Babes and Bitches

Babes and Bitches: A comparison of Maxim and Cosmopolitan (from a guy’s point of view)

Where do I even begin?

Girls. That’s a good start. This month’s Cosmopolitan is the “Bad Girl Issue, For Sexy Bitches Only” (sorry ladies), and it features Kim Kardashian (whom I only know about from the media coverage of her sex tape with R&B singer Ray J) on the cover. Almost the entire magazine is filled with articles on beauty and fashion tips. And most importantly, how to impress the guys, to say the least. I mean, it says it all on the cover. “What He Thinks During Sex”, “8 Things Guys Notice Instantly”, “Foreplay Men Crave” and “The Silent Clue Men Give Off When They’re In Love” etc.

I find that there really aren’t any interesting articles in the magazine. The more serious article that it contains besides looking beautiful and getting hot guys is how to not die from getting drunk. The advertisements in this magazine are mostly selling beauty products such as celebrity endorsed perfumes and skin care products, though there are a few car ads here and there. After all, it is the “Bad Girl Issue, For Sexy Bitches Only”. On the bright side, the magazine smells really good from all the perfume ads (Yes, I did open the fold and find out how they smell.)

Unlike Cosmopolitan, Maxim targets the typical male population, who is all about babes, cars and sports. However, the articles and content in Maxim are more interesting than Cosmopolitan, and I’m not being bias because I’m a guy. Besides a few interviews with actresses and actors and Lebron James, there is a jokes section, a food review section on restaurants from different cities, and also a few articles on entertainment/movies. These contents are clearly lacking in Cosmopolitan. Would these not interest the female population? Other than that, there are also sections on the latest gadgets and gizmos, style, sports and cars. And advertisements wise, men want babes, cars, video games, drinks and style. Of course.

There is a section from each magazine that I found particularly funny. They are the “Cosmo’s 2009 Bachelor Blowout” and Maxim’s “Hometown Hotties 09”. While Maxim has all the hotties lined up in one row on a full spread, Cosmopolitan has 16 pages booked up for all the bachelors from all across the United States (I think). And while Maxim only includes each hottie’s name, occupation and a question with a dim-witted answer, Cosmopolitan’s bachelors described themselves, their occupation and interests and even included their custom made bachelor email addresses. Another difference is that all the hotties in Maxim are wearing bikinis, while most of the bachelors have a shirt on. I guess my point is that girls who read Cosmopolitan would really get a chance of meeting these bachelors if they sent in an email, but the guys who read Maxim are expected to just stare at these hotties and do nothing about it. Well, they can vote for the winner.

I think that Cosmopolitan makes woman seem so desperate and shallow, and Maxim just further implies the stereotype that all guys care about are sex, cars and sports among other stuffs.

Oh! Here’s an ad from Maxim. See my point?