TO

THE

Ferreira
YES YOU
C A N H AV E era
L E FA N C Y
THINGS
WITHOUT
GO ING I NTO
DEBT
PA G E 3 2

Our
definitive
THE
guıde

doing ıt
BEAUTY
to
TRUTHS
ALL BLACK
WOMEN
*
KNOW—
AND EVERY
WOMAN
for the
SHOULD
first tıme
*Voting.
We
How mean
to voting.
haunt
your
ex
(ASTRO-
LOGY =
THE BEST
REVENGE)
OL
OLAY

“I’m your equal, not a quota.”

MAXIMIZE, DON’T MINIMIZE ME.

I am Joy Buolamwini.
Poet. Advocate. AI Researcher.
“I define me, not you.”
MAXIMIZE, DON’T MINIMIZE ME.

I am Hunter McGrady.
Designer. Model. Body Positive Advocate.
 “I’m the solution, not the exception.”
MAXIMIZE, DON’T MINIMIZE ME.

I am Jennifer Hudson.
Actor. Singer. Change Maker.

These ads have no skin retouching. At all.

That’s our Olay Skin promise. Learn more at Olay.com
 MAXIMIZE,
DON’T MINIMIZE US.
W E A R E T H E W O M E N W H O P U S H O U R S E LV E S T O T H E M A X .
W E FA C E T H E L A B E L S . T H E O D D S .
AND DEFY THEM.

W E FA C E T O DAY, F O R A B E T T E R T O M O R R O W.
BECAUSE TOGE THER, WE ARE THE CHANGE .
T O G E T H E R , W E C A N FA C E A N Y T H I N G .
esteelauder.com
© 2020 Estée Lauder Inc.

Wear Confidence
Double Wear Makeup
Natural matte finish. 24-hour wear.

#1 Foundation in the U.S.*

Double Wear brings your skin to life.
We go beyond the match. Our shades
flatter the skin with a beautiful
balance of skin color and undertone
for the most natural flawless look.
24-hour color true.
Won’t look grey on deeper skintones.
Transfer-resistant. Waterproof.

:V\YJL! ;OL57+.YV\W<:7YLZ[PNL)LH\[` ;V[HS4LHZ\YLK4HYRL[
4HRL\W<UP[:HSLZTVU[OZLUKPUN1\S`
 t h i r s t y.
nov on the cover

BARBIE FERREIRA
PH5 top and skirt. Leda
re Madera earrings. Ariana
o u’
Boussard-Reifel ring.
y
d suddenly

Photograph by Peggy Sirota.

Fashion direction by Cassie

Anderson. Styled by Chris Horan.
Hair: Ken Paves using STYLD by
An

Ken Paves. Makeup: Kali

Kennedy at Forward Artists using
Becca Cosmetics. Manicure:
Queenie Nguyen at Nailing
Hollywood for MiniLuxe. Props:
Danielle Von Braun for Art
Department. To get Barbie’s look,
try Sunlit Bronzer in Capri Coast,
Shimmering Skin Perfector
Pressed Highlighter in
Champagne Pop, Ultimate
Lipstick Love in Bare, Ultimate
Coverage 24 Hour Foundation in
Cashmere 1n3, and Mineral
Blush in Flowerchild, all
by Becca Cosmetics.

cover
stories

32
Yes, you can have le
fancy things without
going into debt
THE BEAUTY TRUTHS
60
How to haunt your ex ALL BL ACK WOMEN
K N O W—A N D E V E R Y
72
WOMAN SHOULD
Welcome to the
Barbie Ferreira era

80
Our definitive A D R I E N N E R A Q U E L . F O R S H O P P I N G I N F O R M AT I O N , G O TO C O S M O P O L I TA N .C O M .

guide to doing it—

aka voting—for the
first time

inside

12 you first
18 celeb
26 fashion
36 beauty
48 life
60 astrology
66 lust
72 features

4 C o s m o p o lit a n N o v e m b e r 2020
 A CAPSULE
A DAY FADES
DARK SPOTS
AWAY.
20% Pure Vitamin C Serum.
High concentration. Proven results.

1 WEEK
for smoother, brighter skin.

4 WEEKS
visibly reduces the look
of dark spots.

#1 dermatologist recommended brand

© J&JCI 2020
 4.
es on page 5
Our

November

recip
he
issue by the

gt
rin
pi
ns
numbers 3 win t ha
n go
v er
s ,i

What it took to make this mag.

By SAM FEHER

8
TRICHOLOGIST
( TR A NSL ATI O N:
HAIR SPECIALIST)
WITH ADVICE stress-induced
FOR GROWING breakouts
(see page 36).
YO U RS O U T.

hours sp ent on
Zo om st yling
this be autif ul
38
ro ad-trip sho ot
from a NYC THE NUMBER
ap ar tment 2,746 OF ITEMS
miles a wa y. B r o c k Co l l e c t i o n d re s s.
Ro c h as p l a t f o r ms. IN OUR MERCH
L ar k sp ur & H a w k e a r rin gs.
L A U N C H ( ! ! ! ),
aka the number
of totes (like this
14 e x i s t e n t i a l - c r i s i s - r e l a t e d p h o n e c a l l s w i t h M o m . one, $28), tees,
puzzles, and
accessories you
didn’t even know

1
you couldn’t live
+ :
without, now
C H A R LOT T E L AW R E N C E: E R I C R AY DAV I D S O N . H A I R G R O W T H , P I N K P H O N E: G E T T Y
available at Shop
visit with a
.Cosmopolitan.com.
10 PS L-
I M A G E S . S I M P S O N S : A L A MY. B E A K E R S: A A R O N D U R A L L . TA C O : S TO C K S Y.

relationship 31 H O R R I B L E
psychic
FOR MER BOSSES,
fueled (ya know,
b ef ore we W H O W E H AV E T O
late editing discovere d
THANK FOR BOTH
Saturn on
ni g h t s. page 64). OUR EMOTIONAL
BAGGAGE
AND THE STORY

25
O N PAG E 58 .
Gilmore Girls f ans, 13 of
w hom ha ve se en the series
more than once. S o, ye ah,
we know our shit (p age 18). 6 h o r r e n d o us hi k i n g d a t e s.

6 C o s m o p o lit a n N o v e m b e r 2020
 SLEEK & SHINE
KEEP HAIR S
LEEK .
EVEN IN
97% HUMIDITY*

TIRED OF FRIZZY,
UNRULY HAIR?
DISCOVER SLEEK & SHINE
WITH MOROCCAN ARGAN OIL
FOR SLEEK THAT LASTS UP TO 3 DAYS*.
FROM AMERICA’S #1 SMOOTHING BRAND!**

GARNIERUSA.COM ©2020 GARNIER LLC. *SYSTEM OF SHAMPOO, CONDITIONER, AND LEAVE IN CREAM. **BASED ON NIELSEN SALES DATA, UNITS SOLD, HAIRCARE, YTD 5/9/20.
 With notes from editor-in-
chief Jessica Pels

Ed letter
Say hello to Mia Lardiere, the
evil genius behind our TikTok
and Snapchat channels. Here’s
what a day in her very busy,
sometimes weird, always
delightful work life looks like
(minus the part where she’s
Page 6
slowly killing her houseplants). for deets!

