Innholdsfortegnelse for May/June 2023 i Cosmopolitan

WE ARE TOO MANY, by Hannah Pittard May 2 A hilarious and very real memoir (kind of) about a wife, her husband, and the other woman. YELLOWFACE, by R. F. Kuang May 16 What’s one way to talk about racism and cultural appropriation in publishing? Write a novel about it. BIG GAY WEDDING, by Byron Lane May 30 A Southern community has to adjust its attitude when a same-sex wedding comes to town. LOVE, THEORETICALLY, by Ali Hazelwood June 13 Witness two adorable scientists fall in love after pretending to date in this romance Emily Henry fans will love.…

HEAD TO TOE To say the staple is a classic is an understatement. Especially this season, when it’s about to infiltrate your entire closet in new ways. Like, have you *seen* this dress? Come on!…

Watch this outfit come together with TikTok magic!…

THURSDAY, 7 P.M. Work is absolutely wild right now. One of our department heads, Helga, has enacted a reign of terror and it’s making her entire team so inefficient that our leaders keep funneling projects my way. I barely have time to shower, let alone date. But I’m so excited to meet Naomi, the cute engineer I matched with last week, that I block off all of tomorrow evening on my calendar. Honestly, very few people I knew in college really explored their sexuality then, and now there’s a wave of my friends ready to go there. Outside of last year’s threesome date with Ethan and Heather, this is my first official dinner-and-drinks situation with a woman. I call my friend Kalani, a newly out and proud bisexual queen, for…

Dear Minaa, For two seasons now, The White Lotus has been trying to ruin my marriage. Every time I witness one of its characters behaving badly (see: Tanya’s shitty partner, all the cheating millennials), I find myself giving my husband extreme side-eye and treating him as if he’s doing the same thing. Of course my spouse isn’t perfect, but I also know he’s not the monster I project onto him after each drama-filled episode. Or…is he? Are shows like this surfacing our own unspoken issues, however small, that should be aired? Or are they making me see insignificant problems through a needlessly exaggerated lens? Please send help! Dear Reader, Ask yourself what specific plot points seem to be triggering you. Is it infidelity or other kinds of betrayal? Is it…

Most of what I know about Korean cooking, I learned from watching my unofficial food fairy godmother, YouTube cook Maangchi. Through her channel, two cookbooks, and online community, she taught me—a Korean American adoptee raised by white parents—many lessons on my journey to discover more about my culture. Things like the savory superpowers of toasted sesame oil—every time I use it, I feel more Korean somehow. It’s almost as if the ingredient connects me to my birth parents and extended family back home. So I was already a toasted sesame oil devotee when the discovery of toasted sesame paste blew my mind. It has all the delicious nuttiness of the oil with a consistency that’s similar to jarred peanut butter. And it’s an absolutely essential condiment for the chilled sesame…

1. Couplets: A Love Story by Maggie Millner “Everyone had the same Ikea bed. She tied my wrists to hers, above my head. (She liked what she called clean lines, I would learn; her major had been architecture.)” 2. Girls Like Girls by Hayley Kiyoko “Out of the corner of my eye, I watch Sonya kick the beach ball into the water, stripping off her shirt as she bounds into the water, the white wake of her splash shining against the red of her bikini. My stomach dips as she disappears under the water, shimmering like a mermaid when she surfaces, and then I have to look away, because if I don’t, I’m going to go as scarlet as her bathing suit.” 3. Pretty Baby: A Memoir by Chris Belcher…

1. Congrats, we’re gonna give your life a musical score! Which mood is most appropriate? a Whatever was playing in the background of those Tom and Jerry chase sequences. b Any Y2K pop-rock. All headbangers all the time. c Hmm, something from a gospel choir? 2. How do you make it through the brutal post-lunch slump? a An in-depth social media scroll. b As prolific thought leader Rihanna once said, “I gotta get my body moving.” c Power naps. Obviously. 3. You just checked off the final item on your aggressively long to-do list. You are now: a Bring me happy hour! And an hour-long call with an unsuspecting relative to bitch about my day! b Riding a self-care wave. c Can you please just let me enjoy this mindless…

Sasha Velour has a résumé as long as my arm: contestant on RuPaul’s Drag Race season 9 (which she won!), creator of the wildly popular burlesque show NightGowns, author of the brand-spanking-new The Big Reveal: An Illustrated Manifesto of Drag. She’s also delightfully down for a good time, making her perfect for this series, where we interview our favorite celebs after hours and ask them borderline-inappropriate questions. Here’s what happened when Sasha took a break from her vaginal-jewelry-making to answer them. Sasha, congrats on finally getting to the weekend. What were you doing right before this call? I was sanding some jewelry that I made with a friend the other night. I surprised her with mushroom tea and insisted we make vaginal jewelry—earrings—out of Sculpey. “I like to sleep in…

