It’s Time to Set Helen Right

Robin Abcarian has finally given the Cosmopolitan magazine image and its creator Helen Gurley Brown the realistic critical analysis they deserve (“May the Idea of ‘Having It All’ Be Retired Too,” Feb. 5).

Cosmopolitan creates a standard of “successful” womanhood that is impossible for us to achieve. According to the magazine, all women should be unbelievably thin, impeccably groomed at all times, flattered by sexual harassment and ridiculously selfless lovers. (I thought learning football to impress a man went out decades ago.)

Cosmo is all about what we are not, but could be if we’d only take its sketchy and ill-founded advice seriously. As a feminist and young woman, I can’t support the insidious messages of mental and emotional deprivation hidden behind the plunging necklines and perfect teeth of the Cosmo girl.

LAURA BRAMSON

Los Angeles