Alanah VanCleve

COMM 3030

16 November 2016

Dr. Eric Jenkins

Critique Paper

Behind the Cover: Discovering The Negative Impact of the Cosmo Girl Image

We all see them when we go to the grocery store, or in the gas station while

quickly stopping in brightly colored and extremely busy magazines whose covers are

filled with a plethora of catchy headlines, and all tied together with a svelte,

conventionally attractive celebrity on the front, dressed either to the nines or in nearly no

clothing at all. Within the publications, the story doesnt change much. Thin, impossibly

beautiful and sexualized models are in nearly every product advertisement. From the

unattainable ideal of beauty projected to the extreme sexualization and objectification of

the subjects within, many womens magazines, and particularly the focus of this critique,

Cosmopolitan magazine, are large culprits of these practices. Though seemingly

harmless, these images can have a harmful and negative effect on their readers who

peruse the pages, both subconsciously and consciously. With the prevalence of eating

disorders and general dissatisfaction with life in todays society, its important to examine

the role that media, especially magazines, can play in our lives, and how they contribute

to the current epidemics.

As described earlier, it is easy to see from first glance that Cosmopolitan, whose

self-proclaimed mission is to empower young women to own who they are and be who

they want to be, is a culprit of the promotions of unattainable beauty and overt

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sexualization of women. The recent October 2016 issue touts headlines such as Look

Great, Feel Great, Cardio That Boosts Your Booty, Meds vs. Meditation, The Better

Way to Beat Anxiety, and The Sex Secret for Easy Os!!!, just to name a few, all tied

together with a scantily clad Kourtney Kardashian laying on a pristine white bed sheet,

smiling seductively at the camera. From this initial exposure, Cosmopolitan reels you in

with its catchy headlines, claiming to be able to give you a better life by making you

contemplate issues you never even knew that you had previously.

A common theme amongst the women represented in the magazine appears as

one begins to flip through the pages of the publication. While the women represented in

the magazine come from many different walks of life and careers paths, each and every

one exhibits a level of beauty that is unattainable (unless by genetic blessing) to the

average American woman. The initial turn of the page reveals Kendall Jenner, and

subsequent turns result in more advertisements featuring notable celebrities like Keira

Knightly and Gigi Hadid, promoting brands that nearly every woman is familiar with.

Some advertisements dont feature recognizable celebrities or models, opting instead for

an unrecognizable subject to appeal to the everyday woman that makes up a majority of

their readers.

The women sport a multitude of looks in the magazine, but each has features that

perfectly fit Americas mold of what is considered the ideal woman, whether it is a slim

physique, delicate and feminine features, light skin (even amongst the minorities

represented in the magazine), young, or a combination of the aforementioned. In addition

to this, each female within the magazine has been subjected to a plethora of makeup

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artists, hair stylists, fashion directors, and of course, Photoshop, to take their already

above-average beauty to an even higher level.

The reality of the matter is that if not genetically blessed with these features, they

are not reasonably attained. Most women do not look like the ones very commonly

represented in Cosmopolitan, but this could not be easily assumed if you only focused on

reading these magazines.

The overt sexualization of women within Cosmo is clear from the time you lay

your eyes on the cover, where in this issue, we see Kourtney Kardashian laying in a

cleavage-baring bodysuit and nothing else. Within the magazine, the body chopping, in

which women cease to be seen as whole persons (Cortese, 2015) is featured, in addition

to a multitude of models and celebrities wearing lingerie or, conversely, nothing at all.

Advertisements for products such as perfume, diamonds, and clothes companies all

receive an adult twist in this publication. The presence of this sexualization comes in

different forms in Cosmopolitan, all so common in womens magazines and

advertisements that they are detailed and explained well by author Anthony Cortese; An

exaggerated leg length appears to be more adult and therefore more sexual. Hair

grooming is also an important component of attraction and gender display. A smile

symbolizes approval or attraction. Unconscious blushing is considered to be very

sexual How female breasts are displayed is a key part of sexual attraction. (2015). All

of these factors are featured in the internal and external advertisements Cosmo uses.

It is, quite honestly, a bit shocking to see just how much sexualization is present

within Cosmopolitan. The amount of half-naked women and subtly sexual images was

quite unexpected for the mostly female audience that the company tries to appeal to, and

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would be more expected in a mens magazine than within an international womens

magazine.

