Women Stepping Out

Primary Research By : Amber Ramundo

In what ways did Cosmopolitan and Ms. magazine help to
facilitate the conversation of sexual freedom during the Womens
Liberation Movement?
There comes a time in each womans life when she discovers what it
means to be female. The realization may come from a defining moment, like
when a girl finds out her best friend has a crush on her in the third grade. Or,
it may be an awareness that develops over time, as doors are held open for
her in public and heavy lifting becomes distinguished as mans job. Either
way, society has made a habit of defining a persons capabilities and
responsibilities on matters of gender. The expectations of sex roles become
more prominent the further history dates back when the very defining
characteristic of the Y chromosome created a separation between those who
had it, and those who didnt into categories of the privileged and the
disadvantaged. During the 1920s women began to stand up for their human
rights with the establishment of the Nineteenth Amendment which gave
women the right to vote. The fight for equality among men and women
continued with the second-wave of feminism of the 1960s when women
began to reach beyond the traditional standards of womanhood. This
second-wave of feminism brought about the Womens Liberation
Movement, a struggle which capitalized on women taking control of their
bodies, their sexuality and their roles in society (Kim, 2012). One of the
defining elements of this revolution that gave women the courage to stand

up for independence was the rise of womens magazines which facilitated

the conversation of the Womens Movement. In particular, Cosmopolitan and
Ms. magazine were two publications that made women realize that they
werent alone in their struggles. These magazines brought a national voice to
issues pertaining to women, and forced society to pay attention to matters of
womanhood which, until the 60s, had been kept quiet.
The basis of sex-roles comes from the fact that women are the child
bearers. Since the early days of hunter gatherer, men and women
established a division of labor where men were the breadwinners and women
build up the home and raised the children. This division of labor set the
standards for each generation to follow. During the mid-20th century, a
majority of women still found themselves limited to their kitchens (Kim
2012). Women married young, had children young, and were expected to
hold a lady-like disposition which prohibited them from speaking up. March of
1965 brought a new face to womanhood with the establishment of
Cosmopolitan magazine under the vision of chief editor, Helen Gurley Brown.
Cosmopolitan was not a publication that was new to the newsstands. This
publication dates back to 1886 when it began as a family magazine. It was
later categorized as a literary magazine and lacked a set niche audience until
Helen Gurley Brown took over the publication and remodeled it to have a
distinct face, audience, and purpose.
Cosmopolitan magazine saw a transformation between its June and July
issues of 1965. The cover of the June issue with Editor Robert Atherton, is of

a woman who appears to be a housewife, sitting on a ladder holding a rose in

one hand and paint brushes in another. She wears a commercial smile with
tights and a straight-edge dress to match. Behind her, a man, presumably
the womans husband wearing working clothes, leans into the frame to paint
the background. One month later, once Helen Gurley Brown joins
Cosmopolitan as chief editor, the face of the magazine turns edgy with a
cover that features a seductive-looking young model with a low cut shirt. The
woman on this cover does not smile in the way the older covers of
Cosmopolitan portrayed its models. Instead, she holds a gaze of strength and
independence. The top headline on Browns first Cosmopolitan cover is The
new pill that promises to make women more responsive. Brown wasted no
time waning Cosmopolitan into one of the most controversial issues of the
time. To introducer herself as the new editor, Brown featured a write-up
called Step Into My Parlor, a letter from the editor which would appear in
every issue during her time as editor to explain the content of each
magazine. Her introduction was simple and straight forward saying, The
stories and articles in this issue were picked for one reason only. I thought
theyd interest you knowing that youre a grown-up girl, interested in
whatever can give you a richer, more exciting, fun-filled, friend-filled, manloved kind of life! (Cosmo, 1965) Helen Gurley Brown had a clear purpose
behind the message and image of Cosmopolitan magazine. In this first letter
from the editor, Brown began to shape the distinct identity of readership
among independent women who would later be identified as the COSMO Girl.

