Innholdsfortegnelse for Winter 2025 i Cosmopolitan

It’s no surprise that receiving gifts is one of the five love languages, alongside physical touch and words of affrmation. Who doesn’t relish getting something special? Emphasis on “special.” As a self-proclaimed exceptionally thoughtful gift giver, I practice a principle: Gifts, especially for your nearest and dearest, should be luxuries. The best presents are items you may not necessarily buy for yourself but would be thrilled to receive. They’re justifiable splurges that double as selfless acts, given via a love language of your own. What a splurge looks like is obviously subjective, but to get you started, we put together this assortment that covers all the bases, whether you’re shopping for your partner, a peer, a pal, or your parents. Our Let’s Talk Shop newsletter has so many more shopping…

The allure of situation-ships is strong. They provide the perfect theoretical space to have it all—sex, companionship, experimentation, and freedom. They can offset loneliness and provide fleeting validation while giving our friends something to overanalyze. But unsurprisingly, their inherent ambiguity can also feel confusing: 44 percent of people say they’re worried about getting hurt in one, according to Hinge research. Here’s the thing though: Situationships aren’t inherently good or bad, and they’re actually not the true problem for those they make spiral. Fear of rejection and anxiety over direct communication are, says relationship, sex, and mental health therapist Rachel Wright, LMFT. As usual, we’re here to make things easier on you. If you’re stuck in an undefined relationship, look to the next page for a complete texting guide to start…

Why does it feel impossible to move from online matches to real-life dates? Texting on an app feels safer than risking rejection in person. I set a three to five messages rule. If there’s chemistry after those conversations, I suggest a meeting. If the other person doesn’t respond or won’t make a plan, I know I’ve saved myself time in the long run. How much should I care about what my partner posts (or doesn’t post) about me? Some people share every detail of their relationships online; others prefer to keep it all private. Neither approach is right or wrong. What’s important is the motivation behind the posting (or not posting). Is it to establish a sense of security? To celebrate? Discuss it together and remember that it’s important to…

TRAVIS KELCE AND TAYLOR SWIFT LIBRA SAGITTARIUS As always, all eyes are on TNT—their late-summer engagement announcement basically broke the internet. A little ironic considering Travis’s Venus (the planet of love) meets Taylor’s Mars (the planet of passion) in Scorpio. A Venus-Mars linkup always signals instant chemistry, but the secretive Scorpio factor here means this couple values privacy over everything. How then to explain their pap walks, podcast debriefs, and gameday suite spottings? I wouldn’t be surprised if they’re using these to appease public curiosity so they can get back to quiet intimacy. More proof: Taylor’s Moon, which rules inner emotions, meets Travis’s Jupiter (the planet of luck and expansion) in the nurturing sign of Cancer. Meaning, Travis provides a safe space for Taylor to experience all of her deepest…

Everyone loves a meet-cute, but The Night We Met gives us what I’ll call a remeet-cute between characters Larissa and Chris. This book was very different for me. The characters have met before (in the bonus epilogue of a special edition of Say You’ll Remember Me), but it didn’t go the way it should have. Choices were made. The wrong choices. I really enjoyed giving them their second meet-cute here because Chris didn’t get a fair shot the first time. While this is a sequel to Say You’ll Remember Me, you’ve mentioned it can also be read as a standalone. How do you balance writing for fans eager for book two with bringing in totally new readers? I always focus on the main characters of the current book I’m writing,…

Lauren and Hayley could have let their opposing WNBA loyalties become a sticking point. Instead, the couple, who’ve been together for three years, used their rivalry as an opportunity—to host an epic bachelorette party at July’s annual Pride Night game between the New York Liberty (Lauren’s team) and the Phoenix Mercury (Hayley’s favorite). “My pride was hard-fought, and I’m happy to have arrived at this chapter in my life,” says Lauren, who’s also a TV personality and fashion entrepreneur. “If there’s a way to make everything I do a bit more gay, I will.” Plus, having both been married before, Lauren and Hayley were eager to challenge conventional ideas around all things weddings. “Someone asked what Hayley was doing for her bachelorette,” explains Lauren, “and I said, ‘What do you…

