 | |
 Cover of the Fall 2025 issue,Margaret Qualley by Alana O'Herlihy | |
| Editor-in-Chief | Willa Bennett |
|---|---|
| Categories | Fashion,Women's |
| Frequency | Quarterly |
| Total circulation (2025) | 526,322[1] |
| First issue | March 1886; 139 years ago (1886-03) |
| Company | Hearst Communications |
| Country | United States |
| Based in | Hearst Tower, New York City |
| Website | www |
| ISSN | 0010-9541 |
Cosmopolitan (stylized inall caps) is an American quarterly women's fashion and entertainment magazine first published inNew York City in March 1886 as a family magazine; it was later transformed into aliterary magazine and, since 1965, has become awomen's magazine.Cosmopolitan is one of the best-selling magazines.[2][3]
Formerly titledThe Cosmopolitan and often referred to asCosmo,Cosmopolitan has adapted its style and content. Its current incarnation was originally marketed as a woman's fashion magazine with articles on home, family, and cooking. For some time it focused more on new fiction and written work, which included short stories, novels, and articles.[4] Now it is more targeted towards women's fashion, sports, and modern interests.[4] Eventually, editor-in-chiefHelen Gurley Brown changed its attention to more of a women's empowerment magazine.[4] Nowadays, its content includes articles discussing relationships, sex, health, careers, self-improvement, celebrities, fashion, horoscopes, and beauty.
Cosmopolitan is published by New York City–basedHearst Corporation. The magazine's office is in theHearst Tower, 300West 57th Street nearColumbus Circle inManhattan in New York City.[5]Cosmopolitan has 22 international editions in Australia, Bulgaria, China, Czechia, France, Germany, Hong Kong, India, Indonesia, Italy, Korea, Mexico, the Middle East, the Netherlands, the Philippines, Slovenia, Spain, Sri Lanka, Taiwan, Turkey, Ukraine, and the United Kingdom.
International editions previously existed for Argentina, Armenia, Azerbaijan, Bolivia,Brazil, Central America, Chile, Colombia, Croatia, Cyprus, Ecuador, Estonia, Finland, Georgia, Greece, Hungary, Israel, Japan, Kazakhstan, Kenya, Latvia, Lithuania, Malaysia, Mongolia, Norway, Paraguay, Peru, Poland, Portugal, Romania,Russia,Serbia, Singapore, Sweden, South Africa, Thailand, Uruguay, Venezuela, and Vietnam.
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Cosmopolitan originally began as a family and women's magazine, first published inNew York City in March 1886 by Schlicht & Field of New York asThe Cosmopolitan.[6]
Paul Schlicht told his first-issue readers inside of the front cover that his publication was a "first-class family magazine". Adding on, "There will be a department devoted exclusively to the concerns of women, with articles on fashions, on household decoration, on cooking, and the care and management of children. There was also a department for the younger members of the family."[7]
Cosmopolitan's circulation reached 25,000 that year, but by November 1888, Schlicht & Field were no longer in business. Ownership was acquired byJohn Brisben Walker in 1889.[8] That same year, he dispatchedElizabeth Bisland on a race around the world againstNellie Bly to draw attention to the magazine.[9]
Under John Brisben Walker's ownership, E. D. Walker, formerly withHarper's Monthly, took over as the new editor, introducing color illustrations, serials, and book reviews. It became a leading market for fiction, featuring such authors asAnnie Besant,Ambrose Bierce,Willa Cather,Theodore Dreiser,Rudyard Kipling,Jack London,Edith Wharton, andH. G. Wells.[10] The magazine's press run climbed to 100,000 by 1892.[11][12][13][14]
In 1897,Cosmopolitan announced plans for a free correspondence college calledCosmopolitan University, with no charges for students.Cosmopolitan would cover all expenses, requiring only a commitment to a set number of study hours.[15] When 20,000 immediately signed up, Walker could not fund the school, and students were then asked to contribute 20 dollars a year. Also in 1897, H. G. Wells'The War of the Worlds was serialized, as was hisThe First Men in the Moon (1900).Olive Schreiner contributed a lengthy two-part article about theBoer War in the September[16] and October[17] issues of 1900.
