COSMOPOLITAN Magazine - My Guilty Pleasure

There is a truth I learned about one year post-divorce...I discovered that my 20 years of marriage had been thwarted by reading the wrong magazines!  I thought I was doing right being the southern girl that I am.  Religiously, while standing in line at the Wal-Mart or Kroger checkout, I would purchase Good Housekeeping and Southern Living, come home, put away my items and read them cover to cover.  I was gifted a yearly subscription of Better Homes and Gardens from my mother-in-law and read every article of that magazine as well.  As I am an avid reader, I am notorious for a stack of reading material next to my bed.  I had a notebook collection of pages torn from these magazines of house plans, color schemes and garden designs, planning for my future with my husband.  I tried the occasional new recipe and if the family enjoyed it, the page found its way into my recipe box.  I got much needed tips on organizing my clutter, spring cleaning, and tried to keep up on the latest home fashions.


Several years into our marriage, the focus of my reading changed and I began purchasing such magazines as Parents, Child, Parenting Today and when the kids got a little older, Family Fun.  These periodicals focused on my task at hand, raising healthy, happy children and having fun with them!  Eventually, as the children got older, I let the parenting magazine subscriptions expire and focused again on our home...and then I got divorced...

At that point, I no longer cared about cooking a new recipe...there was no one to try it.  I no longer cared about the latest home fashions...there was no money to buy them!  The possibility of once again owning my own home and actually having the time to decorate, garden and enjoy it seemed out of my future realm and quite frankly, overwhelming, as I struggle to manage the basics as a single, working mom of three.  I had finished reading all of the "How to Deal with Divorce" books and quickly realized that I needed a new magazine.  I checked out the stands and there were plenty to choose from but the one that caught my eye and continues to catch it each month is COSMOPOLITAN!  Cosmo has been dubbed "The Single Girl's Bible" and while I have a problem with referring to anything other than the Holy Bible as a "bible", I prefer to think of it as "The Single Girl's Handbook".  Cosmo Magazine is my guilty pleasure :-)

Unfortunately, I am not a Cosmo girl and I've come to the realization that I never will be, however, I enjoy taking a few days at the beginning of each month, to indulge myself and wonder what life would be like if I were once again, young and free, with a killer body, no commitments, and plenty of money.  The magazine is divided into 15 sections:  Cover Stories; Cosmo News; 101 Things About Men; Fun Fearless Fashion; Cosmo Look; Guy Watch; Love & Lust; You, Even Better; Health Check; Need to Know; Cosmo Confidential; Fun and Fearless; Fashion and Beauty Now; Cosmo Life and Regular Features.

The Cover Stories are always an eye catcher and usually hidden from children's eyes by a metal cover deliberately placed over the names of the cover stories as the magazine sits on the news stand.  After buying several issues and keeping the back issues on my coffee table, I quickly discovered that the word SEX is strategically placed in the upper left hand column of almost every issue.  If the word "sex" is not used, it's something very closely related...see for yourself...

Several of Dana's back issues of Cosmopolitan Magazine

It is for this reason I say I was reading the wrong magazines all these years.  Now that I read Cosmo, let's just say that I have a wealth of knowledge about what men want, need and crave and also instructions on how to keep him happy. 

All jokes aside, I truly enjoy reading Cosmo.  Even though I know this full-figured 40 year old would look ridiculous in most of the latest fashions, I like to keep up with what my teenage daughters may find appealing.  It's always important to know the latest health and diet tips and who can resist looking at the newest hairstyles and make-up tips?  The biggest thing I've learned from Cosmo is to be confident about myself.  To hold my head up and be proud of who I am.  Who knows if I'll ever meet Mr. Right?  Who knows if the man of my dreams even exists?  If he doesn't, that's okay because I don't need a man to define who I am, but if he is out there and I find him...I know lots of stuff to keep us busy...and I know that if we should marry...I will continue to indulge in my guilty pleasure and purchase Cosmopolitan Magazine each and every month (insert evil grin)!