MAXXING PATTERN Finally, permission to clash. Pair stripes with florals, plaids with paisleys, and dots with everything. There are no rules. UNREAL FUR It’s escaped the coat closet and found its way to stoles, bra tops, and bags. Pile it on until subtlety is impossible. VICTORIAN EXCESS Think ruffles galore, lace everywhere, drama dialed past reasonable—welcome to the era of extreme frills and proportions that refuse to behave. HIGHKEY LOUNGEWEAR Yes, we’re wearing silk sets at the office, robes as real coats, and nightgowns to brunch. And? LITTLER LEATHER JACKETS After years of oversized everything, leather has been shrunken to perfection. A cropped moto is what’s next.…

Age: Zodiac sign: Relationship status: Hometown: Current celebrity crush: First-ever celebrity crush: My friends know I’m in a good mood if I: The reality show I’d absolutely win: Person from I Love LA I text the most: What I stole from the Charli xcx “360” music video set: A pickup line that’s worked for me: A pickup line that’s worked on me: Never have I ever: All-time favorite concert: Person I’d get most starstruck by: Best day of my life: Worst relationship advice: Lots more Quen right this way.…

Last year, I saw an ad on TikTok for Love and Deepspace, a story-based, or otome (“maiden game” in Japanese), dating simulation game. It follows a customizable female main character—aka you, the player—who has lived dozens of lifetimes in a futuristic world full of monsters. The twist? As you try to figure out what’s happened in your many lives, you encounter five guys you’ve had romantic connections with in the past. You go on dinner dates turned steamy encounters, flirt over text messages, and, at one point, even fight battles with these men. Thanks to aggressive marketing on social media and some sexy billboards in hot spots like New York City’s Times Square, the video game, launched in January 2024, has become one of the biggest in the world. Its…

Larissa tilted her head. “You know, the night I met you I thought you were different,” she said. I drew my brows down. “Different how?” “You seemed sort of crabby. You’re not though.” “I did?” “Yeah. Like, you were tired and impatient to just get home. That’s why I went with Mike. I mean, now that I know what was going on, I get it. The stuff with your mom. But you really are different.” I felt my expression fall the tiniest bit. “I wouldn’t have minded driving you home.” “Like you didn’t mind coming today?” She gave me a playful look. “I didn’t mind coming today,” I said honestly. We were making our way around the side of the hospital by the service entrance when something made a noise…

Conan Gray is a heartbreaker—but not in the way you’d expect. The chronically online singer-songwriter, who came of age in front of his over 5 million YouTube subscribers, wants you to join him in his angst. “I wanted to break people’s hearts and force them to go through the breakup with me,” he says of the relationship-ending story behind his fourth album, Wishbone, which is full of tracks about his small-town experiences. His lyrics possess the kind of relatability that makes every fan (and all of his 25 million monthly Spotify listeners) feel like they’re on his Close Friends list. “It was a raw and humbling experience,” he says of the recording process. “I forgot how strange it feels to truly sing about your deepest, darkest intimate moments of life.”…

KJ Micciche’s newest novel has it all—adventure, angst, and an epic romance between writers Melody Adams and Beckett Nash. The two meet on a steamy turned tumultuous week in paradise, only to never speak again until they end up chaotically publishing dueling versions of their story. The mess that ensues has an obvious solution: The pair must reconnect to publicly reveal what really happened on that island. If only it were that easy, especially after Melody reads Beckett’s book for the first time…. Her name was Harmony. She shared the information flippantly, as if it were simply a matter of fact, not a painstakingly chosen word to embody her essence. But her gold-streaked hair gleaming in the endless sunlight spoke a deeper truth. Indeed, from the start I knew she…

As much as Ariana Grande’s public image has been shaped by her otherworldly vocal capabilities, ubiquitous social media presence, and high-profile relationships, it has been just as defined by her ability to evolve. Since she first appeared on the Nickelodeon series Victorious at age 16, she’s been constantly moving on—from a sound, a public scandal, a partner, an aesthetic. In 2017, 23-year-old Ari was progressing past prioritizing other people’s expectations. She was working on Sweetener, her fourth studio album that would later debut at number one on the Billboard 200. “I always put everyone’s feelings before mine,” she said after kindly sending her then-boyfriend, late musician Mac Miller, out of the room. “It can be taxing emotionally and drain the shit out of me. I’ve learned how to balance that…