In 1905,William Randolph Hearst purchased the magazine forUS$400,000 (equivalent to $10,794,000 in 2024) and brought in journalistCharles Edward Russell, who contributed a series of investigative articles, including "The Growth of Caste in America" (March 1907),[18] "At the Throat of the Republic" (December 1907–March 1908)[19][20][21][22] and "What Are You Going to Do About It?" (July 1910–January 1911).[23][24][25][26][27][28][29]
Other contributors during this period includedO. Henry,[30]A. J. Cronin,Alfred Henry Lewis,Bruno Lessing,Sinclair Lewis,O. O. McIntyre,David Graham Phillips,George Bernard Shaw,Upton Sinclair, andIda Tarbell.Jack London's novella, "The Red One", was published in the October 1918 issue[31] (two years after London's death[32]), and a constant presence from 1910 to 1918 wasArthur B. Reeve, with 82 stories featuringCraig Kennedy, the "scientific detective".[33] Magazine illustrators included Francis Attwood,Dean Cornwell,Harrison Fisher, andJames Montgomery Flagg.[citation needed]
Hearst formedCosmopolitan Productions (also known as Cosmopolitan Pictures), a film company based in New York City from 1918 to 1923, then Hollywood until 1938. The vision for this film company was to make films from stories published in the magazine.[34]
Cosmopolitan magazine was officially titledHearst's International Combined with Cosmopolitan from 1925 until 1952 but was simply referred to asCosmopolitan. In 1911, Hearst had bought a middling monthly magazine calledWorld To-Day and renamed itHearst's Magazine in April 1912. In June 1914, it was shortened toHearst's, and it was ultimately titledHearst's International in May 1922. To spare serious cutbacks atSan Simeon, Hearst merged the magazineHearst's International withCosmopolitan effective March 1925. But while theCosmopolitan title on the cover remained at atypeface of eighty-fourpoints, over time the typeface ofHearst's International decreased to thirty-six points and then to a barely legible twelve points. After Hearst died in 1951, theHearst's International disappeared from the magazine cover altogether in April 1952.[35]
With a circulation of 1,700,000 in the 1930s,Cosmopolitan had an advertising income of $5,000,000. Emphasizing fiction in the 1940s, it was subtitledThe Four-Book Magazine since the first section had one novelette, six or eight short stories, two serials, six to eight articles, and eight or nine special features, while the other three sections featured two novels and a digest of current non-fiction books. During World War II, sales peaked at 2,000,000.[citation needed]
The magazine began to run less fiction during the 1950s. By 1955, the rise of paperbacks and television overshadowed magazines, causing circulation to drop to slightly over a million. The Golden Age of magazines came to an end asmass-market, general-interest publications gave way to special-interest magazines targeting specialized audiences.[36]
Cosmopolitan's circulation continued to decline for another decade untilHelen Gurley Brown became chief editor in 1965[37] and radically changed the magazine.[38] Brown remodeled and reinvented it as a magazine for modern single career women,[39] completely transforming the magazine into a racy, contentious, and successful magazine. As the editor for 32 years, Brown spent this time using the magazine as an outlet to erase stigma around unmarried women not only having sex but also enjoying it.[40] Known as a "devout feminist",[41] Brown was often attacked by critics due to her progressive views on women and sex. She believed that women were allowed to enjoy sex without shame in all cases. She died in 2012 at the age of 90.[40] Her vision is still evident in the design of the magazine.[38] The magazine eventually adopted a cover format consisting of a usually young female model (or prominent female celebrity), typically in a low-cut dress, bikini, or some other revealing outfit.
The magazine distinguished itself by openly discussingsexuality from the viewpoint that women can and should enjoy sex without guilt. The first issue under Helen Gurley Brown, July 1965,[42] featured an article on thebirth control pill,[39] which had gone on the market exactly five years earlier.[43][44]
This magazine was not Brown's first publication dealing with sexually liberated women. Her 1962 advice book,Sex and the Single Girl, had been a bestseller.[45][46] After the book's release, Brown received a flood of fan mail pleading for her advice on various topics related to women's behavior, sexual encounters, health, and beauty. Brown sent the message that a woman should have men complement her life, not take it over. Enjoying sex without shame was also a message she incorporated in both publications.[47]
In Brown's early years as editor, the magazine received heavy criticism. In 1968 at the feministMiss America protest, protestors symbolically threw several feminine products into a "Freedom Trash Can." These included copies ofCosmopolitan andPlayboy magazines.[48]Cosmopolitan also ran a near-nude centerfold of actorBurt Reynolds in April 1972, causing great controversy and attracting much attention.[49] The Latin American edition ofCosmopolitan was launched in March 1973.
