun, C. J., et al. (2006). Sexy Media Matter: Exposure to Sexual Content in Music, Movies, Television, and Magazines Predicts black and White Adolescents' Sexual Behavior.
Journal of the American Academy of Pediatrics, 117, 1018-1027.
Collins, R. L., Elliott, M. N., Berry, S. H., et al. (2004). Watching Sex on Television Predicts Adolescent Initiation of Sexual Behavior: A Longitudinal Study of Sexual Media and Adolescent Interactions.
American Academy of Pediatrics, 114(3), 280-288.
Cosmopolitan Magazine. (2008, Hearst Inc.). Retrieved April 7, 2008, from http://www.Cosmopolitan.com
Hearst Inc. (2008).
Cosmopolitan Magazine: History. Retrieved April 6, 2008, from http://www.hearst.com
Hearst Inc. (2008).
Cosmopolitan Magazine: Readership Demographics. Retrieved April 6, 2008, from http://www.hearst.com (reviewed again for changes July 28, 2008)
Hearst Magazines. (2008 January).
Cosmopolitan Magazine, 224(1), 1-196.
Hearst Magazines. (2008 March).
Cosmopolitan Magazine, 244(3), 1-260.
Hearst Magazines. (2008 April).
Cosmopolitan Magazine, 244(4), 1-268.
Mayo Clinic. (2006, October 20).
Eye Exams: What to Expect. Retrieved April 17, 2008, from http://www.mayoclinic.com/health/eye.html
Steele, J. R. (1999). Teenage Sexuality and Media Practice: Factoring in the influences of Family, Friends, and School.
The Journal of Sex Research, 36(4), 331-341.
Published by Taylor Tompkins
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