So, what is the big deal with featuring beautiful models and celebrities, and their

sexualization? Some might think these topics are non-issues, and that the concern about

these images and media is overdramatic and unfounded. Older generations claim that the

worry of the effects of these advertisements and images is a result of over-sensitivity, or

improper upbringing. While others might steadfastly cling to the belief that these images

are harmless, statistics and countless studies seem to say otherwise.

Media - specifically the oversaturation of images containing the ideal woman, as

far as looks go plays a large role in causing a multitude of disorders, in addition to

negative body image. Various studies conducted throughout the years have proven that

magazines such as Cosmopolitan do in fact have a negative impact on a womans

perception of herself.

According to the National Association of Anorexia Nervosa and Associated

Disorders, Inc. (ANAD), At least 30 million people of all ages and genders suffer from

an eating disorder in the U.S., Every 62 minutes at least one person dies as a direct

result from an eating disorder, and Genetics, environmental factors, and personality

traits all combine to create risk for an eating disorder. Additionally, eating disorders

have the highest mortality rate of any mental illness. (Eating Disorder Statistics).

According to a study by Morris, over the last 50 years, the presence of eating disorders

amongst adolescent girls has increased, which has led to girls today being apt to concerns

about their weight, size, shape, and body image, which has also resulted in dieting to lose

weight. As a result, many researchers have hypothesized that the media may play a

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central role in creating and intensifying the phenomenon of body dissatisfaction and

consequently, may be partly responsible for the increase in the prevalence of eating

disorders (2003).

Additionally, in 2001, Groesz et. al conducted a meta-analysis, where various

studies regarding the media and its impact on womens body image were researched.

Specifically, they focused on a study where women were presented a variety of thin

models in different media, such as video clips, slides, or advertisements on cardboard,

and the womens perceptions of themselves following their exposure to these problematic

images. Exposure to the images of thin models in media was found to have a significant

and adverse influence on body satisfaction levels in the women they tested.

The effects of negative body image are significant. Negative body image is a

contributing factor to the development of eating disorders, and can also be linked to the

increasing numbers of those participating in body-shaping behaviors such as cosmetic

surgery and crash diets (Dittmar, 2009). A study conducted during the coming of the age

of technology found that 44% of adolescent girls believed that they were overweight, and

60% of girls were trying to lose weight, despite being within normal ranges (Ozer,

Brindis, Millstein, et al., 1998).

According to Cosmopolitans 2016 demographic profile, 77.8% of their readers

are aged 18-49 years old. Though this may not be the adolescent girls that a few of the

above studies talk about, one can assume that the children present in 50.1% of readers

households are easily able to access this publication, and can be negatively influenced by

it. In addition to this, the demographic profile fails to account for the ages of the other

22.2% of their readers, some of whom are presumably teenagers younger than 18.

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 Additionally, knowing that some of the studies discussed above found similar

results in populations of women who were older than the adolescent stage, and that half

of Cosmo readers have children, if we were to look further, we might find that the

negative body image of the older readers can be passed on to younger generations.

Children - especially young girls learn a lot of behaviors from their parents, and a

parent with a negative body image or that is suffering from an eating disorder has the

potential of instilling those same negative behaviors into their children.

The oversaturation of sexualized images of women, another common practice of

Cosmopolitan, can have its fair share of consequences. Women, naturally being sexual

beings, are not inherently bad in themselves a truly empowered and equal society

allows both men and women to be sexual and express their sexuality. It is the over-

sexualization of women in situations where their sexuality is being used to sell an

unrelated product that is the issue, and that is commonly present in the media, and in

Cosmo. While many of these effects this sexualization has are similar to, if not the same

as the effects of featuring unattainably beautiful models in advertising, there are a few

additional negative effects it can have on women.

A term called Objectification Theory says that constant exposure to sexually

objectifying experiences and images socializes women to internalize societys perspective

of the female body as their own primary view of their physical selves (Fredrickson &

Roberts, 1997; Szymanski & Henning, 2007). Essentially, these experiences and exposure

result in self-objectification. Additional research has linked self-objectification to mental

health outcomes such as depression, disordered eating, and reduced productivity

(Rooney, 2016).

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 Body chopping, as mentioned earlier, is a type of advertising that is present

occasionally in issues of Cosmo. Body chopping is when a specific body part of women

is focused on rather than the whole being, and as mentioned earlier, can make women

cease to be seen as whole beings. The type of body chopping can convey different

messages, but all inherently sexual towards women. As Cortese states, advertising that

depicts human bodies without faces, heads, and feet implies that all that is really

important about a person lies between the neck and knees (2015). This implication can

lead young women to the aforementioned self-objectification, and thus to being

uncomfortable with themselves, which can manifest itself in the form of mental illnesses

and diseases.