In April 1978, a single edition ofCosmopolitan Man was published as a trial, targeted to appeal to men. Its cover featuredJack Nicholson andAurore Clément. It was published twice in 1989 as a supplement toCosmopolitan.[50]
In its January 1988 issue,Cosmopolitan published a feature that suggested women had little reason to be concerned about contractingHIV, despite the fact that the best available medical science indicated otherwise. The piece claimed that unprotected sex with anHIV-positive man did not put women at risk of infection and went on to state that "most heterosexuals are not at risk" and that it was impossible to transmit HIV in themissionary position.[51] This article angered many educated people, includingAIDS andgay rights activists.[52][53] The protests organized in response to the article's publication were turned into a 30-minute documentary titled "Doctors, Liars, and Women: AIDS Activists Say NO to Cosmo" by two members of ACTUP, a New York City-based collective of HIV/AIDS activists.[54][55][56]
One of the articles in its October 1989 issue, "The Risky Business of Bisexual Love," promoted the 'bisexual bridge' theory.[57] The 'bisexual bridge' theory suggests that heterosexual women are unknowingly put at risk for contracting HIV through sexual contact with bisexual men whocovertly have sex with other men (colloquially described as being "on the down low").[58] TheNew York Area Bisexual Network performed a successful letter-writing campaign againstCosmopolitan.[59]
Since the 1960s,Cosmopolitan has discussed such topics as health, fitness, and fashion, as well as sex. The magazine has also featured a section called "Ask Him Anything", where a male writer answers readers' questions about men and dating.
The magazine, in particular its cover stories, has become increasingly sexually explicit in tone. In 2000, the grocery chainKroger, at the time the second largest in the US afterWalmart, began covering upCosmopolitan at checkout stands because of complaints about sexually inappropriate headlines.[60] The UK edition ofCosmopolitan, which began in 1972, was the firstCosmopolitan magazine to branch out to another country. It was well known for sexual explicitness, with strong sexual language, male nudity, and coverage of such subjects as rape. In 1999,CosmoGIRL!, a spinoff magazine targeting a teenage female audience, was created for international readership. It shut down in December 2008.
During 2015,Cosmopolitan found popularity in a then-newfound medium, the "discover" section on Snapchat. At the time, Cosmopolitan's "discover" had over 3 million readers a day.[61]
In October 2018,Bauer Media Group announced that after 45 years, publication of the Australian edition ofCosmopolitan would stop due to the commercial viability of the magazine no longer being sustainable.[62] In March 2022 the Russian edition,Cosmopolitan Russia, changed its title toVoice after Hearst revoked its affiliation following theinvasion of Ukraine.[63]
On the cover of its October 2018 issue,Cosmopolitan featured plus-sized modelTess Holliday. Some people, such as TV presenterPiers Morgan, criticized this choice, arguing that it amounted to promoting obesity. Editor of CosmopolitanFarrah Storr called the cover choice a bold stance in favor ofbody positivity.[64] In December 2020, actressEmma Roberts became the first pregnant celebrity to appear on the cover of the magazine.[65]
For over a decade, the February issue has featured this award. In 2011,Russell Brand received the magazine's Fun, Fearless Male of the Year Award, joiningKellan Lutz andPaul Wesley (2010),John Mayer (2008),Nick Lachey (2007),Patrick Dempsey (2006),Josh Duhamel (2005),Matthew Perry (2004), andJon Bon Jovi (2003).
The Fun, Fearless Female of the Year award was awarded toKayla Itsines (2015),Nicole Scherzinger (2012),Mila Kunis (2011),Anna Faris (2010),Ali Larter (2009),Katherine Heigl (2008),Eva Mendes (2007),Beyoncé (2006),Ashlee Simpson (2005),Alicia Silverstone (2004),Sandra Bullock (2003),Britney Spears (2002),Debra Messing (2001),Jennifer Love Hewitt (2000),Shania Twain (1999), andAshley Judd (1998).
