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15 years of fun & fearlessness | Philstar.com
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Fashion and Beauty

15 years of fun & fearlessness

CRAZY QUILT - Tanya T. Lara -

In January 1997, newly appointed Cosmopolitan Philippines editor Myrza Sison traveled to New York to train with the Hearst Magazines team and international editions editor in chief Helen Gurley Brown.

“I almost froze to death,” Myrza says. “I had a fever and my nose bled while I was in the Hearst office. How embarrassing! It was an intensive four days spent with Cosmo founder and editor Helen Gurley Brown, Hearst Magazines editorial director Kim St. Clair Bodden and her deputy Astrid Bertoncini, as well as Bonnie Fuller, who had just been appointed editor in chief of the US edition. They made sure I mastered Cosmo’s philosophy, brand values, tenets and mission. We went through tons of international editions and planned our premiere and the next few issues.”

Myrza saw how a staff of 50 put together the US edition.

She just had one problem: back in Manila, she had a staff of three.

When Summit Media launched the maiden issue of Cosmopolitan Philippines and up until the first few issues, it was just Myrza, features editor Noelle de Jesus Chua, and art director Manuel Roma, Jr. Myrza was multi-tasking as managing editor as well as fashion and beauty editor, booking and styling the shoots with the help of her friends in the industry.

In the years that followed, Cosmo alumni have themselves become the most sought-after people in the magazine industry: Noelle, Maya Calica, Tara FT Sering, Andrea Pasion-Flores, Ianne Sison-Evangelista, Zo Aguila, Ria Limjap, Pia Rojas, Donna Cuna Pita, and Maggie Adan.

Last month, Cosmo Philippines turned 15, with Anne Curtis on the cover for the record sixth time.

Myrza looks back at the past 15 years of Cosmo Girls, how she became fun and fearless herself, and also how people and perceptions have changed — about sexuality, reproductive health and how Cosmo Hunks have gone from manly man to “boyish mold.”

Excerpts:

PHILIPPINE STAR: Who was the first Cosmo cover girl and how did you choose her?

Celebrating 15 years with cover girls and Cosmo Hunks: Myrza Sison with host and former Cosmo cover girl Joey Mead and six-time Cosmo cover girl and Fun Fearless Female 2012 Anne Curtis.

Cosmo’s premiere issue cover girl was French supermodel Laetitia Casta (May 1997), but the first Pinay cover girl was Donita Rose (October 1999). It was the height of her fame as an MTV Asia VJ based in Singapore, just after she landed the (famous bubblegum-blowing) Time cover. She was 24, internationally famous, successful, popular, talented, and living an exciting, fulfilling life — the unanimous choice for Cosmo’s first Pinay cover girl.

Top international photographer Russel Wong shot the cover, where Donita wore an acid green Hervé Léger bandage dress. The whole shoot was done in Singapore but coordinated from here. Russel, whom I had worked with a lot there as a model in the early ’90s, assembled a topnotch team of stylists and worked according to my specs, then he sent the transparencies (it was BD — Before Digital!) over. The first Pinay Cosmo cover shot here was that of Angel Aquino, (December 1999). Neal Oshima shot the cover, Jing Monis did the hair and makeup, and Angel wore a Rhett Eala champagne satin nightgown dress.

How did you get to be Cosmo editor?

From 1995 to 1996 I was the fashion editor of Preview, the first title of Summit Media. In 1996, representatives from Hearst Magazines International were scouting around for a local partner so they could launch Cosmo in the Philippines. They picked Summit Media, and one day, out of the blue, my boss Lisa Gokongwei asked me, “Would you like to be the editor of Cosmo?” and I said, “Er, sure!” But it didn’t end there, of course. It wasn’t that easy. I still had to go through a series of interviews with Hearst. I still remember being asked, “You don’t look like a Cosmo Girl to me (I had very short hair and wore nothing but deconstructed and androgynous black and white at the time), what makes you think you can edit Cosmo?”

What kind of relationship did you have with Helen Gurley Brown through the years?