4 :15 P. M .
WELCOME
ICYMI, we make
EGE
merch now! I lobby TO COLL
for us to create a 2.0
“Voting Turns Me
On” T-shirt because
6 A.M. Cr a s hin g M i a’s
exercising your
day via Zoom Just gonna
I’m out on a (masked) constitutional right
is m y f a v o r it e
solo run. I miss my say it: School
p a s t im e. has huge sex appeal.
run crew so much sorta sucks
that I decide to race 5 P. M . right now.
a toddler. I show 12 : 4 5 P. M . Which is
My favorite part of
them no mercy. We’re prepping to why we’ve
running our TikTok is
launch new Insta launched
responding to com-
9:30 A . M .
Story filters by our Extra
ments. I definitely
Assembling a daily talented motion Curricular:
also creep on side
Snapchat Discover designer Katie a semester’s
conversations and
edition is like mak- Czerwinski. You can worth of vir-
sometimes clap back.
ing a mini magazine (and should) find tual classes
It’s called “engage-
every morning. For them on the filters tab that’ll teach
ment,” folks.
tomorrow’s Story, of our Insta page. you what you
I write up celebrity *actually*
news for my design- 2 :15 P. M . need (how
A particular highlight: that to find the
ers to animate. I’m editing next time someone said they lost
week’s Sentence their phone charger and
job, land it,
’Scopes for Snapchat, you asked if they’d tried a not hate it,
written by astrolo-
potato and wires. etc.), taught
Y’all, this is a ton of work!!
Mia and her team make it seem ger Jake Register. by super-legit
easy, but they hustle hard to get You can catch these big-name
6 :15 P. M .
this done every day.
tiny daily horoscopes people,
I schedule tomorrow’s and it’ll cost
on our channel from
Snapchat edition to you…noth-
Monday through
11 A . M . go live at 5 a.m., ing. Weekly
Friday.
and that’s the day. classes start
On TikTok, our goal
My all-time favorite TikTok. Now I can move on October 13.
When Mia sent it to me, I is to be educational I live by these,
not gonna lie. to leisure activities, Sign up now
did a literal spit take. and funny. Today,
such as scrolling at Extra
Pls go watch it. that means a guide
through TikTok for CurricularBy
to budget-friendly
3 : 4 5 P. M . three more hours. Cosmo.com.
vibrators and a
prank (go ahead and I take a work call out-
search our page for side. I overdress and
“pen pal babies”). overheat 20 minutes
into the conversation.
Luckily, the person I’m Mia Lardiere
S n ap c h a t Edit o r
talking to can’t see @M iaL ardie re
my pit stains.

8 C o s m o p o lit a n N o v e m b e r 2020
 TODAY’S FORECAST:
100% CHANCE OF
HYDRATED SKIN.
Clinically proven to lock in hydration
with Hyaluronic Acid.
Skin so supple and hydrated,
it bounces back.

© J&JCI 2019
 Editor-in- Chief SVP/Publishing Director, Chief Revenue Officer
JESSICA PELS NANCY BERGER
CRE ATIVE D I REC TO R Andy Turnbull ASSO CI AT E PU B L ISH ER/CRO Leslie Picard
E X ECU T IVE ED I TO R Sascha de Gersdorff ASSO CIAT E PU BLISH ER/ADVERTISI N G Stacy Nathan
D EPU T Y ED ITO RS Rosa Heyman, Jen Ortiz ASSO CI AT E PU B L ISH ER/H E A D O F B R A N D
CH I EF VISUA L- CO NT ENT D I REC TO R ST R AT EGY A N D M A RK E TI N G Jo Bray
Alix Campbell E XECU TIVE FI N A N CI A L D I REC TO R Kathy Riess
FASH I O N D I REC TO R Cassie Anderson G RO U P M A RK E TI N G D I REC TO RS
B E AU T Y D I REC TO R Julee Wilson Marnie Braverman, Marianne Civiletto
ENT ERTA I N M ENT D I REC TO R Maxwell Losgar
D ESI G N D I REC TO R Jose Fernandez INTEGR ATED ADVERTISING SALES
FE AT U RES D I REC TO R Andrea Stanley E XECU TIVE D I REC TO RS
Margot Becker Giblin, Andrea Foster
FEATURES ACCO U NT D I REC TO RS Marissa Perri,
D EPU T Y L I FEST YL E D I REC TO R Ashley Oerman Nicole Shuldiner, Julia Whalen
D EPU T Y A RT I C L ES D I REC TO R E XECU TIVE D I REC TO R, WEST COAST Jee Ahn
Madeleine Frank Reeves M I DWEST M A N AG ERS
O P- ED ED ITO R Jessica Goodman Hope Agase, Annie Molenda
SEN I O R N EWS ED ITO R Alexandra Whittaker ACCO U NT M A N AG ER Alexis Herder
FE AT U RES ED ITO R Elizabeth Kiefer D I REC T RESPO NSE ACCO U NT M A NAG ER
SEN I O R FASH I O N ED ITO R Rachel Torgerson Dawn Franco
SEN I O R AST RO LO GY ED ITO R Erika W. Smith ADVERTISI N G SERVI CES D I REC TO R
SE X & REL ATI O NSH I PS ED ITO R Carina Hsieh Peter Farrell
SH O PPI N G ED ITO R Alexis Bennett A DVERTISI N G FI N A N CE D I REC TO R
ASSO CI AT E ENT ERTA I N M ENT ED ITO R Emma Baty Elizabeth Bloom
ASSO CIAT E FASH I O N ED ITO R Lauren Adhav E XECU TIVE ASSISTA NT TO
ASSISTA NT ED ITO R Taylor Andrews SVP/PU B L ISH I N G D I REC TO R
N EWS WRIT ER Shannon Barbour Taylor Martin
SO CI A L M ED I A ED ITO R Patricia Camerota ADVERTISI N G CO O RD I NATO R
ED ITO RI A L ASSISTA NT Starr Bowenbank Flannery Wilson
ASSISTA NTS Hannah Cianci,
D EPU T Y M A N AG I N G ED ITO R Christopher Dean Jenna Herzberg, Eleanor O’Meara,
ED ITO RI A L BUSI N ESS CO O RD I N ATO R Caryn Kanare RESE A RCH M A N AG ER
ASSISTA NT TO TH E ED ITO R- I N - CH I EF Samantha Feher Emma Chapman
ED ITO RIA L BUSI N ESS ASSISTANT Mariah Schlossmann CBS CO O RD I N ATO R Tyron
Turner-McCullough
FASH I O N
ACCESSO RI ES D I REC TO R Kathy Lee INTEGR ATED M ARKETING
SEN I O R M A RK E T ED ITO R Hannah Deely E X ECU T IVE D I REC TO RS, M A RK E T I N G
FASH I O N ED ITO RS Kia Goosby, Ann Wang, Melissa Macaleer, Sara Schroeter
Andrea Zendejas D I REC TO RS Ariel Kaye, Courtney Turnbull
A S S O C I AT E E D I TO R S Rachel Bogo, Danielle Flum ASSO CI AT E D I REC TO RS
ASSISTA NTS Eunice Bruno, Carly Theder Colleen D’Anna, Meaghan Marks
SEN I O R M A NAG ER Rhyan Kelly
BEAUTY ASSO CI AT E M AN AG ER Kelly Zindel
D EPU T Y B E AU T Y D I REC TO RS
Lauren Balsamo, Chloe Metzger MARKETING AND SPECIAL PROJECTS
B E AU T Y ED I TO R Ruby Buddemeyer D I REC TO R Kelly Roma
B E AU T Y ASSIS TA N T Ama Kwarteng
ART
ART CRE ATIVE D I REC TO R Lulu Zeitouneh
A RT D I R E C TO R Mary Fama A RT D I REC TO R Paula Prado
D ESI G N ER Kara Miller
D I G ITA L- I M AG I N G SPECI A L IST PRODUCTION
Jairo Corleto O PER ATI O NS ACCO U NT M A N AG ER
Lynn Scaglione
DIGITAL CREATIVE
CRE ATIVE D I REC TO R Abigail Silverman CIRCUL ATION
ASSO CI AT E A RT D I REC TO R VP, STR ATEGY AN D BUSIN ESS
Katie Buckleitner M A N AG EM ENT Rick Day
SEN I O R VISUA L S ED ITO R
Raydene Salinas Hansen PUBLISHED BY HEARST
MOTI O N G R A PH I C D ESI G N ER PRESI D ENT & CH I EF E XECU TIVE O FFI CER
John Francis Steven R. Swartz
PH OTO G R A PH ER/ASSO CI AT E CH A I R M A N William R. Hearst III
CRE ATIVE PRO D U CER E X ECU T IVE VI CE CH A I R M A N
Ruben Chamorro Frank A. Bennack, Jr.
CH I EF O PER ATI N G O FFI CER
HEARST VISUAL GROUP Mark E. Aldam
E XECU TIVE VISUA L D I REC TO R
n.

