"Unfollowing!"—Cosmopolitan Tried To Glamorize Cheating, But Their Readers Weren't Having It
Cosmopolitan Magazine recently faced swift and scathing backlash after sharing a story about a woman boasting about cheating with a man in a hotel gym while his girlfriend was just outside. This isn't the first time Cosmo and other women's magazines have tried to glamorize infidelity.
Cosmo's Instagram caption for the story read: "I hooked up with a hot guy in a hotel gym...while his girlfriend was outside. We’d turned this exercise room into a sex-ercise room, and he’d more than put his reps in.”
The response to this unbelievably cheesy display of vile cringe was swift and unforgiving as the comments poured in from Cosmo readers. Below is just a sampling.
"Glorifying infidelity is not a good look…"
"Foul."
"Why are we glorifying this? Unfollow."
"Great job, Cosmo. Really classy."
"I'm glad the comments are just as disappointed as I am what is this?!?"
"Can we not promote barbaric and nasty behavior? I know this is cosmo but CMON."
"So Cosmo now promotes cheating," observed one commenter, not realizing that Cosmo has actually been promoting infidelity for a while now, along with many other left-leaning publications and entertainment sources. These repeated instances should raise important questions about the responsibility of media outlets in shaping societal norms and values.
The story (which honestly sounds like low-grade Wattpad fanfiction) is behind a paywall, but Cosmo did give readers this "teaser."
"The year was 2012 and I was young, dumb, and horny. I was visiting Colorado from Los Angeles to be my best guy friend, Henry’s*, date to his Greek formal...and I had a crush on his roommate, Jacob*, the second I laid eyes on him. As soon as he opened the door to his fraternity house, his black shaggy hair perfectly framing his bright blue eyes and megawatt smile, it was clear to pretty much everyone that Jacob and I had instant chemistry riddled with witty banter, playful jabs, and sexual innuendo. Nothing could get between our sexual tension…except maaaybe his girlfriend, Nadia. We all rode up together from Boulder to Vail—me, Jacob, and his girlfriend nestled tightly in the backseat. When we stopped at a gas station for a bathroom break about an hour into our trip, Henry pulled Jacob aside. “Dude, you’ve only been talking to Serena this whole trip,” I heard him whisper when he thought they were out of earshot. “Did you notice you were totally ignoring Nadia?”
Can't you just feel the self-respect and empowerment, ladies?
Back in here in reality, we all know that cheating is a serious breach of trust and has devastating consequences for all parties involved. By presenting it as something to be celebrated or joked about, magazines like Cosmo trivialize the pain experienced by those who have been cheated on and minimize the moral failures of the cheaters. In reality, fidelity is extremely important for personal integrity and healthy relationships.
Fortunately, the backlash against Cosmopolitan's post demonstrates that female audiences are not passive consumers and are willing to hold media outlets accountable for their content. Here at Evie, we've consistently spoken out against the glamorization of cheating as well as other harmful behaviors that have been pushed on women for decades.
Evie deserves to be heard. Support our cause and help women reclaim their femininity by subscribing today.