Cosmo's Orgasm

I love that you made the connection between Tuana's article and Cosmopolitan magazine! After reading her article, I immediately thought about my own knowledge regarding female genitalia; what I learned from sex education and the vastly more important information that I learned from cosmopolitan Magazine. It seems silly to think of a magazine like cosmo as significant or relevant, but in some ways it is. They promote exploration into women's sexuality and sexual pleasure; it's shown as, not something to be ashamed of or hidden, but as something adventurous, complicated and valuable. Lets face it, women are seemingly more complicated than men; even just the structure of our clitoris is more complex than the whole of male genitalia. In many articles, Cosmopolitan tells women to explore that complexity and ways in which to do so. Without that magazine, I don't think I'd even know what a 'g-spot' is and I'm not going to lie, that'd be pretty sad. In regards to how "Cosmo" came up with the idea to create a magazine centered around female sexuality, I have no idea but I absolutely believe that it is the result of women like Tuana, who have made it their life to contest the constructed ignorance that has historically engulfed female sexuality. Some may call the feminist outlook 'antagonistic' but to me, it seems more like a constant inquiry; without which, the clitoris might still be seen as a 'nub'.

Yeah, I agree, I really like the connection you made with the article in class and Cosmopolitian. I think that a lot of women learn about their genitalia/sex organs through magazines like Cosmopolitian, etc. On the cover of these magazines, it's always some headline about sex, and I know that's why a lot of my friends buy the magazine, and sometimes, I'm even intrigued. I think the vagina has become a selling point for a lot of corporations and companies because it feels like a majority of women have a hunger or an urge to know more about their vaginas and how they work. Also, we still have a lot of places to grow as far as women having orgasms; especially because there's a high part of women who cannot orgasm, and I think for that reason alone, magazines like Cosmo do well.

But, also, along with women wanting to know more about their vaginas, advertising on the front of these magazines puts pressure on women to "satisfy" their men more, so while I think some of this thirst to know about the vagina is for self knowledge, I do think there's pressure from society for women to use their vaginas to satisfy their boyfriends/husbands. Afterall, alot of the titles of the articles are usually something along the line of "How to please your man," etc.

I am so happy that you brought this up. I too am an avid reader of cosmo and of course always read about the newest sex tricks that they bring to our attention. In no way would this article even exist if females weren’t as able to experience pleasure in sex. I agree in some ways it may be harder, leading to a misconception that maybe the orgasm doesn’t happen, but that’s why we have magazines like cosmo. To lead us down the path that will maximize our pleasure so we can be sure to know that the sole purpose of sex is not simply reproduction. This also made me start thinking of other articles and advertisements that focus only on women’s pleasure and have nothing to do with reproduction. One example of this is the new KY cooling gels. This is supposed to intensify satisfaction in bed for both men and women. Of course there would be no need for this product, nor would it sell, if women were unable to experience any sexual pleasure. Another shining example of how sex is much more than an act of simply reproducing is the fact that birth control is in existence, and so abundantly used by women. Sure, some women use it to help out with menstruation pain, but in all honesty it is because a lot of girls our age are sexually active, but just aren’t ready to start a family. The fact that birth control is used by so many women, and they are of all ages, we know that sex is not just a means for reproducing. Contraceptives were invented in fact to stop it from happening. Thus, why would women have sex if there was no pleasure involved? If we are taking a pill to avoid passing on our genes there must be some reason why we still want to be involved with the opposite sex, and what reason could there be besides pleasure? Thus, the “cosmo orgasm” along with birth control gives us strong evidentiary support that sex is much more than just “an act of reproduction”.

I also really like that you incorporated Cosmo into the Tuana discussion. I feel that Cosmo does bring to light some "mysteries" of the female orgasm and vagina in general. As discussed in Tuana'a article, women were only meant to see sex solely for the purpose of reproduction, not for the enjoyment of a physical experience with another person. I feel that women were at odds with their sexuality during these times, and the orgasm were something to be seen as shameful, or "not necessary." I think Cosmo helps women today accept their sexuality in a way, and make some women not feel so ignorant about their bodies. Although, I also agree with Ashley F's, comment about the pressure put upon us from such articles on how to "please our man." In this regard, it seems that the female orgasm is something that is only needed to make our mate feel special, and not solely for our own pleasure. I think the female orgasm is still a big debate today in our society, although I do feel it is more widely recognized as something that a woman can enjoy, for her own pleasure.

In response to your question, I don't think Cosmo would be around today if it wasn't for the women that came out about the female orgasm and how it reflects female sexuality as a whole. I'm glad we live in a society now that not only accepts female orgasms (to a certain extent) but tries to understand them as well. Not to say though, that there isn't much more that needs to be learned.