Cosmo Cums in last place!
In recent months Cosmopolitan has jumped on the lesbian bandwagon. Not overtly out there in print, but hidden on their website, they have finally realised that femme lesbians read their online magazine for fashion and interesting girlie articles, although the highly hetero tips are stomach churning for them. Now having posted lesbian sex tips, with creepy cartoons and really in a desperate attempt to be inclusive, they now come out with “12 Problems Only Femme Lesbians Understand”.
Will Cosmo actually have something in print for lesbians who don’t want to read Diva? Will they write about something for lesbians, which hasn’t been done over and over? And actually something FOR lesbians and not just titilation (pun intended) for straight men and women to gaup at, as with the recent piece?
I was recently at the Cheltenham Literature Festival and went to listen to ‘Sex, Porn and Gen XXX” with Eleanor Mills, Editorial Director ofThe Sunday Times, actor Tyger Drew-Honey (whose parents worked in the porn industry), founder of the Every Day Sexism Project Laura Bates and the editor of Cosmopolitan Louise Court. I was extremely impressed with how articulate Tyger is at the age of 18 and the knowledge and beliefs of Laura, but when it came to Louise Court I was shocked. Not only was Louise inarticulate and unable to answer any questions with confidence and knowledge, she used words and phrases such as “women’s bits”, “men’s members” and could not say “penetration”, she may as well have made hand gestures to simulate. I expressed my suprise to Louise, that with her terminology, we wonder why youngsters are not receiving good sex education, when they are looking up to women like her. Her lack of presence on the panel was embarrassing and with a position such has hers, it only strengthens my thoughts on how Cosmo dumbs down.
by Emma Ziff