Cosmopolitan in the 1990s to the present

As the decades keep passing by the clothing worn by the people embracing the cover of this magazine we can see an approach to more attractive clothing. Also, the poses become uniform, with a slight difference is hand positions. This time around we see a bigger focus on the word ''sex'' on every single cover. The headline about the article on sex is the one with the larger size and more distinguishable amongst the rest. Also, we can see that the unknown model in the cover has been replaced by an aknowledgeable celebrity. The articles have more focus on the physical aspect of women and their attitudes when approaching the opposite sex.

Cosmopolitan in the 1980s - 1990s

When the 80s arrive, so do changes in the scheme of this magazine's covers. The first change we see compared to the 1970s is the change in the presentation of the headlines. Headlines that used to be of the same color and font now changed to different types of fonts. One pattern that can be established from when the magazine started and its covers up to the 1980s is the fact that all the headlines are written uniformly in a line and with the same margin (no different shapes, or different in the spacing between headlines). Also, the fact that the people embracing the covers of the magazine are models and not celebrities. Another aspect of the magazine cover that can be denoted during this period of time is the fact that sex was not as explicitly presented in every issue. As we enter the decade of the 90s we see the number of headlines in the cover decrease substantially.

Cosmopolitan during the 1960s-1980s

The first period of time in which I am going to discuss the evolution of Cosmopolitan magazine is the period between its creation and 1979. The covers during this period of time do not feature a selection of different colors, and the few colors used are somber (black, white, etc). All the headlines featured in the cover have the same color, so there is no more importance given to one headline than the other. This is also denoted by the fact that all the headlines are the same font and size. The poses used by the models in the cover seem to have movement and variety. The amount of headlines is substantially large considering the amount found in the magazine currently. Considering the time in fashion these covers belong to, it is necessary to denote the difference in hairstyles and clothing. Hairstyles being a lot more extravagant and with volume and the clothing being the one identified with the fashion trends at the time the magazine was released.

Health & Fitness magazines overview

The section that I am going to be reporting on when it comes to the evolution of magazine covers is health & fitness. For this section, the group selected what we considered to be the top 2 magazines in this area: Cosmopolitan and Shape magazine. Cosmopolitan magazine has a bigger evolution since it has been in circulation since 1965 while Shape magazine was created in 1981. Cosmopolitan magazine was originally a literary magazine and then transformed into a magazine for "fun, fearless females" under the direction of Helen Gurley Brown. As for Shape magazine, it was first published in 1981 by Weider Publications. The following blogs on these magazines will follow the evolving aspects of the covers of each, ending with a discussion and analysis of why these changes took place.

Access Granted: Introducing People Magazine

On March 4, 1974, People Magazine published its very first issue. Below, I have posted the introduction letter printed in the very first People Magazine ever. In it, the editors state the goals, purpose, and image for the magazine. From its very inception, People established itself as the preeminent source for Celebrity news, one that is attentive to the contemporary individual's "curiosity". It continues to be the quintessential modern magazine, grounding itself solely on the authority of what's supposedly important to the public - and that is "other people". These other people are interesting, influential, and most of the time famous (or made famous). The social dedication is empowering. By merely affirming that their focus is on cultural relevance, the the editors both acknowledge the strength of discourse, and also take control of the way in which our society is shaped. If we look to Michel Foucault's ideas on the power/knowledge cycle, you can see how People was able to maintain its control of popular media over the next 35 years. Supposedly produced for the masses, People took advantage of this position in order to stake out an authority role and simultaneously produce power relations. Even going far as to remind us of their ties to "the Time, Inc family of magazines," People procured the right to "establish the criteria for what gets to count as knowledge in a given society," our society (109). This issue may have been printed 35 years ago, but it remains a powerful voice in how we think about ourselves and others. In 1970s slang, I guess People Magazine just might be The Man.

Read the introduction letter for more details:



One of the things we cannot ignore about People is its ability to draw in the reader. The very first issue pictured Mia Farrow on the cover, a woman who I would call the 1970s version of our Angelina Jolie. However, the pictures of the two starlets are not at all similar. Unlike the paparazzi pics of Jolie that continuously appear on the cover of People and other gossip magazines, Farrow's shot is more like the high fashion photos that graced the pages of Vogue at this time. (Bianca Jagger, wife of rock star Mick Jagger, and similarly worldly woman appeared on Vogue's March 1974 cover.) She is depicted as the role she was playing in her upcoming movie, The Great Gatsby - Daisy Buchanan. It is quite engaging to see Farrow with her blond hair and outstanding blue eyes dressed all in white and staring off into the distance. The character being a rich Long Island society woman, Farrow is appears stately and dignified, with a certain sexual attractiveness. We want to know what makes her so aesthetically alluring - that longing gaze, those pearls in her mouth, that angelic glow, that detachment from the reader. We want to possess her, if not sexually then mentally. Of course, a woman like Daisy Buchanan is notably off limits to the average person, but it continues to perpetuate a discourse of social desire. We want to know how the affluent and important live, whether they are movie stars or society women, and People Magazine is here to give us all the juicy details.

To read this article and scroll through the entire issue, click HERE.