The kind you cherish and treasure. Helen had a very personal and nurturing way of imparting her knowledge and experience and treated you as a dear friend. As editor in chief for international editions, she wrote each editor (at the time there were already about 45 editions) a monthly letter personally typed by herself with equal parts praise and constructive criticism. I still have all her letters! She remembered the most touching details about you. I remember the time when my father had prostate cancer and went to New York — Helen arranged for him to meet prostate cancer survivor Michael Korda, a dear friend of hers. She also met my parents in her Hearst office just to see how they were doing. During succeeding encounters with her at international editors’ conferences, she would always ask me how my father was. She was very sweet that way, but obviously she could be very tough and feisty, too, or else Cosmo would never have revolutionized the world thanks to her drive and persistence!

How has the Cosmo Girl changed in general, and in particular the Filipino Girl?

Myrza’s Cosmo mentor comes to Manila for the launch in 1997: Myrza and Helen Gurley Brown, then 75: “As editor in chief for international editions, Helen wrote each editor a monthly letter personally typed by herself with equal parts praise and constructive criticism.”

Fifteen years ago, our mission at Cosmo was to coax the Pinay’s inner fun, fearless, feisty goddess out of her meek manang shell. Surprisingly, the tail-end of the 1990s was still a time when women spoke in hushed tones about then-taboo topics like sex, reproductive health, and even selflessly going after what they wanted in life. Even getting the Pinay to tweeze her virgin brows into a flattering shape, or getting her out of her white shirt-and-pearls uniform was a challenge. Many were still afraid to be themselves, or worse, different — and still too shy to express what they thought and felt without fear. The Pinay lived life not always on her own terms, but according to her parents’ or boyfriends.’ “But what will people say?” seemed to be her most bothersome battlecry.

A decade and a half later, the Pinay Cosmo Girl of today is a confident, savvy, go-getting, dream-chasing, sexy, opinionated fashionista who’s not afraid to speak her mind, or even be an individual. She’s open-minded and receptive to all kinds of views and attitudes. She knows there’s nothing in life that she cannot do or achieve. Maybe it’s a generational thing, but I’d like to think Cosmo had something to do with it!

What were the challenges the magazine faced 15 years ago? What are the challenges it is facing now?

Back then, the Internet, Facebook and Twitter were not yet a part of the Cosmo Girl’s every waking moment the way it is now, and as I mentioned, certain topics that mattered to women such as sex, sexuality and reproductive health were still taboo, and not easily accessible or discussed openly the way they are today. 

Before we launched, I have to admit we were slightly worried about a potential uproar over the entry of such a controversial title into the market. I’d imagine fanatics rallying outside our office, lobbing grenades at me for being the scourge of sin. But no such mass outcry happened. Instead, Cosmo was a resounding success and immediately became the No.1 selling women’s magazine in the country, because it filled a demand and its content resonated with the needs of thousands of Filipino women.

These challenges proved to be opportunities. By addressing The Filipina’s concerns, Cosmo became her indispensable handbook on life, empowering her with the information and confidence she needed to live the best kind of life she could, month after month. Cosmo was groundbreaking in the way it acted as a catalyst for change, inspiring and encouraging women to pursue their passions in all aspects of their lives, whether professional, emotional or physical.

Her exposure to all forms of media today has also made her more attuned to trends and what’s going on around her at any given time, and being plugged in to the world 24/7 means she’s also more fashionable, more beauty-conscious, more conscious about the image she presents to the world and more demanding as a consumer. She wants to be Facebook-photographable at all times. She wants to be the first one to be in the know — at the drop of a hat. Her new kind of “Facebook life” brings with it a totally new set of social and societal, and even financial pressures. Today’s Cosmo makes sure it rises up to the challenge of meeting these rapidly changing needs as well as still effectively tackling issues and concerns that have remained timeless through the years — such as love, relationships and heartbreak, her emotions and self-esteem, or being the best you can be despite new circumstances.

Hunks, 10 years apart: Rafael Rosell in 2001 and Hideo Muraoka in 2011.

Are the stories and women’s concerns now very different from then? How relevant is Cosmo today?

Maybe the circumstances and situations the Pinay faces are changing, but the basic areas of concern are the same. As long as women have the desire to have successful careers and financial stability, great relationships and fulfilling romantic and sex lives; look their best and feel great, and lead the best kind of fun and exciting life possible, Cosmo will always be relevant to their lives. Pardon the cheese, but as the song goes, “no matter what the future brings…the fundamental things apply as time goes by.”

How does it differentiate itself from other women’s magazines?

