The magazine that prides itself on publishing the best sex tips and period-related horror stories has taken a break from pillow talk to serve a term on the political stage.
On Tuesday, Cosmopolitan Magazine published its official endorsement for New Hampshire’s U.S. Senate incumbent Democrat Jeanne Shaheen, who is battling Republican candidate and former U.S. Senator of Massachusetts Scott Brown. Despite centering on a political topic, the article was written in true Cosmo fashion, complete with some lewd jokes about Brown, who posed nude for Cosmo in 1982 while a student at Boston College.
“While we wish we could support the man who once posed nude in our pages, his policy positions just aren’t as solid as his abs were in the ’80s,” the article said. “We support Jeanne Shaheen for Senate.”
It might seem odd that a magazine that strategically places the word “sex” on the top left corner of every copy as an issue-selling strategy is taking the time to opine on New Hampshire’s midterm elections. However, this bawdy endorsement is part of Cosmo’s recent initiative to endorse candidates they deem “pro-women.” The majority of these candidates are Democrats, and judging by the content of other endorsements, Cosmo defines “pro-women” as being supportive of women’s reproductive rights or just being the only female candidate up for election.
“Because women cannot be equal if we don’t have the right to dictate our most intimate decisions, Cosmopolitan will be looking at candidates’ positions on abortion rights, and we will endorse politicians who trust women to make their own reproductive choices,” the magazine stated in its September 8 announcement of the initiative, which was complete with a photo of Beyoncé and the caption, “If ya liked it then you shoulda put a vote on it.”
The majority of these endorsements are fair. Yes, they do make black-and-white statements to laud one candidate over the other in a very obvious manner, but they use evidence to support their claims, and ultimately, they are well researched. So the fact that they attacked Brown’s past as a Cosmo centerfold within the first paragraph (and again in their closing statement) of their support of his opponent strikes a contrast between their other, more moderate endorsements.
Perhaps it is somewhat humorous that the politically successful — and handsome — Scott Brown was once the male equivalent of a Playboy Playmate of the Month, but it is certainly not fair support for why Cosmo’s readers shouldn’t vote for him. The magazine touches on Brown’s weak support for abortion rights, but did not have much to say on the topic, as Brown is pro-abortion, save for his opposition of partial-birth abortion. Rather than provide more substantial evidence for why their readers should not vote for Brown, Cosmo instead relied on the humor of Brown’s nude photos.
It’s not as if nude photos are that big of a deal anymore. With new developments on the latest celebrity naked picture leak popping up in the media every day, at this point, the average American isn’t awfully shocked at the revelation of a public figure being photographed with their clothes off. Scott Brown’s former successes as a politician, including his defeat of Martha Coakley in the 2010 Massachusetts special election for U.S. senator, are a testament to that.
Cosmo magazine is no prude. One glance at the headlines of virtually every one of their covers is proof of that. Headlines such as “The Orgasm Whisperer: Every Girl Needs One,” and “His Butt: What the Size, Shape, and Pinchability of Those Sweet Cheeks Reveal About His True Self,” have graced the pages of this magazine. What’s more, Cosmo published Brown’s naked pose in the first place, so clearly, the editors at Cosmo magazine have very few issues with public nudity.
In fact, most of the people reading Cosmo Magazine are perusing the pages for their sex tips and other topics far less serious than politics. The magazine purports itself as “The Women’s Magazine for Fashion, Sex Advice, Dating Tips and Celebrity News” with a largely feminist tone. People are most likely not looking to get their political opinions from the magazine. Yet, it is likely some of the magazine’s readership consists of people who would rather be informed about the latest sex toy than their state’s midterm election, and therefore do not read news. Thus, it is somewhat concerning that Cosmo’s slanted political opinions could influence real voters who couldn’t bother to read anything other than Cosmo.
It is admirable that Cosmo wants to get its readership involved in topics more serious than their usual fare, but if they really cared about their readers’ political consciousness, they should provide a more fair analysis to their endorsements.