Cosmopolitan Men released a video on The Making of the World's Sexiest Calendar in 1994 followed by a 14-month Cosmopolitan Men Calendar. Photographer Richard Reinsdorf shot the entire Calendar and helped direct the video.
Cosmopolitan releases a Male Centerfold issue every few years that features hot male celebrities from the United States. Here is a partial list of the men who have appeared in Cosmopolitan's Centerfold Editions over the years:Burt Reynolds 1972,Jim Brown 1973,John Davidson 1975,Arnold Schwarzenegger 1977,Scott Brown 1982,David Hasselhoff 1990. Malesuper-model Tracy James[66] was named Cosmopolitan's 25th Anniversary Centerfold[67] in 1995: his centerfold garnered so much attention thatCosmopolitan printed an extra 500,000 copies to meet demand.Cosmopolitan's Editor-in-ChiefHelen Gurley Brown sat with James for interviews onAmerica's Talking[68] and onOprah[68] withOprah Winfrey, on how the magazine's editors and scouts searched America over the course of a year, seeing thousands of men before deciding on James.[citation needed]
The November issue ofCosmopolitan showcases the most attractive bachelors from all 50 states. Pictures and profiles of all the bachelors are posted on www.cosmopolitan.com, where readers view and vote for their favorite, narrowing it down to six finalists. A team ofCosmopolitan editors then selects the Bachelor of the Year, who is announced at an annual party and media event in New York. The 50 bachelors generally appear on programs such asToday.[69]
Past winners include:
In the May 2006 issue ofCosmopolitan, the magazine launched the Practice Safe Sun campaign, an initiative aimed at fightingskin cancer by asking readers to stop all forms oftanning other thantanning from a bottle.[74] In conjunction with the campaign,Cosmopolitan's editor-in-chief, Kate White, approached CongresswomanCarolyn Maloney, known for her support of women's health issues, with concerns that women were not fully aware of thedangers of indoor tanning and the effectiveness of the current warning labels.[75] After careful review, the congresswoman agreed that it was necessary to recommend that the FDA take a closer look. She and RepresentativeGinny Brown-Waite introduced theTanning Accountability and Notification Act (TAN Act—H.R. 4767) on February 16, 2006.[74] President Bush signed the act in September 2007, and the new federal law requires theFDA to scrutinize the warning labels ontanning beds and issue a report by September 2008.[76]
In May 2015, Cosmopolitan UK announced they were launching their first-ever fragrance. This is considered a first in the magazine industry. Named 'Cosmopolitan, The Fragrance', the perfume takes on the notion of their much-loved phrase 'Fun, Fearless Female' and was set to launch in September.[77][78]
Cosmopolitan played a role in passing theSeventeenth Amendment to theUS Constitution, which allowed for the popular election of US Senators (previously they were elected by state legislatures). In 1906,William Randolph Hearst hiredDavid Graham Phillips to write a series of articles entitled "The Treason of the Senate". These articles, which were largely sensationalized, helped galvanize public support for this cause.[79]
In September 2014,Cosmopolitan began endorsing political candidates. The endorsements are based on "established criteria" agreed upon by the magazine's editors. Specifically,Cosmopolitan will only endorse candidates that supportequal pay laws, legalabortion, free contraceptives, andgun control and opposevoter identification laws. Amy Odell, editor of Cosmopolitan.com, has stated that the magazine will always endorse political candidates that arepro-choice: "We're not going to endorse someone who is pro-life because that's not in our readers' best interest." According to Joanna Coles, the magazine'seditor-in-chief, the endorsements ofCosmopolitan will focus on "candidates inswing states or candidates who are strongly in favor of issues like contraception coverage or gun control."[80] In the2014 U.S. elections,Cosmopolitan officially endorsed twelveDemocratic candidates. However, only two of them won their respectivepolitical campaigns.[81]
Victoria Hearst, a granddaughter ofWilliam Randolph Hearst (founder ofCosmopolitan's parent company) and sister ofPatty Hearst, has lent her support to a campaign that seeks to classifyCosmopolitan as harmful under the guidelines of "Material Harmful to Minors" laws. Hearst, the founder of an evangelical Colorado church called Praise Him Ministries,[82] states that "the magazine promotes a lifestyle that can be dangerous to women's emotional and physical well-being. It should never be sold to anyone under 18."[83] According to former modelNicole Weider, who is also part of this campaign, the magazine's marketing is subtly targeting children.[83] Billboards have been hung in states such as Utah, urging the state to ban sales of the magazine.
