Cosmopolitan is Australia's No. 1 women's lifestyle magazine.
For millions of glamorous young women we are more than a magazine. We are a guide, a mentor, a style barometer and a trend setter. Our reader's don't flick through Cosmopolitan they devour it, advertisements and all, searching for the next big thing. Everything from cosmetics, make-up, perfumes, hair care and accessories to technology. That thing which will make them stand out from the crowd, make them sparkle, make them shine. Cosmopolitan.
Power in Numbers.Cosmopolitan informs, gives advice and offers support to many women in a personal manner. It gives readers a way of life, and inspires to improve living patterns and relationships. Cosmopolitan has a positive attitude; and is supportive, trendy and imaginative.Cosmopolitan Australia is visually stimulating; it speaks to women everywhere, giving detailed advice on any situation.
It provides tips to improve almost anything, from sex, to work, to appearance.Each issue consists of four major parts: beauty, fashion, career and sex. The magazine also has articles of assorted sizes, which cater to the reader's special interests. There are also short articles on celebrity gossip, travelling, cooking and fitness ; health.
The body of the magazine are the feature articles and following is the fashion sector, where there are many features and advertisements.Cosmopolitan is well renowned for their sex advice and tips. However the magazine also teaches women in many areas other than sex. There are also sections dedicated to appearance, they are not only there for the purpose to entertain, but also to educate women in understanding their bodies and maintaining healthy lifestyles.
They also encourage mental and physical health, with pieces titled "Real Life Reads", this is where women's real life experiences are told. This appeals to readers, because the areas covered are ones women like to discuss, and can also be related to.Cosmopolitan has many advertisements throughout its pages. The most common advertisements within the magazine are for women's perfume.
The adverts are for Clinique Happy, J'adore, Narciso Rodriguez and Goodlife. These are some of the many perfumes being advertised in various issues of Cosmopolitan. The focus of the publication is women; they see these articles and like many people become interested in the product being shown.Along with all the advertisements shown, it seems that the content of these have a female stereotype within it. Most of the advertisements in Cosmopolitan are still, only of women.
They all show women as passive-aggressive or as embracing.An example is a cosmetic advertisement for Olay, where a woman is seen caressing herself. Her eyes closed, displaying a sense of passion and emphasising her tender touch. Another ad is for Bardot clothing, where a woman in a black corseted dress, is sitting.
Her upper thigh exposed, and posed in a way to accentuate her curves.Readers get the intermixing of advertisements, real-life stories, advertisements, fashion, advertisements, advertisements and advertisements. When the content of the ads and the contents of the magazine are placed as one, it is like one big catalogue selling products, which is good business for the marketing gurus. However the magazine contradicts itself, and praises the female stereotype.
Magazines make use of articles, advertisements, and celebrities to reach their audience. In Cosmopolitan the advertisements shown are those that encourage the feminine ideal, this is basically the profile of the reader; the ideal woman who spends money and cares about appearance.What is being advertised are mainly displays of young adult life. Such products like Calvin Klein's Perfectly Fit advertisement and Christian Dior's Addicted 2 U, use many young people to endorse their products.
In Cosmopolitan there are many articles that rely on advertisements to tell their piece; usually displaying images of young men with flawless shirtless bodies and young women dressed up for an occasion, showing great times. These suggest that to have fun, readers must be young.Also what is being suggested is that Cosmopolitan readers may need to be of upper middleclass. The magazine shows, that in order to look great, the person must have money to spend. There are advertisements for diamond rings, necklaces and watches.
The whole section dedicated to fashion, includes $120 charm bracelets, and a $143 faux fur vest, labelled as the new autumn must haves. There are handbags, shoes and boots. The shoe prices range from $65 -$430, and often captioned with "copy the stars styles". The reader then is assumed to be someone that is fashion savvy, has a wealthy income, or just enjoys an occasional splurge. It makes a point that to have good things; you need an income or to be an upper middleclass woman.
This leads to saying that the profile of the reader takes pride in appearance, from the clothes they wear, to how their makeup is applied. Women who are appearance oriented, most likely are always in date with all the new fashions and latest trends. In Cosmopolitan, there are many advertisements for cosmetics, such as Cover Girl and Maxfactor; they promote their products with the use of young beautiful models, which also happen to be wearing the latest fashions and accessories. This is still in play with the idea that all Cosmopolitan readers are appearance oriented.It is also suggested that the Cosmopolitan woman is or (must be) sexually active.
These notions are promoted through their advertisements, for example: The Calvin Klein advert, in which a pretty young lady is sitting with her legs spread, wearing only a Bra, panties and stiletto heels. Another advert is of socialite Paris Hilton, a well known sex symbol in a skimpy dress. Her stance is very provocative, exposing her breasts and her inner thigh. What also promotes sex are the articles, such as "Sex Olympics" or "10 ways to satisfy your man".
These articles give tips on how to please and increase pleasure in the sex life, and "keep your man wanting more". This shows that by promoting sexually active women or women who are comfortable with their sexuality. This is shown in the product Dove Firming, where it shows three voluptuous women in underwear, laughing and feeling good about themselves .In all the profile of the reader of Cosmopolitan are females from their late-teens to mid-thirties (and above) who have money to spend, are concerned with appearance and who may be sexually active, or comfortable with their sexuality.
