So Long, Kate White: 7 Love Lessons from 'Cosmo'
Your Cosmo may soon get a makeover.
Hearst announced this week that Kate White is leaving her editor-in-chief position at Cosmopolitan after 14 years to focus on speaking engagements and book-writing. A 61-year-old mother of two, she told the New York Times, "I'm looking forward to working just 55 hours a week." Joanna Coles, the editor-in-chief of Marie Claire magazine, will replace White later this month.
Whatever you think of Cosmo - and chances are, you have a strong opinion one way or the other - we decided to ask our favorite women's lifestyle editors and our Twitter followers what lessons it has taught them over the years. With the recent death of legendary Cosmo editor and single-girl extraordinaire Helen Gurley Brown, we thought it would be the perfect time to examine some of the love lessons (and wacky sex tips) the magazine has imparted on us.
1. BE BOLD. Well, Cosmo's tip about putting a donut around a man's penis definitely taught me that all the men I've slept with must be very well-endowed, as donut holes would never fit around their penises. So that made me feel pretty good. But seriously, I think Cosmopolitan taught me that it's okay to think outside the box (especially in bed), and to approach life with zest, and that leopard-print pants can be kind of fun, when worn with appropriate tops. Fortune favors the bold. Cosmo taught me that. Cosmo and Pliny the Elder. - Jennifer Ashley Wright, TheGloss.com
2. EXPLORE. While I find Cosmo's sex tips articles (a la "The Fantasy Moves Your Man Is Craving") a bit archaic, I have to give the magazine props for being the first, as far as I've seen, to put the word "vag" - as a short-form of "vagina"- on its cover. No matter how cringe-worthy, or unintentionally hilarious, some of its content can be, Cosmo ultimately encourages women to unapologetically explore sex, their desires and their bodies - which is pretty damn comforting given the current political climate. - Natasha Burton, freelance writer and coauthor of The Little Black Book of Big Red Flags
3. STRETCH YOUR LIMITS.Cosmo has taught me a lot about sex; mostly that I'm not flexible enough to ever be really good at it. - Julie Kraut, Gurl.com
4. ENJOY SEX. We love that Cosmo is so unafraid to put women's sex lives front and center. Women enjoy sex, women want to talk about sex and women want to feel empowered to do both of those things. With the recent death of Helen Gurley Brown, we've been reminded of how important that message is. - Emma Gray, HuffingtonPost.com
5. BE INVENTIVE.Cosmo is not exactly our go-to mag for women's positive sexual empowerment, but we'd give anyone mad props for being so insanely brilliant (or brilliantly insane) as to recommend turning a scrunchie into a cock ring. - Emma Taylor and Lorelei Sharkey, EMandLO.com
6. BE UNAPOLOGETIC. @Jessatheactress @YourTango for Kate White...@Cosmopolitan I learned you can be unapologetic and be sexy with a sense of humor.#Write On! - Jessica Moore, actress
7. TAKE RISKS. @micheleherrmann @YourTango I met Kate White when she was promoting her "Gutsy Girl" book. She encouraged me to take risks. - Michele Herrmann
"As for Cosmo's new editor, the magazine is definitely in capable hands. Joanna Coles is smart, stylish, and has a really clever sense of humor," says Courtney Dunlop, the senior editor at YouBeauty.com, who has worked for Coles. "She strongly believes that women should stand up for what they believe in. I love how she turned around Marie Claire, and I can't wait to see what she does with Cosmo."
What love or sex lessons have you learned from Cosmo?
Written by Natalie Gontcharova for YourTango.com.
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