The invention of this new identity could be seen in the very first issue of
Browns table of contents which established sections of the magazine to
molding the interests of the COSMO Girl. COSMO Listens to Records,
COSMO Goes to the Movies, COSMOs Books of the Month, and COSMO
Shopper became monthly editorials where readers become conditioned to
adhere to the music, movies, books, and fashion of the COSMO persona.
Cosmopolitan brought rebellious women out of secrecy and advocated
for the identity of the independent, working girl who liked to have fun.
Women who felt alone in their desires to achieve more in the career world
and experiment more in the bedroom were given the confidence to join the
Womens Liberation Movement because the magazine proved that they were
not alone (Ouellette, 1999). An article titled Inventing the Cosmo Girl: Class
Identity and Girl-Style American Dreams, looks into Browns mission as
editor of Cosmopolitan and says that, Brown legitimated sexism and the
capitalist exploitation of womens labor, while simultaneously expressing
hardships and desires in a voice that spoke with credibility to an expanding
class of pink-collar women (Ouellette, 1999, p.3). Throughout the first
decade of Cosmopolitan magazine with Brown as editor, the publication took
a fearless approach to addressing matters of sexual liberation (The Sexual
Drive in Women Greater, Equal or Inferior to Mens? Feb. 1968),
reproductive rights (A Gynecologist Tells the Surprising Truth About the Pill
Feb. 1970), independence (Living Alone April, 1973), and equalities in the
workplace (How Women are taking Over Politics March, 1970). While many

women found an identity with Cosmopolitan, there was another side to the
public view which felt that the pictures and discussion about sex and the love
of men in the magazine only added to the problem of suppression by
depicting women to be objects of male satisfaction rather than send an
empowering message. In the July issue of 1971, Brown responds to public
accusations of Cosmopolitan as a female version of Playboy in her feature of
Step Into My Parlor. She addresses the misconception by explaining the
differences between Playboys purpose, to entertain successful men, and the
purpose of her publication which she explains, COSMO, on the other hand,
is for a girl who doesnt necessarily have it all together who wants a great
deal more out of life than she is now getting. This is an example of Brown
protecting the identity of her readers. Though she refutes that Cosmopolitan
is a female version of Playboy she is truthful when she says that the
publications are similar in a way. Where COSMO and Playboy are alike
perhaps is that we both advocate sexual honesty and putting away
outmoded puritanical sex ethics (its your psyche and your body; shouldnt
you decide about your love life?) (Cosmopolitan, 1971). This statement both
gave Cosmopolitan credibility as an honest publication, and re-instilled the
publications support of womens ownership of her body with the Womens
Liberation Movement.
While Cosmopolitan articles were full of content that spoke up about
womens revolution, a large portion of the magazine was still written by
males. An incongruent message was delivered by the fact that content about

womens issues, written for women, was still commandeered by male

journalists. In the October issue of 1968, nearly half of the articles were
written by men. A feature titled On Being Female, which explores the
double-standard women experience towards men, was in fact, written by a
gentleman, Benjamin Wolman. In 1972, a new magazine was founded on the
premise of delivering women content controlled by women (Lefevre, 2009).
Ms. magazine was brought together by feminist activists, Gloria Steinem and
Letty Pogrebin who felt that women lacked a publication that strictly
informed and participated in the feminist movement. The magazine first
appeared with a Preview Issue within New York magazine. Its first cover
made a statement in a way that separated this womens magazine from its
sister magazine Cosmopolitan. Instead of featuring a photograph of a
beautiful model, Ms. caught reader attention with the portrayal of a drawn
womans figure. The figure was put up against a bright red background. Not
only was the art of this cover different because of its choice of figure
representation, but because the woman on the cover embodied a Hindu
goddess with eight arms holding various objects associated with the female
sex-role, including an iron, cooking plan, and typewriter. This cover sent a
message that Ms. is a magazine meant for women of all races and
backgrounds (Lefevre, 2009). Among the headlines on the cover, there was
one very defining statement that read, Women Tell the Truth About Their
Abortions. Inside, the article titled, We Have Had Abortions listed the
names of 53 American women who admitted to have had abortions at a time