Fabienne Le Roux HEARST MAGAZINE MEDIA, INC.

je ans se aso

VISUA L D I REC TO R Kristin Giametta AC TI N G PRESI D ENT, H E A RST M AGA ZI N ES G RO U P,

D EPU T Y VISUA L ED ITO R A N D T RE ASU RER Debi Chirichella
Brenda Armendariz CH I EF CO NT ENT O FFI CER Kate Lewis
SEN I O R VISUA L ED ITO RS CH I EF BUSI N ESS O FFI CER
Jenna Andrews, Amy Wong Kristen M. O’Hara
ASSISTA NT VISUA L ED ITO R SECRE TARY
ly

Jillian Sellers Catherine A. Bostron

al

VISUA L PRO D U C TI O N CO O RD I N ATO R fin

t ’s

Hannah Kaplan PU B L ISH I N G CO NSU LTA NTS Gilbert C. Maurer, Mark F. Miller
at i

VIDEO SVP/ED ITO RI A L D I REC TO R Kim St. Clair Bodden

h
lt

SU PERVISI N G PRO D U CER Abbey Adkison u TB

PRO D U CER Liesl Lar ef H, INTERNATIONAL EDITIONS
just grat
ASSO CI AT E PRO D U CER Meghan Allen BU LGA RI A , CH I N A , CROAT I A , CZECH REPU B L I C,
D I REC TO R O F PH OTO G R A PHY Janet Upadhye FR A N CE, G ER M A NY, H O N G KO N G, H U N GA RY,
POST PRO D U C TI O N SU PERVISO R Heather Weyrick I N D I A , I N D O N ESI A , I TA LY, K A Z A K H S TA N, KO RE A ,
ED ITO R Desi Sulca L ATI N A M ERI CA , M E XI CO, M I D D L E E AST, N E TH ERL A N DS,
ROM A N I A , RUSSI A , SERB I A , SLOVEN I A , SPA I N,
SNAPCHAT SRI L A N K A , U K R A I N E, U N IT ED K I N G D OM
SN A P CH AT ED ITO R Mia Lardiere
ASSO CI AT E ED ITO R Sarah Weldon CUSTOM ER SERVICE CALL: 80 0 - 888 -2676; EM AI L: COSCUSTSERV@
SEN I O R D ESI GN ER Rachel Johnson CDSFU L FI LL M ENT.COM; VISIT: SERVI CE.COSMO PO L ITAN.COM;
MOTI O N D ESI G N ER Katie Czerwinski WRITE: CUSTOM ER SERVI CE D EPA RTM ENT, COSMO PO L ITA N,
PRO D U C TI O N ASSISTA NT Venezia Moorer P.O. BOX 60 0 0, H A RL A N, I A 51593.
NEW SUBSCRIP TIONS VISIT: SU BSCRI B E.COSMO PO L ITAN.COM .
COPY AND RESEARCH ADVERTISING VISIT: COSMOM ED I A K IT.COM; CALL: 212- 6 49- 3303.
D EPU T Y CO PY CH I EF Estee Brooke Friedman PU B L ISH ED AT 30 0 WEST 57 TH ST REE T, N EW YO RK, NY 10 019.
SEN I O R RESE A RCH ED ITO R Lauren Dzubow COSM O PO LITAN.COM
CO PY ED ITO R Briehn Trumbauer

THE COSMO(S) COUNCIL

T YLER JO E.

Colin Bedell, Aliza Kelly, Jake Register, A m o T- s hir t. 7 Fo r A ll M ank in d je ans. Co nve rs e s n e a ke rs.
Emmalea Russo, Lisa Stardust, Kerry Ward

1 0 C o s m o p o lit a n N o v e m b e r 2020
 From Te a m Cos mo

I ntro du cin g

Our brand-new membership program is designed to give you even more of the good stuff you love. We’re talking
juicy reads, the early scoop on top-secret projects, private events, and much more. Oh, did we mention it costs
less than your chicken nugget budget? We won’t even play hard to get. Just come hang out with us already!

U N L O C K Y O U R M E M B E R S H I P A N D G E T. . .

access to all a members-only another year’s just-for-you early intel

Cosmopolitan.com newsletter in your worth of your discounts on lots on events,
content, plus inbox ever y week favorite magazine of pretty things merch, and
exclusive bonus other perks
stories

Jo i n n o w f o r l e ss t h a n $ 1 /w e ek
Qu ic k! He a d t o co s m o p o l i t a n . co m/ go /jo inn ow
 Y O U
F I R S T
Thanksgiving
are you, based on these totally
ver y related questions?
What’s Turkey Day without a fight, any way?
T
RS
FI
U P
1. S t a r b u c k s,
D u n k in’, o r T im
H o r t o ns?
a I’m sorry, what? Can’t
hear you over my
zillion PSL rewards.
b I live and die by
Dunkin’ iced coffee.
c If it’s good enough for
Bieber, Tim Hortons is
good enough for me.
2 . D o yo u s l e e p w it h
yo u r s o c k s o n?
a It’s the devil’s work.
b Eh, on or off, I’ll
knock out either way.
c My feet yearn for
mini jackets during
my sweet cocoon
slumber.
3. Is p in e a p p l e a
viable pizza
t o p p in g?
a This is a sick joke,
right?
b TBH, you had
me at “pizza.”
c Truly a match
made in heaven.
1 2 C o s m o p o lit a n N o v e m b e r 2020
Which
N
S
W E R K
E
A
Y
hot take M O S T LY A’ S
CHRISTMAS-MUSIC
SZN STARTS NOW
As a cozy holiday
unrelated but princess, you’ll listen
to Ariana Grande’s
Christmas album
on repeat from
September till, uh,
next September. They
By MEGAN UY won’t admit it, but
your fam loves the
personalized holiday
Spotify playlists you
D o yo u f o l d o r made for them.
M O S T LY B ’ S
POLITICS ARE
ALWAYS WELCOME
AT THE TABLE
Honestly, you don’t
know why any
of your takes are
controversial, but
this one gets you
told off annually
for “causing” “a”
“ruckus.” Whatever,
you’re not going to
Bur y m e wit
let Uncle Carl run his
mouth uninterrupted.
Hi, welcome, Dirty
h
a
um Looks From Mom.
P
pk
in S
p i c e Fr a p p.
M O S T LY C ’ S
TURKEY IS TRASH
You’re not quiet
about the fact that
the only reason your
I don’t like them. cousin serves this
very dry, dumb bird
5. Is a h o t d o g a is so she can write
s a n d w i c h? Ye a 8. A r e yo g a p a nt s
*st r i c t l y * f o r an aggressively
4. T-Sw i f t cir c a 20 08 o r n a y?
yo g a? cheery FB post using
was h e r g r e a t est
e r a: D is c uss. a Can we stop with this #blessed. While
a No! They belong on
nonsense? “Hot dog” serving a juicy
a Sorry, but 1989 my body at all times
is its own category. filet mignon makes
Tay was freakin’ because I love myself.
b The frank is hugged way more sense to
revolutionary. b I mean, I’ll also wear you, know you’ll
by bread on both
C O U R T E S Y S TA R B U C K S .
b I will let the Fearless sides; therefore, it is
them when I’m in a never get the fam
days live on forever. Mood™. to agree. TBH, it’s
a sandwich.
okay with you if you
c Folklore or fight me. c Yes. With a yoga
c It’s obviously in die on this hill.
mat. While in warrior
the taco family.
pose. Nowhere else.
 Y O U

F I R S T

W h a t yo u r a r m p l a c e m e nt
in g r o u p p h o t os s a ys a b o u t
h ow yo u r e a l l y f e e l
Allow us to analyze those
non - socially- distanced pics of yore.
By MARIAH SCHLOSSMANN
I f yo u r h a n d
I f yo u’r e r e st s o n yo u r
a g g r e s si ve l y w r is t…
h o l d i n g yo u r
You can’t stop either
p h o n e… (1) reveling in the
We get it, people fact that you alone
can be scary—like finally have your life
that flat-earther you together, making
were just trapped in a your own doc appoint-
convo with. Gripping ments and all that,
your cell for dear or (2) preparing
life = subconsciously to effectively shame
bat-signaling your the rando across from
crew to bounce for you who sipped their
afties and taquitos at bev through plastic,
tu casa, stat. like the metal-straw
evangelist you are.