Remember the days when people serendipitously exchanged numbers in line at a coffee shop? No? Yeah. For most of us, encountering romantic prospects looks a lot more like constant ghosting, promising matches that go nowhere, and a seemingly bottomless pool of options designed to keep us all on a never-ending quest for the next best thing. In short, we’ve basically grown up on Tinder, with algorithms running our love lives. But! Believe it or not, rom-com-worthy How We Met moments aren’t strictly a thing of the past—they do still happen today. (And because you’re asking, no, it’s not always creepy to approach a cute stranger in public. And yes, there are ways to talk to another human without seeming awkward or desperate.) To reassure you and honestly also ourselves, we…

Trade Denmark for… Solvang, California If you’re looking for walkable streets and window boxes overflowing with flowers, head to this spot. The danishes are actually Danish (get your wienerbrød at Brød & Kage and your æbleskiver at Solvang Restaurant), and the Corque Hotel’s outdoor firepits will warm your hygge-loving heart. Don’t leave town without shopping the very cool Scandi brands at the Copenhagen House. Trade the Swiss Alps for… Ouray, Colorado Some say the snow-capped San Juan Mountains scenery is reminiscent of the Swiss Alps (it’s us; we say it). The southwestern Colorado town’s crystal clear lakes and luxurious off-the-grid huts (they even cook for you at the Red Mountain Alpine Lodge!) are definitely worthy of a yodel or two, but it’s the truffes at Mouse’s Chocolates & Coffee that…

8. Gender Magic: Live Shamelessly, Reclaim Your Joy & Step Into Your Most Authentic Self by Rae McDaniel “If we focus only on easing suffering, we’re assuming that relief is the best thing a transgender or non-binary person can hope to achieve in their life. We lose out on the opportunity to connect on experiences like the joy of creative expression, pleasure in all its forms, laughing till we pee, and fiercely celebrating each other.” 9. The Big Reveal: An Illustrated Manifesto of Drag by Sasha Velour “If spiteful politicians were ever to drive us from the public libraries and stages, we’d still have our bars. If we were driven from our bars, we would have our parties and our parks, our bodies and lives. Part of drag’s history is…

The Good Witch, by Maisie Peters June 16 Ed Sheeran’s musical protégé and BFF perfectly avoids any sophomore slump in her high-energy second album, pivoting away from love songs into her own Reputation era. (Yes, Taylor Swift is a fan.) With lyrics like “I still love you but you’re taking me/From your arms/Back to therapy,” Maisie proves she’s ready for a bigger spotlight—and that none of her exes are safe. City on Fire May 12, Apple TV+ OG Gossip Girl creators Josh Schwartz and Stephanie Savage are back again—with another soapy-as-hell NYC drama. A college student, played by Bodies Bodies Bodies star Chase Sui Wonders, is shot in Central Park. But the real mystery in the whodunit that follows isn’t who killed her…it’s how she’s connected to a series of…

Tourist Mode! Going full dad-on-vacation has somehow taken a detour from tacky to straight-up elevated. It’s the details that sell it. Woven! For when you just need to be at the beach (if only in your mind). Swim Cutouts! Bikini energy with a lower probability of wardrobe malfunctions. Sunset Ombré! Here’s a fact: Nothing can make your summer outfits come alive more than a warm-tone gradient look can.…

Get Thyself Out There Anywhere people are gathering to enjoy shared hobbies is a place your ready-to-mingle self wants to be. This might mean joining a local running club or browsing Eventbrite for fun stuff in your area. Make the First Move Strike up a chat with a stranger, and don’t overthink it! A simple “hi” goes further than you think, especially if you’re already in a place where people have similar interests. Introduce yourself, ask them what brought them there, and let the convo flow. Keep an Open Mind Instead of getting hung up on finding a romantic connection, focus on expanding your social circle in general and stay open to people outside your type. Sometimes the perfect person comes along when you least expect it—and in a package…

My body felt weathered. My skin and lymphatic system screamed with signs of inflammation. I’d been feeling an impossible tightness in my neck and shoulders and explosive pressure in my lower back. It was the summer of 2021, and I was at an appointment I’d booked with a chiropractor. As he felt across my body, looking for a place to begin, he locked eyes with me and said there wasn’t much he could do until I spoke with my therapist, who might be able to address what had me so tight in the first place. Not even a week later, my dermatologist said that stress was most likely causing the flare-ups on my skin. My mind, heart, and body had been on fire with the rage and heartache that consumed…