when the procedure was still illegal. Women were not publically given
ownership of their bodies and so abortions were done in secrecy and were
unregulated and dangerous procedures. The article began a petition against
abortion laws (Weiss, 2013). Women were encouraged to join the movement
by submitting their own names to the petition which was sent to state
legislators. Already, Ms. had established itself as a publication which wasnt
just sparking discussion around womens issued, but sparking change and
participation amongst readers.
Just as in Browns first issue of Cosmopolitan where she introduced
herself as the new editor, the first stand-alone issue of Ms. in July of 1972
released an introduction to the magazine with A Personal Report from Ms.
Where Brown utilized her introduction to mold her audience, Ms. utilized the
space to explain how and why the magazine got started. In the opening of
the personal report, Ms. poses a serious of questions that the founders of the
magazine asked themselves before creating the magazine. Why were the
media, including womens magazines, so rarely or so superficially interested
in the big changes happening to women? Why were we always playing the
game by somebody elses (the publishers, the advertisers) rules? (MS.,
1972). One of the most defining aspects which separates Ms. magazine from
Cosmopolitan magazine was its fight to gain revenue as a niche magazine (a
portion of which would be dedicated to womens causes) while not allowing
investors to control the content of the publication. While Cosmopolitan had a
strong tactic of marketing towards an audience, some would argue that

women issues in this publication were commercialized for profit. Ms.

magazine took a new approach to reaching audiences as a publication with
limited advertisements, thought provoking covers, and content that served
women as people, not roles (Ms., 1972).
While Cosmopolitan magazine united women through a common voice
that embodied the fun, fearless, man-loving personal of the COSMO Girl, Ms.
magazine did not have one set tone to its content. The magazine referred to
its voices at as sisterhood with many perspectives. In A statement made in
the Ms. personal report, the mission of the publication is explained, We want
a world in which no one is born into a subordinate role because of visible
difference, whether the difference is of race or sex we cherish our
differences. We want Ms. to be a forum for many views (Ms., 1972). The
table of contents of the July issue of 1974 shows a diverse range of topics
including articles pertaining to religion (Is it Kosher to be Feminist? Jewish
Theology), war (The Vietnam G.I.: Drafted, Drifting, and Drugged), art (By
a Woman Painted Artist in the 19th Century), and women issues (Womans
Body/Womans Mind: How Much Do You Really Know about Rapists?). All
articles are written by women with an informative tone.
While both Ms. and Cosmopolitan aim to enlighten their readers, it is
clear that these publications go about it in two different ways. When two
articles are held side by side on the topic of orgasm, there is a distinct
contrast between the language and tone of the articles. In the Cosmopolitan
article titled The Ostentations Orgasm by Jill Schary, the tone surrounding

the topic of fake and real orgasm is as entertaining and conversational as a

discussion amongst old friends would be.
It would somehow detract from the fun if a man suddenly whipped out
a stethoscope or started winding one of those blood-pressure things
around his womans arm ( unless, of course, they dig playing doctor,
which may be a bit of a regression, but everyone to his own). I think,
therefore, it is safe to say that many women do pretend, on various
levels of conscious effort- at least some of the time (Cosmopolitan,
Jan. 1969).
This excerpt exemplifies the distinct voice that is present in Cosmopolitan
that is supposed to represent the voice of its readers. It is aimed at a
younger, lower class of women who may or may not be educated. In
contrast, Ms. magazine speaks with more of an established, educational tone
on the topic of orgasms in an article titled, The Liberated Orgasm by
Barbara Seaman.
Female Sexuality is so easily bruised and buried in the myths and
medical models of the prevailing culture that the self-awareness
needed for liberation will be difficult to achieve unless women explore
their own true sexual feelings and needs. We know that all orgasms are
similar on a motor level, and that all orgasms are different on a
sensory level (Ms., Aug. 1972).

The language of this passage is informative and it speaks directly toward the
issue surrounding the topic of orgasm and gives incentive for reform. While
the angle in which these publications chose to discuss topics surrounding
womens issues were very different, both had an impact on engaging the
public in topics that ran parallel to the Womens Liberation Movement.