I f yo u’r e
a g g r es si ve l y
holding a
f r i e n d…
This is basically
the 21st-century
equivalent of playing
faves. It’s not that y-
o bod langua
bb

Tt ge Co
you’re trying to H/ e ping de expe
r t l a nca
e B .
make the others rp ep
ics
fo ins
ide your soul p
in your group feel
nonexistent…but you
also don’t hate that
they’re jealous of this
bond rn. “This must
be how Oprah and C LO C K W I S E F R O M B OT TO M L E F T: © B A U E R - G R I F F I N .C O M ( 3 ); G E T T Y I M A G E S ( 2 ).

Gayle feel.” —you

I f yo u r a r m s
I f yo u r
are high in
b e st i e is
t h e s k y…
r e st i n g o n
Let’s get real: A sexy
yo u r
someone you’ll prob-
ably never see again s h o u l d e r…
just caught your eye. Things look chill, but
Even though you you’re actually on
think you’re playing high alert, ready for
it cool, your lowkey someone to come
desperate/very flirty crying to you in 0.02
stance screams, seconds. Honestly,
“Hi, I’m the one who you’d much rather be
stands out!” Cue eating sushi because
mental montage of being the group
also being the one therapist is easier on
who got away. a full stomach.

1 4 C o s m o p o lit a n N o v e m b e r 2020
 ®
’s

100% Hormone Free Over 99% Effective 1 Simple Active Ingredient—Copper

Paragard (intrauterine copper contraceptive) is a small IUD (intrauterine device) that prevents pregnancy for as long
as you want up to 10 years. It works differently using one simple active ingredient—copper—instead of hormones.
• No hormone-related side effects • No hassle or daily birth control routine
• Lasts up to 10 years but can be removed at any
time if you decide you want to get pregnant* provider in just a few minutes

want hormone free? ASK FOR Paragard. The only IUD

FDA approved
Visit Paragard.com for over 30 years

Important Safety Information

IUDs, including Paragard, have been associated with an increased risk of pelvic inflammatory
disease (PID). Don’t use Paragard if you have a pelvic infection, certain cancers, a copper
allergy, Wilson’s disease, or PID. If you miss a period, have persistent abdominal pain, or if
Paragard comes out, tell your healthcare provider (HCP). If it comes out, use backup birth
control. Paragard may attach to or go through the uterus and cause other problems.
Pregnancy with Paragard is rare but can be life threatening and may cause infertility or loss
of pregnancy. Periods may become heavier and longer with spotting in between. Bleeding
may be heavier than usual at first. Paragard does not protect against HIV or STDs.
Only you and your HCP can decide if Paragard is right for you. Available by
prescription only.
You are encouraged to report negative side effects of prescription drugs to the FDA at
www.fda.gov/medwatch or call 1-800-FDA-1088.
See next page for Brief Summary of Patient Information.
*Paragard must be removed by a healthcare provider.
Paragard® is a registered trademark of CooperSurgical, Inc.
© 2019 CooperSurgical, Inc. US-PAR-1900160 November 2019

