More Gender Lessons From Cosmo

Yesterday's post explored some lessons we can glean from the glossy pages of Cosmo.

That list was not comprehensive. Oh yes, there are more:


1. For a man to think you're sexy, you have to be medium sexy.

If you're too sexy you run the risk of being skanky. If you're not sexy enough you run the risk of being a frigid prude. To men. Of course.

This lesson can be learned from the "Do Guys Think You're Sexy?" quiz at the end of the magazine. What is interesting is that if you score too highly (as being too sexy) you get this admonishment from a psychologist: "Your sense of sexual confidence should come mostly from within and not from grabbing guys' attention."

Yes. I agree.

Dear Cosmo,

See the above statement. Rinse and repeat.

Thanks.


2. From "Bachelor Bonanza 2007" we learn that it's okay to see men as sex objects. You know, the way magazines' targeted toward view women as mere sex objects. True equality, folks!

In this issue, we get a spread of the "sexiest single guys in the US"! They even have internet usernames so we can leave them messages like "U R so hottt!"

Did you know that the sexiest men in this country are mostly white and under 30?

Cool beans.

Anyway, some people might not think that sexualizing men is a particularly bad thing. Some men themselves may not mind, in fact, to be the object of thousands of women's fantasies.

At the same time, this spread has large homoerotic appeal. I think I'll give it to my gay male friends, in fact, as they too would appreciate looking at these young studs.


3. Women think and talk about menstruation, like, all the time. Especially when we're with other women.


That's why, despite this magazine being geared towards women (who presumably are not new to menstruation) us ladies need numerous period tips like "take a steamy bath" and "hit the sack early" to alleviate stress while on your period.

Thanks.

My experience is that women don't really think or talk about their periods unless they are experiencing some sort of large problem with them. And, at this point in our lives, we don't need "period tips" to help us through the traumatic experience of cramps and the like. If something's wrong, I'll go to a health professional and, you know, get real medical advice.


4. Men Are Cheaters. So It's Okay For a Woman to be Dishonest to Catch the Cheaters.

Really? Did Cosmo really approvingly profile a lawyer/businesswoman who runs a business where she catches men cheating? Yep. Wives and girlfriends pay this woman thousands of dollars to go to a bar, spy on, bait, and tempt their "guys" into cheating, to see if they are cheaters.

So, lemme get this straight... you tempt a man with a beautiful, willing woman, who comes onto him and are.... surprised.... that he would ask for the woman's number or buy her a drink? The businesswoman quotes that 95% of the time the men "take the bait."

Hmm.

Not a very flattering view of heterosexual relationships, eh? Men are constantly on the prowl, and women have to resort to dishonesty to "catch" their men being dishonest?


You're killing me Cosmo.

And now, I'm done with you. Until I come across another particularly, um, "noteworthy" issue.