I’m a bridesmaid in a Sunday wedding and I have a big presentation on Monday. Can I skip out early? Um, YES. Sorry to the bride, but other people’s major life events don’t stop while a wedding is in progress. Just try to make some memories with her before you leave. Am I allowed to play the explicit versions of songs at my wedding if kids are invited? I know, censored songs are just not the same. Because most kids will bounce early, spread the word that things will be PG-13 after 9 or 10 p.m., and parents can plan accordingly. My sister is 12 years younger and we’re not that close. Does she have to be my maid of honor? Definitely not. The big secret about weddings is that…

When I first started practicing astrology, the excitement over learning about my Sun, Moon, and Rising signs spilled over into all aspects of my life. The stars became poetic metaphors for emotions and experiences I couldn’t quite explain—but most of all, astrology became my teacher in love, helping me realize how to recognize care and respect. Eventually, I discovered it’s a pretty damn great bisexual dating tool too. Let me back up a bit to say that, obviously, dating in 2023 is…an adventure. Throwing astrology into the mix can helpfully queer expectations and dating patterns. Yes, I’m using “queer” as a verb here, meaning to move in deliberate opposition to and disruption of “traditional” ideas about gender and sexuality. Astrology, which has always been a space for magical play, can…

Hi, if you’re new here (welcome!), rest assured that we are not. Cosmo has been battling regressive moral panic—and the censorship it can spawn—for decades. Over the years, various fringe groups have sought to censor us for printing “pornography” and “explicit content,” aka honest, informative reporting on totally normal physical intimacy and absolutely crucial sexual health topics. So you could say we are experts in defending the right to empower readers. Which is why we’re standing with the LGBTQ+ authors whose work is under fire right now from lawmakers and at least 50 groups agitating for book bans at the national, state, or local level. This isn’t just about Drag Story Hour or inclusive kids’ books anymore. (Although the challenges against both, against titles like And Tango Makes Three—the award-winning,…

13. Horse Barbie: A Memoir by Geena Rocero “Sometimes I second-guessed my modeling dreams. Still, I found affirmation in the fullness of my feminine expression, where I felt my power. So many voices in society had told me to act a certain way, dress a certain way, think a certain way, be a certain way. Modeling was my way of trying to define my own womanhood—to free myself from those cages.” 14. Nobody Needs to Know: A Memoir by Pidgeon Pagonis “Learning I was intersex had opened me up to understanding myself, and sex and gender, in new and broader ways…. I felt both exhausted and filled with appreciation for being able to learn more and share my story for the first time in person with others like me—others who…

25. Bellies: A Novel by Nicola Dinan “I’ll dance anyway, because this world is open and possible. And it’s a party without the burden of personal history, without people who knew me as a boy and, I suspect, deep down, still see me as one. I laugh. I hold hands with Deandra, another friend from my course. She’s a few years older than me. Her long black hair is in two French plaits. I sing along. Some wine spills onto the parquet floors. Carte blanche! Vita nova! Dua Lipa!” 26. Quietly Hostile: Essays by Samantha Irby “I was splitting an apartment with this chaotic old gay man and neither of us could afford HBO when Sex and the City premiered, so I had to do what broke bitches did in…

I think I’d like to try adult conversion therapy. It was during a romantic after-dinner walk with my new wife that the scheme bobbed to the surface, putrid and captivating. Let us test the powers of this gay love, went my thoughts, a deranged cackle rising in my chest. Let us observe whether a counselor can awaken me to the wonders of a cishet existence. I squeezed Nat’s hand in silent apology for the unhinged experiment to come, another Cosmo story idea too ridiculous, too wrong to resist. This could be it, our final moonlit stroll before the whole marriage vanished in a puff of straight pride. Mind you, no kind of conversion therapy—the pseudoscience of trying to forcibly alter a person’s sexual orientation and/or gender identity—has ever “worked” on anyone,…

THE WHO Lady Gaga THE WHAT Our April 2010 cover story THE WHY Stefani Germanotta started the first decade of the 21st century singing at tiny NYC dive bars. She ended it performing “Bad Romance” for millions as Lady Gaga. Her Cosmo cover came at a very particular moment in time—before the meat dress but after her first Grammys sweep—when she was already selling out arenas worldwide…and outlining a few goals that might just reaffirm your belief in the power of manifestation. THE WORDS “I had a boyfriend who told me I’d never succeed, never be nominated for a Grammy, never have a hit song, and that he hoped I’d fail. I said to him, ‘Someday you won’t be able to order a cup of coffee at the fucking deli…