Should Your Daughter Read Cosmopolitan Magazine?

Jody Morse
If you have a tween or teen, there is a good chance that she may be interested in reading Cosmopolitan. Since Cosmo provides a lot of tips about hairstyle, clothing and celebrity trends, this should not be too big of a surprise to you. In fact, many parents find it alarming when their child is not interested in reading a magazine like Cosmopolitan. As a parent, there is a very important question that you should ask yourself: is my daughter old enough to read Cosmopolitan? Here are some of the things that you should take into consideration when trying to answer this question.

Are You Comfortable With Your Daughter Reading Cosmo?

There are certain issues in Cosmopolitan that many parents may not be comfortable with their daughter reading, such as "How to Have the Ultimate Sex" or "10 Tips to Better Sex." Of course, it is completely understandable for a parent to not want their daughter to read this type of material. At the same time, there is a good chance that your daughter may be able to find this type of information on her own online. When you allow your daughter to read Cosmo, you will at least be able to monitor the material that she is reading instead of her finding her own material. If you really feel too uncomfortable with her reading a certain article in Cosmopolitan, you can always tear it out.

Could Cosmopolitan Be Educational For Your Daughter?

Even though there is a lot of sexual-related content, there are some very educational pieces that come from Cosmo on a monthly basis. Your daughter may learn about the signs and symptoms of yeast infections, how to deal with her menstrual cycle or how to protect herself from date rape. Although there are definitely many pieces in Cosmopolitan magazine that may be inappropriate for younger girls, there are also some very educational pieces in Cosmo as well.

Is Your Daughter Mature Enough to Handle Cosmo?

One of the things that you should be sure to consider is whether or not your daughter is mature enough to handle reading Cosmopolitan. If your daughter still giggles at the words "sex" or "masturbate," then there is a good chance that she is not mature enough to handle Cosmo. Some people would say that once your daughter has gotten her menstrual cycle, she is mature enough to handle reading something like Cosmopolitan. However, this is not always the case. It really does depend on your daughter. There is a good chance that you already know whether or not she is mature enough to handle reading Cosmo.

These are just some of the many things that you may want to take into consideration before determining if you should allow your daughter to read Cosmopolitan magazine. Overall, it is safe to say that you should trust your gut instincts. If you feel that she may still be too young for Cosmo, then there is a good chance that she very well may be.

Published by Jody Morse - Featured Contributor in Health & Wellness

Jody Morse has a B.A. in English from East Stroudsburg University. As a sufferer of endometriosis, she enjoys writing about women's health issues. She has worked as an assistant wedding DJ, and is dabbling i...  View profile

7 Comments

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  • Kristie Leong M.D.11/24/2007

    Excellent article. I do think Cosmo is a bit too oriented towards articles on sex, although they do have some helpful medical information.

  • Dana11/2/2007

    Great topic!

  • Jody11/2/2007

    Thanks for the comments! I agree that it is probably not the best choice for most young girls. Teen Vogue seems like a good one for girls. They also have something called Cosmo Girl which is a younger, more appropriate version of Cosmo.

  • Sophie11/2/2007

    Very good points made! If I was a mother, I would not like a daughter of mine reading Cosmopolitan.
    Sophie

  • Kim Linton11/2/2007

    Excellent points. My 15 year old daughter reads Teen Vogue. So far I haven't seen anything inappropriate in it. Cosmo is not good for young girls (in my opinion). Great article.

  • Lisa Riggs11/1/2007

    Excellent points to consider!

  • Kristina Montefusco11/1/2007

    Good article. I don't think that I would have too much of a problem with my daughter reading Cosmo once she gets to be a teen, but I think that at the very least parents should know that their kids are reading things like this so that they can have the appropriate discussions about topics discussed in the magazine. It could be a good jumping off point for some serious discussion if used correctly. I was never really a fan of the magazine myself. Too much fluff, but I wouldn't ban it from the house or anything.

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