Others have certainly tried to imitate — but no one can really duplicate — the Cosmo brand DNA and special place in the Filipina’s life, because only Cosmo has that unique and intimate relationship with its readers, with frank, friendly and tells-it-like-it-is, feel-good, practical advice that helps her stand out, succeed, and more importantly, lead a happy, exciting life. No other women’s magazine connects with its readers more or offers a higher level of engagement permeating all the aspects of a woman’s life, through groundbreaking articles that delve deep into her mind, heart and psyche. When it comes to beauty and fashion looks, Cosmo’s take is definitely more wearable, achievable and practical for the reader’s life. No over-the-top fantasy looks here! While there’s a built-in reality check, tough, these pages aren’t any less gorgeous or exciting.

To its readers, Cosmo is much more than their favorite magazine, it’s a way of life. Saying “That’s so Cosmo!” about something — whether it’s an outfit, a hairstyle, a dating scenario or even career move — paints a very telling, clear, and distinct picture more than saying the same kind of thing for any other magazine.

How have you changed in the years between the first editorship and now?

In the eight years that I edited Cosmo, I was also doing some self-discovery and growing up myself. I was transitioning from my carefree 20s into my 30s, ending my modeling career and building another one as a magazine editor, and working on my own emotional and relationship issues.

I was 29 when I started Cosmo, eager to help the modern young Filipina come into her own at a time when women were still very much conflicted about pleasing themselves and pleasing others. In my last Cosmo editor’s letter in June 2005, I told the readers, “Guess what? In all our time together, I learned more about myself from learning from you. In my very own life, I found the courage to find my freedom, leave my comfort zone and make major life changes so I could be as happy as I truly deserved to be. In my quest to help you all of you become one, surprise — I became a fun, fearless female myself.”  

Lots of things have changed in my life after six years of being away from Cosmo — after an enjoyable and fulfilling period of singlehood, I got married two years ago. I also headed three more Summit publications (Marie Claire, Spot.ph and Femalenetwork.com), traveled to many countries and met lots of very interesting people all over the world.  I learned many new things along the way that I’m raring to share with the readers — even more “secrets” and discoveries about love and life, and Cosmo is the perfect venue for this at just the right time!

How has the Filipino man changed in the past 15 years? And the Cosmo hunks?

Compared to a decade and a half ago, it does seem that Pinoy men have become more enlightened, open-minded and more progressive in their thinking and attitude towards women and relationships. But overall, old habits, stereotypes and traditional thinking may still die hard and can potentially be a source of relationship conflict. Fortunately, today’s Pinay has become more assertive when it comes to getting the kind of love she needs and wants.

As for the Cosmo hunks, of course I can’t help but get nostalgic about the early days of Cosmo that saw the emergence of, pardon me, Cosmo Alpha-Hunks of Burning Love such as Derek Ramsey, Jon Hall, Marc Nelson (all featured in Cosmo’s May 2012 issue in “Cosmo’s Hottest Hunks Ever” ), and Christian Vazquez. They were certainly as manly as manly got! Today’s hunks seem to follow a more boyish mold, with the likes of Aljur Abrenica, Paulo Avelino, and Enrique Gil, and Brapanese sensations like Hideo Muraoka and Fabio Ide. But you can never tell what sort of Cosmo hunkiness will emerge anew!

What is the biggest women’s issue that gets the most reaction from women, or one that is demanded by them?

The biggest demand we get from our forums in Cosmo.ph is for information on contraception and reproductive health. As for requests of readers e-mailed to us, we get a lot of appreciative letters and positive feedback for our articles on career and money. These are very good indicators indeed about how Pinays are taking charge of their lives and charting their own destinies instead of leaving things to chance or just waiting to be “rescued!”

There’s sort of a bad rep about women’s magazines...how they make women feel bad about themselves, how does Cosmo address this?

Cosmo’s attitude, voice and tone are always positive, encouraging, and uplifting, never patronizing, condescending or pedantic. Cosmo’s feel-good, “Go for it!” and “Live big!” spirit permeates every page, from the text to the visuals. Cosmo wants every reader to love the skin she’s in, appreciate, celebrate and revel in her body and her curves rather than feel inferior or excluded from some impossible, stylized ideal. Cosmo also constantly celebrates the fun and fearless side of women, their achievements and accomplishments and their ability to inspire their Cosmo sisters to follow suit. All these can certainly make it very difficult to feel bad after reading every issue on a monthly basis!

COSMO

EDITOR

LIFE

MDASH

PINAY

WOMEN

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