Sexual violence also holds some of its roots in the objectification of women. Rape

culture is a term used to describe an environment in which sexual assault/violence is

normalized through media and popular culture, and it is perpetuated by the hyper-

sexualization and objectification of womens bodies, in addition to other factors (Sexual

Assault and Rape Culture, 2016). When men are constantly exposed to advertisements

that imply that women are solely meant to please men, it can impact the way that they

treat women. Higher rates of sexual violence are expected to be more prevalent in

cultures that encourage objectification of women, thus making them appear inferior to

men (Kalra & Bhugra, 2013). With so many of Cosmopolitans advertisements touting

the models and celebrities sexualities, it is no wonder why sexual violence is so

prevalent in our society, with 1 in every 6 American woman being a victim of an

attempted or completed rape in her lifetime (Victims of Sexual Violence, 2016).

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 Sexualization and objectification can also affect greatly how women are

perceived. A study conducted in 2010 by Loughnan found that participants who had

viewed pictures of women experiencing low, moderate, and high objectification denied

objectified women proposed aspects of personhood: Mind and moral status. This lack

of viewing objectified women as people can play into the prevalence of sexual violence

in our culture, as sexual crimes, as well as crimes in general, are presumably much easier

to commit when you do not view your victim as person. It is interesting to note that this

phenomenon is not confined to how males view females, but how women view other

women as well.

It is clear from the multitude of studies and research discussed above that

Cosmopolitans practices of promoting an unattainable ideal of beauty and its

sexualization and objectification can have an extremely harmful and negative impact on

its readers. The hurtful effects run deeper than simply hurt feelings, to the point of

disease, mental illness, self-harm, plastic surgery, and violence. The effects of these

images certainly do not align with Cosmopolitans mission statement of empowering

young women to own who they are and be who they want to be. Rather, they encourage

women of all ages to change who they are to fit the impossibly tight mold that they create

through their irresponsible practices. These images and these themes have become so

commonplace in our culture and in Cosmopolitan today that we readily accept them with

open arms, rather than questioning the status quo and challenging them. It is time that we

take control of the media we consume and to be a catalyst for change, and for

publications like Cosmopolitan to do their part in preventing the proliferation of the

negative effects of promoting unattainable beauty and objectification and sexualization of

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women by changing the types of advertisement they use for both their own brand and

others.

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 References

Cortese, A. J. (2015). Provocateur: Images of women and minorities in advertising (4th

ed.). Lanham, MD: Rowman & Littlefield.

Cosmopolitan Demographic Profile. (201). Retrieved November 21, 2016, from

http://www.cosmomediakit.com/r5/showkiosk.asp?

listing_id=4785154&category_code=demo&category_id=77109

Dittmar, H. (2009). How do body perfect ideals in the media have a negative impact on

body image and behaviors? Factors and processes related to self and identity.

Journal of Social and Clinical Psychology, 28(1), 1-8. Retrieved from

http://search.proquest.com.proxy.libraries.uc.edu/docview/224859660?

accountid=2909

Eating Disorder Statistics National Association of Anorexia Nervosa and Associated

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information/about-eating-disorders/eating-disorders-statistics/

Fredrickson, B. L., & Roberts, T. (1997). Objectification theory: Toward understanding

womens lived experiences and mental health risks. Psychology of Women

Quarterly, 21(2), 173-206.

Groesz, L. M., Levine, M. P., & Murnen, S. K. (2001). The effect of experimental

presentation of thin media images on body satisfaction: A meta-analytic review.

International Journal of Eating Disorders, 31(1), 1-16. doi:10.1002/eat.10005

Kalra, G., & Bhugra, D. (2013). Sexual violence against women: Understanding cross-

cultural intersections. Indian Journal of Psychiatry, 55(3), 244249.

http://doi.org/10.4103/0019-5545.117139

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Loughnan, S., Haslam, N., Murnane, T., Vaes, J., Reynolds, C., & Suitner, C. (2010, May

8). Objectification leads to depersonalization: The denial of mind and moral

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doi:10.1002/ejsp.755

Morris, A. M., & Katzman, D. K. (2003). The impact of the media on eating disorders in

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Rooney, E. (n.d.). Department of Applied Psychology. Retrieved November 22, 2016,

from http://steinhardt.nyu.edu/appsych/opus/issues/2016/spring/rooney

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http://www.stcloudstate.edu/womenscenter/violence-stalking/assault-rape-

culture.aspx

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