Cosmopolitan stepped out at a time when women were not even aware
of their own suppression. The roles of womanhood were so embedded into
society that many did not even think to question why they were limited to
standards of the housewife. Brown brought the rebellious girl into the public
eye. She made this persona appealing by glamorizing the covers with
beautiful faces, and publishing material that was thought-provoking,
entertaining, and relatable to the common young woman who was seeking
an identity. During the early 60s there was no form of sex education for
women, Cosmopolitan was one of the only outlets that woman could turn to
for information on birth control, sex, and issues in the workforce. Ms.
magazine entered the scene when second-wave feminism was in full
motion but in need of a leader who would not only discuss the issues, but
take action. In 1976, Ms. published one of its most iconic covers which
featured a close-up on a womans face with a black eye. The cover story,
titled Battered Wives, made history as the first time domestic violence was
brought into the public eye. Cosmopolitan and Ms. both made statements on
issues surrounding sexuality, reproductive rights, independent and equalities

in the workplace during the 1960s and 1970s. These publications were
major contributors to the Womens Liberation Movement in different ways.
Without Cosmopolitan, women may have never found confidence to own a
rebellious persona. Without Ms., the diverse voices of women may never
have come together to form a powerful sisterhood. Together, these
publications reached women of all identities, assured them that they were
not alone, and put a face to the womens revolution so that one day, gender
would be less of an obstacle to make choices and change.

References:
Farrell, A. E. (1998). Yours in sisterhood: Ms. Magazine and the promise of popular
feminism. Chapel Hill:
University of North Carolina Press.
Gardner, M. (1999). Feminism through the beauty-mag looking glass. Christian
Science Monitor, 91(91),
15.
HUNT, P. D. (2012). Editing desire, working girl wisdom, and cupcakeable goodness.
Journalism History,
38(3), 130-141.
Kim, J. L., & Ward, L. M. (2012). Striving for pleasure without fear: Short-term effects
of reading a
Womens magazine on Womens sexual attitudes. Psychology of Women
Quarterly, 36(3), 326336. doi:10.1177/0361684312442856
Lefevre, S.T. (2009). Texts of Empowerment: A functional rhetorical analysis of Ms.
Magazine in the first
five years. 208.
Ouellette, L. (1999). Inventing the cosmo girl: Class identity and girl-style american
dreams. Media,

Culture & Society, 21(3), 359.

People & Events: The Pill and the Women's Liberation Movement. (n.d.). Retrieved
October 8, 2014,
from People & Events: The Pill and the Women's Liberation Movement.
http://www.pbs.org/wgbh/amex/pill/peopleevents/e_lib.html
Scanlon, J. (2009). Bad girls go everywhere: The life of Helen Gurley Brown. New
York: Oxford University Press.
Voss, K., & Speere, L. (2014). Taking chances and making changes: The career paths
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pioneering women in newspaper management. Journalism & Mass
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91(2), 272-288. doi:10.1177/1077699014527453
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Last, F. M. (Year, Month Published). Article title. Magazine Title,

volume(issue), pp. Page(s).

Primary Research sources:

Atherton, R. (1965, June). Cosmopolitan, Vol.158(6). Print.
Brown, H. G. (1965, July). Cosmopolitan Vol.159(1). Print.
Brown, H. G. (1968, February). The Sexual Drive in Women- Greater, Equal or
Inferior to
mens?. Cosmopolitan. Print.
Brown, H. G. (1970, February). A Gynecologist Tells the Surprising Truth
About the Pill.
Cosmopolitan. Print.
Brown, H. G. (1970, March). How Women Are Taking Over Politics.
Cosmopolitan. Print.
Brown, H. G. (1973, April). Living Alone. Cosmopolitan. Print.
Brown, H. G. (1971, July). Step Into My Parlor. Cosmopolitan. Print
Brown, H. G. (1968, October). On Being Female. Cosmopolitan. Print.
Steinem, G. (1972, July). Ms. Magazine. Vol1(1). Print
Steinem, G. (1974, July). Ms. Magazine. Print
Steinem, G. (1976). Ms. Magazine. Print
*** All publications of Cosmopolitan magazine between 1969-1975 were
analyzed, not just the ones mentioned with specific reference in the text***

*** All publications of Ms. magazine between the years 1972-1976 were
analyzed, not just the ones mentioned with specific reference in the text***