Brief Summary
Paragard ('par-uh-gahrd) (intrauterine copper
contraceptive)
Paragard T380A intrauterine copper contraceptive is
used to prevent pregnancy. It does not protect against
HIV infection (AIDS) or other sexually transmitted
infections (STIs).
This information is not comprehensive. Please see the
full prescribing information at paragard.com for
additional information.
Read this Patient Information carefully before you
decide if Paragard is right for you.
This information does not take the place of talking with
your gynecologist or other healthcare provider who spe-
cializes in women’s health. If you have any questions
about Paragard, ask your healthcare provider. You
should also learn about other birth control methods to
choose the one that is best for you.
What is Paragard?
• Paragard is a copper-releasing system that is placed in
your uterus by your healthcare provider to prevent
pregnancy for up to 10 years.
• Paragard can be removed by your healthcare provider
at any time.
• Paragard does not contain any hormones.
• Paragard can be used whether or not you have given
birth to a child.
Paragard is a small, flexible plastic “T” shaped intra-
uterine system with copper wrapped around the stem
and placed on arms of the “T”. Two thin white threads
are attached to the stem (lower end) of Paragard. The
threads are the only part of Paragard you can feel when
Paragard is in your uterus; however, unlike a tampon
string, the threads do not extend outside of your body.
How does Paragard work?
Paragard works by preventing sperm from reaching the
egg, preventing sperm from fertilizing the egg, or pos-
sibly preventing attachment (implantation) in the uterus.
Paragard does not stop your ovaries from making an
egg (ovulating) each month.
How long can I keep Paragard in place?
You can keep Paragard in your uterus for up to 10 years.
After 10 years, you should have Paragard removed by
your healthcare provider. If you wish and if it is still right
for you, you may get a new Paragard during the same
visit.
How is Paragard placed in the uterus?
Paragard is placed in your uterus during an in-office
visit. First, your healthcare provider will examine your
pelvis to find the exact position of your uterus. Your
healthcare provider will then cleanse your vagina and
cervix with an antiseptic solution and then, measure
your uterus. Your healthcare provider will then slide a
plastic tube containing Paragard into your uterus. The
tube is removed, leaving Paragard inside your uterus.
Two white threads will extend into your vagina. The
threads are trimmed so they are just long enough for
you to feel with your fingers when doing a self-check.
As Paragard goes in, you may feel cramping or pinch-
ing. You may have some bleeding. Some women feel
faint, nauseated, or dizzy for a few minutes afterwards.
Your healthcare provider may ask you to lie down until
you are feeling better, and to get up slowly.
Who might use Paragard?
You might choose Paragard if you:
• want long-term birth control that provides a low
chance of getting pregnant (less than 1 in 100)
• want birth control that works continuously for up to
10 years
• want birth control that is reversible
• want a birth control method that you do not need to
take daily
• are willing to use a birth control method that is
inserted in the uterus
• want birth control that does not contain hormones
Who should not use Paragard?
Do not use Paragard if you:
• are or might be pregnant
• have a condition of the uterus that changes the shape
of the uterine cavity, such as large fibroid tumors
• have an untreated pelvic infection called pelvic inflam-
matory disease (PID) now
• have had an infection in your uterus after a pregnancy
or abortion in the past 3 months
• can get infections easily. For example, if you:
have problems with your immune system
have multiple sexual partners or your partner has
multiple sexual partners
use or abuse intravenous drugs
• have or suspect you might have cancer of the uterus
or cervix
• have unexplained bleeding from your vagina
• have an untreated lower genital infection now in your
cervix
• have Wilson’s disease (a disorder in how the body
handles copper)
• are allergic to copper, polyethylene, or barium sulfate
• have an intrauterine system in your uterus already
Before having Paragard placed, tell your healthcare
provider if you have:
• any of the conditions listed above
• slow heart beat (bradycardia)
• dizziness (syncope)
• seizures
• recently had a baby or if you are breastfeeding
• AIDS, HIV, or any other sexually transmitted infection
Should I check that Paragard is in place?
Yes, you should check that Paragard is in proper posi-
tion by feeling the threads. It is a good habit to do this
1 time a month. Your healthcare provider should teach
you how to check that Paragard is in place. First, wash
your hands with soap and water. You can check by
reaching up to the top of your vagina with clean fingers
to feel the 2 threads. Do not pull on the threads.
How soon after placement of Paragard should I return
to my healthcare provider?
Call your healthcare provider if you have any questions
or concerns (see “When should I call my healthcare pro-
vider?”). Otherwise you should return to your healthcare
provider for a follow-up visit after your first menses
after Paragard is placed to make sure that Paragard is in
the right position.
What if I become pregnant while using Paragard?
Call your healthcare provider right away if you think
you may be pregnant. If you get pregnant while using
Paragard, you may have an ectopic pregnancy. This
means the pregnancy is not in your uterus. Unusual
vaginal bleeding or abdominal pain especially with
missed periods may be a sign of ectopic pregnancy.
Ectopic pregnancy is a medical emergency that often
requires surgery. Ectopic pregnancy can cause internal
bleeding, infertility and even death.
There are also risks if you get pregnant while using
Paragard and the pregnancy is in the uterus. Severe
infection, miscarriage, premature delivery, and even
death can occur with pregnancies that continue with an
intrauterine system (IUS). Because of this, your health-
care provider may try to remove Paragard, even though
removing it may cause a miscarriage. If Paragard cannot
be removed, talk with your healthcare provider about the
benefits and risks of continuing the pregnancy.
If you continue your pregnancy see your healthcare pro-
vider regularly. Call your healthcare provider right away
if you get flu-like symptoms, fever, chills, cramping,
pain, bleeding, vaginal discharge, or fluid leaking from
your vagina. These may be signs of infection.
It is not known if Paragard can cause long-term effects
on the fetus if it stays in place during a pregnancy.
How will Paragard change my periods?
Your period may become heavier and longer. You may
also have frequent spotting between periods.
Is it safe to breastfeed while using Paragard?
You may use Paragard when you are breastfeeding. The
risk of Paragard becoming attached to (embedded) or
going through the wall of the uterus is increased if
Paragard is placed while you are breastfeeding.
Will Paragard interfere with sexual intercourse?
You and your partner should not feel Paragard during
intercourse. Paragard is placed in the uterus, not in the
vagina. Sometimes your partner may feel the threads. If
this occurs, or if you or your partner experience pain
during sex, talk with your healthcare provider.
What are the possible side effects of Paragard?
Paragard can cause serious side effects, including:
• ectopic pregnancy and intrauterine pregnancy risks:
There are risks if you become pregnant while using
Paragard (see “What if I become pregnant while using
Paragard?”).
• life-threatening infection: Life-threatening infection
can occur within the first few days after Paragard is
placed. Call your healthcare provider immediately if
you develop severe pain or fever shortly after Paragard
is placed.
• pelvic inflammatory disease (PID) or endometritis:
Some IUS users get a serious pelvic infection called
pelvic inflammatory disease (PID) or endometritis. PID
and endometritis are usually sexually transmitted. You
have a higher chance of getting PID and endometritis if
you or your partner has sex with other partners. PID
and endometritis can cause serious problems such as
infertility, ectopic pregnancy, and pelvic pain that does
not go away. PID and endometritis are usually treated
with antibiotics. More serious cases of PID or endo-
metritis may require surgery. A hysterectomy (removal
of the uterus) is sometimes needed. In rare cases,
infections that start as PID can even cause death.
Tell your healthcare provider right away if you have any
of these signs of PID or endometritis: low abdominal
(stomach area) or pelvic pain, pelvic tenderness, pain-
ful sex, unusual or bad smelling vaginal discharge,
chills, long-lasting or heavy bleeding, fever, genital
lesions or sores.
• embedment: Paragard may become attached to
(embedded) the wall of the uterus. This may make it
hard to remove Paragard. Surgery may sometimes be
needed to remove Paragard.
• perforation: Paragard may go through the wall of
the uterus. This is called perforation. If this occurs,
Paragard may no longer prevent pregnancy. If perfora-
tion occurs, Paragard may move outside the uterus
and cause internal scarring, infection, damage to other
organs, pain, or infertility and you may need surgery to
have Paragard removed. Excessive pain or vaginal
bleeding during placement of Paragard, pain or bleed-
ing that gets worse after placement, or not being able
to feel the threads may happen with perforation. You
are not protected from pregnancy if Paragard moves
outside the wall of the uterus. The risk of perforation is
increased in breastfeeding women.
• expulsion: Paragard may partially or completely fall
out of the uterus by itself. This is called expulsion.
Expulsion occurs in about 2 out of 100 women.
Excessive pain, vaginal bleeding during placement of
Paragard, pain that gets worse, bleeding after place-
ment, or not being able to feel the threads may happen
with expulsion. You are not protected from pregnancy
if Paragard is expelled.
• changes in bleeding: You may have heavier and
longer periods with spotting in between. Sometimes
the bleeding is heavier than usual at first. Call your
healthcare provider if the bleeding remains heavier or
longer and spotting continues.
• reactions after placement or removal: Some women
have had reactions such as dizziness (syncope),
slowed heart rate (bradycardia), or seizures, immedi-
ately after Paragard was placed or removed. This
happened especially in women who have had these
conditions before.
Common side effects of Paragard include:
• anemia (low red • expulsion (complete or partial)
blood cell count) • spotting
• pain during sex • painful periods
• prolonged periods • vaginal discharge
• vaginal irritation • pain and cramping
• backache
This is not a complete list of possible side effects with
Paragard. For more information, ask your healthcare
provider. Tell your healthcare provider about any side
effect that bothers you or does not go away.
Call your doctor for medical advice about side effects.
You may report side effects to FDA at 1-800-FDA-1088.
After Paragard has been placed, when should I call my
healthcare provider?
Call your healthcare provider if you have any concerns
about Paragard. Be sure to call if you:
• think you are pregnant
• have pelvic pain or pain during sex
• have unusual vaginal discharge or genital sores
• have unexplained fever, flu-like symptoms or chills
• might be exposed to sexually transmitted infections
(STIs)
• are concerned that Paragard may have been expelled
(came out)
• cannot feel Paragard’s threads or can feel the threads
are much longer
• can feel any other part of the Paragard besides the
threads
• become HIV positive or your partner becomes HIV
positive
• have severe bleeding that lasts a long time, or bleeding
that concerns you
• miss a menstrual period
To learn more, talk about Paragard with your healthcare
provider and see the FDA-approved Full Prescribing
Information found on paragard.com or call
CooperSurgical, Inc. at 1-877-PARAGARD (727-2427).
Paragard® is a registered trademark of CooperSurgical,
Inc. The other brands listed are trademarks of their
respective owners.
Manufactured by:
CooperSurgical, Inc.
Trumbull, CT 06611
US-PAR-1900199 (1)
 Y O U

F I R S T

You don’t even need to move to win this

scavenger hunt
Hi, we heard you’re sick of planning Zoomsgiving and looking for a non - plant - related
hobby. So we invented a game for you and your best friend (your phone).
Scroll through your socials, find the items, do the dares, and see where you rank.
The stakes are low, but honestly? That’s probably what your 2020 needs.
By SHANNON BARBOUR

GO!
AND
t ter w hat yo
ma urm
N
o
you om o.
rp s a ys… t to
ho u
ne n rko
ee ds a wo

Post a pic of the

hours-old bowl of
the accidental
cereal on your
double-tap—until
nightstand to the
you find a photo
Track down a platform of your
of them holding
mutual who has a choice and cap-
Hunt down three up a fish. You
six-figure Snap- tion it, “#yum
recent “Happy know the kind.
chat score and is #brunch #Break
birthday!!” posts (We promise
still an active in fastInBed #Break
on random not to tell them
the Snap Map of fastOnDesk
friends’ Facebook about this!)
yore. Quick! Hide #blessed #food.”
walls. They must
contain exactly under the covers
two exclamation forever if they’re
points (no more, Look for five < 1 mile away.
Sift through your
no less). couples photos
high school
on any platform
acquaintances’
with the words
pages until you
“this dork” in Find a photo
Send a random find a recent
the caption. (or 12) you posted
Venmo “friend” ~business opportu-
using the
a 50-cent nity~ announce-
X-Pro II filter.
payment request ment in a bio.
with just Untag yourself
and no from all the TOTA
L
explanation. photos your Open a TikTok
friends swore they DM five celebs Now write up account pretend-
wouldn’t post an astro meme your own “Dear ing to be a new,
but did. (Consider dragging their Hiring Manag- secret content
Go to the cutie sign to hell and Search LinkedIn ers…” post and house. Challenge
this very early /13
with a booty back. If they for a rambling detail your the Hype House to
spring-cleaning.)
you’ve been talk- respond, double “Dear Hiring Man- best so-bad-it’s- a duel. What
ing to’s IG. Scroll down. agers…” post that actually-funny kind of duel, you
all the way uses “#inspo” interview story. ask? No idea.
down—avoiding at the bottom. Have fun.
I N D I A N PA I N T B R U S H /A L B U M /A L A MY.