In 2018, Walmart announced thatCosmopolitan would be removed from checkout lines after the anti-pornography organizationNational Center on Sexual Exploitation, formerly known as Morality in Media, labeled the magazine as "sexually explicit material".[84][better source needed]
Cosmopolitan has 22 international editions, in Australia (1973–2018; 2024–present), Bulgaria (2004–present), China (1998–present), Czech Republic (1994–present), France (1973–present), Germany (1980–present), Hong Kong (1984–present),[89] India (1996–present), Indonesia (1997–present), Italy (1973–present), Korea (2000–present), Mexico (1973–present), the Middle East (2011–present),[90] the Netherlands (1982–present), the Philippines (1997–present), Slovenia (2001–present), Spain (1976–1978; later relaunched), Sri Lanka (2016–2020; 2025–present),[91] Taiwan (1989–1991; 1992–present),[92] Turkey (1992–2020; 2024–present),[93] Ukraine (1999–2021; 2024–present),[94] and the United Kingdom (1972–present).[95]
International editions previously existed for Argentina (1996–2019),[96][97] Armenia (2011–2015),[98][99] Azerbaijan (2011–2015), Bolivia,Brazil (1973–2018),[100][101] Central America, Chile (2006–2019),[102] Colombia (1973–2019),[103] Croatia (1998–2021), Cyprus (2001–2020), Ecuador (1973–2019), Estonia (2004–2015),[99] Finland (1999–2022), Georgia (2006–2020), Greece (1979–2020), Hungary (1997–2020), Israel (2009–2016),[104] Japan (1979–2005; 2016–2024), Kazakhstan (2003–2020), Kenya (2004–~2006), Latvia (2002–2020),[105] Lithuania (1998–2020), Malaysia (2005–2020), Mongolia (2010–2020),[106] Norway (2005–2013), Paraguay, Peru (1998–2019), Poland (1997–?), Portugal (1992–2020), Romania (1999–2022),Russia (1994–2022),Serbia (2004–?), Singapore (2011–2015),[107][99] Sweden (2001–2020),[108] South Africa (1984–2020),[109][110] Thailand (1997–2020), Uruguay, Venezuela (1973–2018),[111] and Vietnam (2010–2016).[112]
Cosmopolitan Australia was launched in May 1973.[113] It continued publication until December 2018, when the license holder,Bauer Media axed the title, stating that it was no longer commercially viable.[114] In 2023 it was reported that Hearst wanted to relaunch Cosmopolitan in Australia.[115] The publication was relaunched in August of 2024.[116]
| Editor | Start year | End year | Ref. |
|---|---|---|---|
| Sylvia Rayner | 1973 | 1988 | [117] |
| Pat Ingram | 1988 | 1996 | [118] |
| Mia Freedman | 1996 | 2005 | [118] |
| Sarah Wilson | 2003 | 2007 | [118] |
| Bronwyn McCahon | 2006 | 2016 | [119] |
| Claire Askew | 2016 | 2017 | [120] |
| Keshnee Kemp | 2017 | 2018 | [121] |
| Lorna Gray | 2018 | 2018 | [122] |
| Tessa Ogle | 2024 | present | [123] |
In 1973 there was a merger betweenCosmopolitan and the Italian magazineArianna, published byMondadori since 1957, assuming the nameCosmopolitan Arianna.[124] From January 1976 the masthead changed to the currentCosmopolitan.[124] In 1996 the magazine, owned by Della Schiava Editore, ended its publication, which resumed with Mondadori in 2000, with the editor Silvia Brena.[124] In July 2010Cosmopolitan passed to the editorial Hearst Magazines Italia, becoming a monthly magazine.[125]
This 'bisexual bridge' theory proposes that heterosexual women are unknowingly put at risk for contracting HIV through sexual contact with bisexual men who covertly have sex with other men. Such men are colloquially described as being 'on the down low'.
New York Area Bisexual Network (founded 1987) initiates successful letter-writing campaign against a defamatory article inCosmpolitan (October 1989) which had maliciously stereotyped bisexual men as dishonest spreaders of AIDS.
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