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Today Cosmopolitan Magazine is a best-selling young woman’s magazine that offers tips and advice on beauty, fashion, exercise, relationships and more.  Distributed to over 100 countries in 34 languages, Cosmo Magazine is a giant in the world of women’s periodicals.

However, Cosmopolitan did not attain its iconic status overnight.  You actually have to all the way back to 1886 to find the humble beginnings of what was then known as “The Cosmopolitan,” launched by publisher Schlicht & Field as a “first-class family magazine.” In its first year, Cosmo had a circulation of 25,000.  After being acquired by John Walked in 1889, by 1892 the magazine expanded had its circulation to 75,000 readers.  Then in 1905 William Randolph Hearst purchased the magazine for $400,000 and expanded the magazine to cover a series of investigative articles.

During the 30’s, 40’s, and 50’s Cosmopolitan was primarily featured fiction with short stories and special features being the focal point of most issues.  At that time circulation was as high as 2,000,000+ with its peak sales during World War II.  After the war circulation began to drop to just over a million as magazines were losing market share to paperback novels and the television.

Cosmopolitan magazine subscriptions and sales continued to decline for another decade until the arrival of Helen Gurley Brown in 1965 as chief editor.  The magazine was renamed “New Cosmopolitan” from “The Cosmopolitan” and then became today’s “Cosmopolitan” in 1967.  It was shortly thereafter in the early 1970’s that Cosmo Magazine (as many call it today) rebranded and became a women’s magazine.  It was at this time that the magazine covers began to feature women in low cut dresses or bikinis on the cover as well as publishing risqué articles about sexual issues. During this transition the magazine drew heavy criticism, particularly when it ran a near-nude centerfold of actor Burt Reynolds in April of 1974.

In recent decades Cosmopolitan Magazine has continued to spark controversy and stay in the forefront of pop culture.  Many major retailers cover up the magazine at checkout stands because of complaints about sexually explicit headlines and suggestive photos on the cover.  However what many do not realize is that the publication has a rich history spanning over 125 years through which it has catered to many demographics beyond just young women.