KEY

0 TO 5 ITEMS 6 T O 10 I T E M S 11+ I T E M S

W h y ’d y o u d o t h i s c h a l l e n g e? Thy sleuthing skills are solid. Please be my PI.

Oh, I see…you’re one of those offline You’re good, but challenging TikTok stars Damn, you’re bold. I fear and respect
people. Teach me your ways! to a duel is probs asking too much. you in equal measure.

N o v e m b e r 2020 C o s m o p o lit a n 17

t hin gs a b o u t
st il l d o n’t m a ke a ny s e ns e
1.
T H E L AYO U T O F
S TA RS H O L L OW
This town is so small,
*and yet* Rory and
Lorelai approach
the square from a
different angle
every single time
they go. That’s just
geographically
impossible.
2.
TOW N H A L L
MEETING
AT T E N DA N C E
I’m sorry, but the
exact same group of
people would never
show up anywhere
on a regular schedule
unless it’s their job.
My group chat can’t
even make Zoom
happy hours.
3.
RO RY A N D
L O R E L A I ’S
SPENDING HABITS
They complain about
being broke but hit
up Luke’s for almost
every meal, so I guess
their burger budg
is actually massive?
Also, if you drank as
much coffee or ate
as much sugar as they
do, you would die.
4.
M A X AND LOREL AI
They get engaged
after dating on and off
for just eight months,
spending more time
apart than they do
together. I’ve had cups
in my room for longer.
1 8 C o s m o p o lit a n N o v e m b e r 2020
c e l e b a list of
Just
that
By EMMA BATY
5. O h, a n d
T H E S E X- D e a n is t h e
N E GAT I V E w o r s t, by e!
AT T I T U D E
Rory is shamed for
losing her virginity
as Dean’s ~other
woman~. Paris
loses hers and then
doesn’t get into
Harvard (what??).
But the worst of
the show’s anti-sex
messaging has
to be…
6.
L A N E’S
PREGNANCY
Nothing freaks out
teenage girls like
having a main char-
acter get pregnant—
with twins!—after
having sex one
whole time. Was
this show secretly an
abstinence PSA?
7.
L U K E, A P R I L : © WA R N E R B R O S/C O U R T E S Y E V E R E T T C O L L E C T I O N . E M I LY, LO R E L A I , A N D R O R Y:
APRIL
N A R D I N I ’S
EXISTENCE
That’s it.
That’s the issue.
© N E T F L I X /C O U R T E S Y E V E R E T T C O L L E C T I O N . A L L OT H E R S ( 5 ): A L A MY.
8.
LOREL AI BEING
MAD ABOUT
RO RY’S B O O K
Ah, the reboot. Why
would Lorelai not
want Rory to write
the Gilmore Girls
book? It’s selfish,
icky, and totally
uncharacteristic.
Lorelai: Do! Better!
 Trademarks owned by Société des Produits Nestlé S.A., Vevey, Switzerland.

®
 celeb

THE OFFICIAL COSMO

RANKING OF
Daniel Craig is set to finish his
14 -year run as 0 07 in No Time to Die
this month, and the internet has been

n ew
Bond 6 th

7th
D ev Pa t e l
T H E R E LU C TA N T
FUNNY GUY
H e nr y
p.

u 8th Real talk for a

gs Ca v ill
o shake (not stir) thin
second: This man
e t would be a truly
m T H E U N D E R R AT E D
Ti 9 th
J an e ll e CONVENTIONAL
dashing and debo-
nair leading man.
Monáe C A N D I DAT E
Heartbreakingly,
THE AMERICAN WHO If the next Bond
10 th
D anie l COULD GET IT absolutely haaad
he has gone on the
record saying he
Kaluu ya Unlike most of the
to be another tradi-
doesn’t particularly
tionally attractive
THE THINKING people on this list, want the part—
H ar r y PERSON’S SEX she’s not British.
white cis man, we
unless, that is, the
could do a lot worse
St y l es SYM BO L But she is one of
than Henry, whose
script had a comedic
Fantasy scenario: the most talented angle. @ script
THE PEOPLE’S acting talents were
CHOICE He signs on and humans on the writers, WYA?
honestly wasted
the resulting movie planet, which is why
TBH, we get it. playing so-perfect-
turns a mirror on her name’s been
The One Direction you’re-lowkey-boring
society and truly thrown around as a
alum has style Superman.
modernizes the contender to sing
for days, a fluid
world of 007. a new theme song.
attitude that is
Here. For. That. We have a far better
beyond sexy, and,
idea: Let her own the
based on his turn
whole damn thing!
in Dunkirk, the
chops to pull it off.

Another brillz
idea: recasting
JB’s signature
drink as…a
cosmopolitan.
G E T T Y I M A G E S (14 ).

BIGGER, BADDER, BOND-IER

2 0 C o s m o p o lit a n N o v e m b e r 2020
 O H , H E Y, B O Y S 1st
N o t hi n g t o s e e h e r e, j u s t a
c o u p l e o f p r e d e c e s s o r s,
w h o…d o y o u t hi n k t h e y h a v e
a s e c r e t h a n d s h a ke? N o?
2 nd
I dris E lb a
THE OMG YES PLZ
FRO N T- RU N N E R

3rd
H e nr y The internet’s been
G o l din g begging for this for
years and it’s obvious
THE LUXE L AD

4 th
Emil y Blunt Prefer to focus on
why: The London-born
actor is everything
THE VERIFIED
Bond’s dashing Bond should be.
AC T I O N S TA R
qualities? Then this Brilliant? Obviously.
5th
To m James Bond saves Henry can’t not be Charming? Yep.
H i d dl est o n the world in every your pick. If Crazy Physically gorgeous?
movie, and yeah, Rich Asians taught us Only if you have
THE COMEBACK KID
Thandie Backstory time:
we’d put our fate anything, it’s that he functioning eyes.
in Emily’s Edge of can wear the hell out Metaphysically
N ew t o n He was once seen Tomorrow–proven of a tux—and an gorgeous? Even if you
T H E FU L L-S TO P as a Bond front- hands. She’s got that affinity for formal have no eyes at all.
BADASS runner, but in 2017, whole I-trust-her-but- wear is approxi-
We just think it’s reports surfaced that I’m-also-scared-of- mately 73 percent of
*funny* how she franchise producer her thing absolutely this job. We think.
was once in the run- Barbara Broccoli nailed. Maybe it’s
ning to be a Bond eliminated him bc her piercing gaze?
girl because, um, it’s he wasn’t “tough Her chill perfection?
pretty damn clear enough.” Interesting, Whatever it is, it’s
she should just be in bc that’s exactly why working.
charge here? Watch we still ship Tom for
any 30-second clip the role.
of her chills-inducing
work on Westworld
and you’ll see what
we mean.

N o v e m b e r 2020 C o s m o p o lit a n 21
celeb

n ’ t s l e e p on
D o the fashion
in Not a single
pat terned
cardigan is an
accident .
By A S H L E Y R AY- H A R R IS

A MEN’S
4
SHIRT
A few eps in, VERY
Arabella is C A S UA L PJ S
TH O! assaulted by
NG The night of her
DI another man and
N first attack,
E

sp e ak unt leaves his apart-

T

ot Arabella is wear-
THA

il
nn y ment with his ing a T-shirt and
ca

ou
button-down. “We pajama bottoms,
( We

’v e
picked a shirt that “not the tight
watched
was sort of similar dress and heels
to the first guy’s usually depicted
who assaults her,”
.)

in media,” says
says Moore. “It Moore. “It can
was a visual cue.” happen to any-
one, and that’s
2
the point.”
A SUPER-
5
DEFINED

h
STYLE A BO L D,
It was so impor- PROTECTIVE
tant to Moore for CARDIGAN
Arabella to “have
“People who
her own style
wear cardigans
1
and own it” for
in a cool way are
the entire series,
quite confident,”
holding on to her
she says. At the
edgy, confident
ello and welcome same time, it’s
vibes. “Through
comforting—“a bit
to the “I can’t stop everything that
like children with
thinking about happened, she
their blankets.”
manages to keep
this show” club. I’m Ashley and I’ll 2 herself.”

