Five Reasons Why You Shouldn't Buy Cosmopolitan! (Cosmopolitan)

Member Name: CTVicky

Product:	Cosmopolitan
Date:	21/08/09 (22 review reads)
Rating:

Advantages: Try none...

Disadvantages: Dumbed down journalism, all products advertised are far too expensive

The tagline for Cosmopolitan UK is "FOR FUN FEARLESS FEMALES". In my opinion, that should be "FOR STUPID RICH TARTS".

I don't believe that any self-respecting woman with half a brain should waste £3.30 on this magazine and I am going to share why, using the June 2009 issue as a reference.

1. It's full of smut - look at any Cosmo front cover.

The June 2009 front cover includes "1000 TRUE SEX CONFESSIONS" and "THE SEXIEST SWIMWEAR". Go to the contents page. Page 45 - "Sex and the single girl" , page 47 - "20 ways you're accidentally sexy", page 56 - "Am I Normal - Cosmo answers your most embarassing sex questions", , page 77 "So who's in bed with you tonight?" page 82 "Less Money = More Sex" and page 107 "Sex Coach".

2. It's targeted at women with more money than sense.

Most of the clothes it advertises are ridiculously priced; one top costs £180, a waistcoat costs £197. It also features a dress costing £399. I could go on but my eyes are starting to water just thinking about it.

3. Cosmo's articles are aimed at women who are not capable of thinking for themselves.

Without making the obvious point of how dumb the quizzes are- oh wait I just did...

One article in the June 2009 issue is called "Save over £1,000 in 24 hours". You might be already doing cartwheels in your head at the prospect of saving some pennies during the recession but let me tell you; it's nothing you haven't thought about before. Its pearls of wisdom are; shop around for a cheaper mobile phone bill, transfer your credit card debt to a 0% interest card, look online for cheap holidays and to compare supermarket prices, sell old mobile phones instead of binning them, and use cash-back websites.

Wowee, look at all that amazing information! I'm going to run over to see my friend who's trying to get by on income support and tell them the brilliant news!

4. Most of the magazine is either adverts or thinly disguised promotions.

Even when you think you're reading an article, somewhere at the top of the page you'll see a sheepish little "Cosmo promotion" tag or something to that effect, which tells you that this product or service is only being featured in the magazine because money has changed hands.

5. The letters page is full of idiots.

The letters page (which might I add, has very few letters) only publishes letters that are in some way singing the praises of the magazine. The star letter is from someone cooing about how they took the magazine along on their trek to Mount Everest from Nepal. None of the letters appear to me to be particularly well-written or have anything useful to contribute. Another letter in the June 2009 issue is from a woman who claims not to have been aware of the Suffragette Movement before someone did an article on it in a previous issue of Cosmo.

I rest my case.

I realise that Cosmopolitan UK is not the only women's magazine as dumb as this but it's the only one that costs so much and which has been going for so long. When an intelligent woman sees this magazine on the shelf in her local newsagent, she expects a lot more than this.

In conclusion, save your money and look online for good blogs, or read the women's sections of reputable broadsheets.

Summary: Ladies, lets think for ourselves...