Relationship Advice in the Top Selling Women's Magazine, Cosmopolitan: A Content Analysis

ABSTRACT

Throughout the 1970s and the 1980s, Cosmopolitan has represented women's rapidly changing lives, and today it is the largest selling young women's magazine in the world. Since its founding in 1886, Cosmopolitan has been a resource for millions of readers, providing information/advice on contemporary male/female relationships and sexuality. The purpose of this study is to analyze and interpret the content of contemporary intimate couple relationship advice in women's Cosmopolitan magazine over a one-year period. Findings indicate that women are consistently receiving stereotypic messages about relationships. One of the main messages women received about relationships was that they were responsible for changing men and themselves in order to improve and maintain couple relationships. Other messages were related to women's responsibility for decision-making and the couple's responsibility in maintaining and improving the relationship.