Blog Posts by Cosmopolitan.com

Female cadetsThe past year has been a banner one for recognizing and speaking out about sexual assault in the military: Last summer, it was uncovered that 12 of the 400 Lackland Air Force Base instructors had conducted unwanted "seuxal improprieties" with 31 female recruits. (One of them had a whopping 28 charges brought against him.) Earlier this month, two high-ranking military officials - one Fort Hood sergeant, another, the head of the military's Sexual Harassment/Assault Response and Prevention (SHARP), both whose job description involved protecting female cadets against sexual assault, were charged with that very crime. Facepalm.

By Anna Breslaw

Yesterday Sgt. First Class Michael McClendon, stationed at West Point to train and mentor cadets, was charged with videotaping more than a dozen female cadets in the shower and latrine between 2009 and 2012. He's since been transferred to Fort Drum and given a desk job, reports CNN. Because apparently violating the privacy and rights of over a dozen

The aftermath of the Oklahoma tornado.In the wake of this week's deadly tornado in Oklahoma, 22-year-old Oklahoma State University student (and Cosmo reader) Cinnamon wrote to us to share her story.

When I woke up on Monday morning, I never thought my Oklahoma hometown would be so devastated by the time I went to sleep.

I was leaving an eye doctor appointment in Moore (where I went to high school) at around 2:50 pm on Monday afternoon when I heard a newscaster on TV announcing that everyone needed to take shelter-immediately-because the tornado was going to hit within 30 minutes. I called my mom, who lives nearby in Oklahoma City, to come pick me up so we could make it home before things got scary. But while I was waiting for her, the doctor's office decided to close so everyone could get home. I ran next door to a gas station, but when I got there, my mom called saying the road was blocked and she was unable to reach me.

Needless to say, I was really afraid. We go through tornado watches all the time here in

Here's all you need to know about Mono.You decided where you're going to school next fall, and you've been duly warned about the 15 pounds thing. But did you know up to one in four college freshmen get mono?

By Amanda Macmillan

1. Yes, kissing spreads it
People pass the Epstein-Barr virus (which causes mono) through saliva, often during hookups that involve, as docs say, "deep kissing with tongue." Sex won't up your odds of catching it, a new study found.

2. Who gave it to me?
It can take four to six weeks after exposure to feel symptoms, so you may never know whose saliva (or which beer-pong cup) is to blame. Healthy again? Wait at least four to kiss anyone.

Related: 10 Things You Don't Know About Kissing

3. When should I see a doc?
Get a blood test if you feel any of these for a week or longer: fever, sore throat, I'm-huffing-and-puffing-just-walking-to-class exhaustion, or swollen lymph nodes.

4. How is it treated?
There's no magic pill for mono antibiotics don't work on viruses. You can help your body fight off the

Here are some reasons women cheat.A helpful guide from dating expert Renee Lee for every woman-and man-on why ladies go rogue. Does this apply to you?

By Carson Griffith

As far as stereotypes go, a wandering eye and the urge to jump into bed with multiple partners seems to be built into a man's DNA, but when it comes to cheating, the sexes are created more equally than we think. (Cough, Kristen Stewart, cough.) Renee Lee, a relationship expert with a masters in psychology, dishes out five reasons why women cheat.

1. Going Through A Transition

"If it is graduating, turning a certain age, losing a parent or advancing the relationship status, women become introspective," explains Lee. "Even if it is something she wants, such as just getting engaged or graduating, the transition can stir up an array of emotions about where her life is going or where she is in it. The discomfort of change can trigger an impulsive desire to find someone to take her focus off the change and be a diversion for what she is going through."

Make sure you follow these sunscreen rules.Not an avid sunscreen wearer? Maybe you should think about changing your skin-protecting ways.

By Carly Cardellino

According to the American Academy of Dermatology (AAD), melanoma is the deadliest form of skin cancer and the most common cancer for 25- to 29-year-olds. And since May is melanoma month, we thought it was fitting to raise awareness of this deadly disease (and prevent getting burned) by asking Debra Jaliman, M.D., a cosmetic dermatologist in NYC and author of Skin Rules: Trade Secrets from a Top New York Dermatologist, for her thoughts on the six sunscreen mistakes (c/o La Roche-Posay) you could be making without even knowing it:

1. You think you're exempt from sunscreen because you have dark or olive skin. "Even with dark skin you can burn and get sun damage. People with blue eyes and fair skin tones are more prone to skin cancer, but we're all susceptible to it. No matter what skin color you are, you're not exempt from skin cancer or from using sunscreen."

No granny, no.Attention all cougars, boy-toys, sugar daddies, and everyone else looking to date way outside of your age bracket: It could be time to wise up.

By Carson Griffith

A new study conducted at the University of Colorado Boulder shows couples with large age discrepancies aren't the Hollywood happy endings we imagine them to be (cue Simon & Garfunkel's Mrs.Robinson).

Instead, overall, people who marry someone significantly older or younger have lower earnings, are less educated, and are less attractive compared to those who marry someone their own age.

"Hugh Hefner is an outlier," says Hani Mansour, Ph.D, an assistant professor of economics at the University of Colorado Denver. Apparently. The study found that men who shack up with women who are significantly older or younger (cough, cough, Hef) make less money than those married to women of a similar age.

Related: "A Cougar Stole My Man"

And if that not-so-bulging-bank-accounts wasn't enough of a confidence crusher for guys who may be

Wow your future employer through the phone!Hold the phone: You nabbed a job interview, but instead of meeting in person, you've been asked to chat up your potential employer via phone. These days, more hiring managers are vetting job candidates by phone prior to arranging IRL meetings. Since handling a phone interview requires a specific skill set, we got Paul Bailo, author of The Essential Phone Interview Handbook, to talk essential phone interview tips.

By Molly Triffin

1. Turn on the Radio
In a phone interview, your voice will make your big first impression, so get a head start on prepping your pipes a week pre-interview by tuning into talk radio. Whether it's Cosmo on Sirius XM, NPR, or the Red Sox game, notice the words and tone the hosts use to create a mental picture for listeners.

2. Dress the Part
Even though you're probably doing the interview in your living room, ditch the rumpled Ramones tee shirt and messy hair and dress as though you were meeting the manager in person. Bailo's research found that people's voices change

Your most steamy dreams get decoded here.Dreaming about sex can be totally mind-blowing-or really effing creepy. According to research performed by the University of Montreal Dream and Nightmare Laboratory, eight percent of our dreams contain sexual content (though men reportedly dream about doing the nasty more frequently than we do). To help you find the meaning of your nighttime sexy-time, we've consulted the experts to decode the most common themes of x-rated dreams.

By Natasha Burton

1. The Mystery Lover
Dream expert Lauri Quinn Loewenberg, author of Dream On It, Unlock Your Dreams Change Your Life, says the most common steamy dream involves some kind of faceless dude totally ravaging us. Interestingly enough, this guy isn't some mysterious soul mate: His presence in your dreams actually signifies that you need to enlist some stereotypically masculine traits in your waking life-i.e. be assertive and speak your mind.

2. The Big O
According to analysis on DreamMoods.com, dreaming of climax-or maybe