B E A C H , G R O U P P H OTO, WA I T I N G R O O M , WA L K I N G I N O C E A N : N ATA L I E S E E R Y/ H B O.
be your guide because my mind 6
simply will not move on from 3

actor-writer-producer-director-genius COLOR
3
THE STORIES
Michaela Coel’s groundbreaking
FUZZIEST For main char-
HBO masterpiece. It follows her
JACKET acters, “I ramp
character, Arabella, as she tries to 4
their signature
“Something fluffy
find out what really happened the colors—Ara-
like this, it’s snug-
night of her sexual assault—and, in gly, it’s keeping bella’s is pink—
the process, totally dismantles tradi- her safe, but it’s up in moments
also quite an when they’re
tional victim narratives. One way?
intense color. loving who they
With clever wardrobe choices you are and down
There are two
don’t even notice that you notice 5
sides to her in this in moments of
(like Arabella’s rotating selection of moment. She’s vulnerability.”
cardigans-as-armor) until you notice struggling, but
(a striking, rare shot of her shoul- she’s also charg-
ing at people and
ders during a breakdown). Costume
wanting to take
designer Lynsey Moore explains the them down.”
power of the show’s key looks.
6

2 2 C o s m o p o lit a n N o v e m b e r 2020
 celeb

I d i d n’t k n o w a p l a y l i s t c o u l d b e f u n n y

until Maya Erskine and Anna

By EMMA BATY

D o you
t hink
list e ning t o
all t he se…

tone and low register,

A’S requires commitment.
ANN S
PICK
And I’m nothing if not
Da’ Dip committed.”
1
BY FR E A K N A S T Y 5. “Could this song
be more existential to
a nonreligious third
I Love You grader? Also, I remem-
2 Always Forever bered the artist as
BY D O N N A L E W I S Alanis Morissette. I
was wrong.”

Are You That

3 Some body 6. “I masturbated
B Y A A L I YA H to this once when I
was 13. I think it was
something about the
Lollipop fast rhythm?”
4 (Candyman)
BY AQ UA
Adulthood is realizing
all your favorite old
5
One of Us songs were about sex.
BY J OA N OS B O R N E

7. “I got into ska for,

like, a month and
listened to this on
repeat. I thought I
Livin’ la was really cool.”
6 Vida Loca 8. “What is more
M AYA ( L E F T ) A N D A N N A

BY R I C K Y M A R T I N romantic than this

song? Tell me.”
9. “I sang this in car-
Far Behind
7 pool with my brother
BY T H E H I PP OS
and our friend Andy.
We all knew every
word by heart.”
Tell Me It ’s Re al 1. “I tried to be so sexy 10. “The first song I
L A U R E N P E R L S T E I N /C O N T R I B U TO R /G E T T Y I M A G E S .

8
B Y K- C I A N D J O J O dancing to this, with a 3. “I really, really freak-danced to. I had
hard, repetitive double wanted to be that just gotten my period
…will m ake
slap of the hips.” somebody. And that and made a pad out
my bra ce s baby-crying sound of toilet paper. I was
Dre aming of You 2. “If this doesn’t
9 grow b a ck? burned a hole into wearing jean pedal
BY S E L E N A
send chills down your
my brain that I will pushers and the wad
30ish-year-old spine,
A’S forever cherish.” weighed down the
M AY S you’re soulless. I
PICK crotch. When I danced
heard it circa fifth 4. “The whole album
Back That A z z Up with my crush with his
grade and could tell Aquarium was my
BY J U V E N I L E leg between mine,
10 it represented all the jam. I could sing both
F E A T . L I L WAY N E A N D we both felt the hard
M ANNIE FRESH stolen moments, love, parts of this song. The
object in my pants but
and longing I didn’t male voice, with that
didn’t mention it.”
yet know.”

24 Cosmop olitan N ovemb er 2020

Bioré Brightening products break up dirt, oil and pollution for fresh,
bright, breathable skin. With dull pores revived, your brightest self
can shine through.

*with Bioré Brightening Line use © 2020 KAO USA Inc.

 a list of
Just

p a t t e r ns yo u
d o n’t h a ve
t o b e c o n f us e d
by a ny m o r e
By L AUREN ADHAV

1. PL AID
Does it have
overlapping perpen-
dicular lines in various
colors and widths?
Check! I mean, not
check. It’s PLAID, omg.

4. GINGHAM
If you see a bunch of
overlapping squares in
m.
ha

white + one bold hue,

ing

it’s most likely this.

2. TA R TA N
d g

Fun fact: The colors

n
lo a

denote specific Scottish

buffa

clans of yore. So pretty

much plaid with cultural
dif f b et we en

significance.

5. B U FFA L O P L A I D
on the

T H E S T Y L E S TA L K E R / B L A U B L U T - E D I T I O N .C O M . PAT T E R N S ( 5 ): G E T T Y I M A G E S .

Like gingham, but

make it lumberjack and
mostly red and black.
ne
a nyo

3. P R I N C E O F WA L E S
ool

Aka Glen plaid. This

o confidently sch

~moody~ black-and-
gray design is typically
associated with wool or
thicker fabrics.
6. H O U N DS TO OT H
dy t

You’ll recognize
a

this from its jagged

re

lines—just like a lil

e

M
pup’s teeth IRL.

2 6 C o s m o p o lit a n N o v e m b e r 2020
spritz, splash, smile
The new body mist collection by

Avai l a ble o n l i n e an d i n- s to re s n a t i o n w i d e o n 1 0/2 3

f ashion

Here’s how shopping has changed

since ppl decided to give a sh*t
2020 has massively impacted our lives—and our spending habits.
By L AUREN ADHAV

b y the time
we’re
all Olds, this here
situation will probably
be referenced in text-
books as one of the
most politically, eco-
nomically, environ-
mentally, socially,
everything-ly fraught
years in modern his-
tory. And through it all,
we’ve become more
aware of who we are
(or aren’t) support-
ing with our dollars.
Because, according to
this exclusive Cosmo
State of Shopping
survey, despite record
Hi

unemployment num-
,j
us

bers, we’re still spend-

sht

ing...even more than

ow

last year.
ing

And our buying

off all

behavior points to a
these feel- go

maybe-kinda hopeful
future, where people
actually care about the
people on the other
od

end of the sale (oh, and

urc p

also the planet). Check

ha
se

out what we found.

s.

@ D N A Z .T V

2 8 C o s m o p o lit a n N o v e m b e r 2020 I l l u s t r a t i o n b y D ’A R A N A Z A R YA N
 T E t h is k i n d o f
S TA e to see pur
T H E u lov cha
Yo se
O F S H O P P po
I N G w

58

er
Oh, nothing, just some small changes that could have a huuuuuge

f ro
m
ed
uca
%

ted con
D u r i n g t h e p a n d e m i c:

38

s u m e rs!
% of shoppers are spending the
same or even more than
before the pandemic.

effect on the way we all shop from now on. Kinda cool, if you ask me.
of you became more aware of
employee safety conditions in the
shopping supply chain.
H ow m u c h yo u’r e d o lin g o u t eve r y m o nt h
o n c l o t h e s—e t h i c a l l y m a d e a n d o t h e r w is e:

30
31%
25
26%
23% 20
consider it a deal
breaker if a brand is not
15
17% 17%
sustainable or ethical.
10

9%
5

$0 $1– $51– $100 – $200+

$50 $100 $200

to good
Tim t $50 use
tha .
e to put

34% A n d h e r e’s h ow p p l a r e f e e l i n g a b o u t
are actively researching sust ainably thrif t ing or purchasing se condhand:
and supporting Black-
owned brands.

