Dear Cosmo,
I know I am not your reader demographic. There I said it. Once upon a time—in my twenties–I too picked up your magazine month after month at the grocery store along with a bouquet of flowers or nice African violet to bring a smile to my face. But now I am too old for you Cosmo, not to mention too cynical and too wise.
However, it galls me to no end that 2.9 million readers are picking you up at the newsstand and exposing themselves to your occasionally destructive stories and advice.
The bane of the April issue is “The Naughtiest Thing I’ve Ever Done” column on page 56. Of course, it’s so skanky that it’s anonymously written—or made up entirely. The gist though is that Suspicious Woman thinks her year-long boyfriend may be cheating so she watches him log on Facebook and the next day, logs on his account herself.
Yup, Dirty Rotten Bastard was cheating and lying and his Facebook proves it with pictures and messages. So Suspicious Woman doesn’t just dump him, kick him to the curb or throw a mojito in his face, Suspicious Woman takes a two-hour flight to his best bud’s hometown and has a revenge hookup. That’s right, she secretly thinks that sleeping with his best friend is the paramount payback and has a wild and crazy night with the BBF (boyfriend’s best friend).
When it’s done she goes home, dumps the loser and posts her racy pics with his possibly former best friend. Really Cosmo? Writing this may be the worst thing you’ve ever done. Not only did Suspicious Woman lower herself to her cheating boyfriend’s standards, but by publishing this, er, inventing this–er, soliciting this story, you condone that if this is what it takes for women to move on and feel better about themselves, go right ahead. When in fact, it can only make them feel worse.
No, I’m not a prude, and I believe you should sleep with whomever you’d like to sleep with so long as you’re both not hurting anyone, but this? Is this really the message we send out to three million twenty-somethings? Sleep with his best friend to get paybacks? Puhleeaze.
It’s so low; I thought it was beneath even you Cosmo.
Sincerely,
Jennifer
Airbrushed Nation 
I agree with you! I hate seeing young people (who are just figuring out who their sexual selves are) taught to manipulate others and degrade themselves. Thank you for posting this.
Thanks so much, Joan! Yeah, such a destructive sexual message for young women! UGH.
>and posts her racy pics with his possibly former best friend
With his permission? Of course not. What message does that send? Suppose it had been the reverse, and it was a male seeking revenge by having sex with his ex’s best girlfriend and posted her in the racy pics. Would Cosmo be as delighted?
I don’t suppose Cosmo would be open to a column by a 68-year-old writer who’s been around the block and learned from relationships. I could give advice. Good advice.