50% 25% 16% 9%

“Nope. “I can’t get “That’s been “I just
But I’m over the fact my MO for discovered
The MOST important thing
not that a while. Love how amazing
to shoppers is...
opposed someone the vintage shopping
to it in the has worn it look.” secondhand
future.” before….” can be!”
10%
Finding BIPOC-
owned, small or
local, or ethical
or eco-friendly Last Q: Ever felt guilt y about a purchase
40%
options. because you didn’t agree with a brand’s
Affordable
prices, tbh. business practices?
50%
61% 39%
A combo of the
of you said, of you said,
above.
“Yep,” but “Not really.”
sometimes No
you have to company
compromise can get
based on ever ything
what’s avail. right…right?

S O U R C E: CO S M O S U RV E Y N o v e m b e r 2020 C o s m o p o lit a n 29
 f ashion

D o yo u h a ve t o o m a ny c o a t s?
A f l owc h a r t.
It’s possible. Also possible: You need just *one* more.
By L AUREN ADHAV

ARLING
SHE
START

What ’s your closet space

situation?
Do you live
I have Nonexistent. somewhere cold?
room,
swear. No. Yes.

How’s the weather?

Do you spend a lot Ro uje, $6 6 0,
Not bad. Arctic. of time outside? ro uje.c o m

PLAID
Lol, no. I like
fresh air! P ACOAT
E

How are your

current coats doin’?
You have
Falling Just fine. t oo many
apart, coats.
On a scale from 1 to 10, what tbh.
Are your st yles
warmth level do you need?
all different?

1 to 5: 5 to 10:
I sweat I shiver when it’s Of course. Not
easily. less than 70 Variety is really…. Uniql o x I n es d e l a
the spice of Fr ess an g e, $180,
degrees. Be honest. Are you just looking for an u ni q l o.c o m
life/my
excuse to buy something new??
closet.
AN TRE

No, I’m at Yeah, and Okay, you

risk of also pretty. caught me.
hypothermia (What? I’m just
over here. Give me this browsing.
one thing!) Sue me!
FAUX FU R
Donate coats
CAPE you barely
wear, pls!
Then switch
it up with one
of these.
SINGLE-
S St au d, $550,
BREA TED s t a u d.c l o t hin g
WOOL
DOWN
BOMBER
PUFFER

Cl os e d, $7 75,
c l os e d.c o m

c a r b o n38.c o m
e r… at e d.
th plic
ea m
co
w

I ’m
ld
co

s.
at
te

co

D ail y Pap e r,
Ha

ffy

$26 4, d ail y
flu

p a p e rc l o t hin g.c o m
e
3.1 Phillip Lim, ov
p ric e u p o n re q u e st, …l
31p hillip lim.c o m
3 0 C o s m o p o lit a n N o v e m b e r 2020
 PROMOTION

n e e d . i t . n o w. LIFE CUISINE EGG BITES

LOW CARB LIFESTYLE
BAREFOOT DREAMS

BITE INTO LIFE CU ISIN E EGG BITES
Mornings need a boost? Try new Life Cuisine ™
Egg Bites! Available in two varieties with 15g of
protein or more, these are great for a low carb
lifestyle. Find them in the frozen aisle!
S TAY C OZ Y A N D C H I C T H I S FA L L
WITH BAREFOOT DREA MS!
The newest collection features fan-favorites like
their signature CozyChic throws, blankets
and robes along with updated seasonal patterns
in loungewear and accessories including plaid,
camouflage and leopard.

lifecuisine.com barefootdreams.com

COSMO P O L ITA N .COM/PROMOTI O N S

f ashion

Wait, this fashion site

helps you save money
for luxur y products Step away from the credit card.
By ALEXIS BENNETT

1. Pick your it em.

Reel (JoinReel.co) looks
like your fave online
store, except its prices
already include taxes. steady savers do run
Scroll through tons of the risk of popular buys
saveworthy stuff (Cha- selling out in the mean-
nel bags, schmancy time. And *that* means
sunnies) from retailers Reel isn’t always the best
like Nordstrom and plan for limited-edition
or in-demand goodies
(shout-out to the Telfar
Patience is a virtue bag that just slipped
through my fingers).
and so is being fly, But it definitely comes
in handy for evergreen,
my friends. high-quality staples like
YSL blazers or timeless
Farfetch. If the exact Cushnie dresses.
splurge you want isn’t
listed on the site, you
4. Double-check.
can still use the custom
You good?
savings feature to help
Before your new Gucci
you put away $ for
kicks (!!) ship, the site
literally anything.

S T E V E N M E N E N D E Z . M O D E L : J E N E L L A P O W E L L / W I L H E L M I N A M O D E L S . T H E Q U E E N ’ S R O B E BY D E S I G N E R K R I S T I A N LO R É N .
will confirm your order
deets (size, color,
2. Plot your address, etc.). If you
strat egy. get cold feet after piling
It works like an auto- up all that money, you
mated Venmo, making can cash out at any time
daily or weekly (the or save it on Reel for
frequency is up to you) something else. Same
withdrawals from your goes with leftover dough
bank into a targeted- from things that go on
to-your-item account on sale between when you
Reel. You can contrib- first started saving and
ute as little as $1 a day your ship date (yes, this
toward the total cost, does happen, and yes,
and FYI, friends and it’s amazing; related:
family can also chip in. Reel will always charge

o
you at your item’s lowest
current price).
3. Plot a lil more.
Reel won’t process
your order until your 5. Stunt on
account balance ever yone.
n today’s episode of Why Didn’t Someone Tell Me This Exists, matches your selected That’s it. You saved
there’s a new site called Reel, which is a magical place item’s full price. Which up responsibly/pain-
means that slow-and- lessly and weren’t even
where something like AirPods could cost you $10 a day
tempted to dip into those
instead of $210 all at once. Basically it’s like one of those
funds for brunch money.
“buy now, pay later” programs in reverse. My I-need-it-stat folks might not And you did it without
have the patience for it, but if you wanna treat yourself—sans debt or late credit cards or debt.
fees—this could be the future of shopping for ya. Here’s how it works. Very boss move.

3 2 C o s m o p o lit a n N o v e m b e r 2020
 THE FREE-SPIRITED
FRAGRANCE FOR WOMEN
 HER HER BLOSSOM
EAU DE PARFUM EAU DE TOILETTE

NEW!
HER LONDON DREAM
EAU DE PARFUM
 f ashion

Ye p , m a s k
ch
ai
AT ns
hi
n

ar
e
g
Safet y first.
Fashion a close
,
second though.
U CI
FA W YA?
By RACHEL TORGERSON

Glasses chains were a hot trend

in 2020—and then the world
hit the fan. Now, style stars are
repurposing the pretty accesso-
ries for a higher cause: making
masks look cute as hell and also
keeping them attached to our
necks so we don’t lose them.

n
, c a t h e ri e g e e.c o m
$32
sk,
ma s h o p d o n ni.c o
ee , $8 8, m
G ain
ne ch

k y o u u u . :)
ni
i

on
er

1
th

D
Ca

an
th

h,
ac
one of e
t ake
I ’l l

1. Lis a S a ys G ah m a s k, $18, lis a

s a ys g ah.c o m. Fr am e Ch ain c h ain,
$155, f ram e c h ain.c o.u k. 2 . G r a c e
E l eya e m as k, $15, gra c e e l eya e
.c o m. Aar yah c h ain, $6 5, a a r yah
.c o m. 3. Camp Co ll e c t io n m a s k, $ 4 5
f o r 6, s h o p c amp.c o m. L e l e S a d o u g hi
c h ain, $95, l e l e s a d o u ghi.c o m.

Photograph by NAILA RUECHEL N o v e m b e r 2020 C o s m o p o lit a n 33

 f ashion

h e r e ’ s a reason you a
T ll o
f a

a r o l l e r g i rl
sudde
n want to be

It’s par tly because you

saw Oumi Janta on
Instagram and par tly
because of the clothes.
Let’s discuss.
By L AUREN ADHAV

A fact about 2020: Sweats aren’t

going anywhere, but we all wanna
feel more put together sometimes.
We also all wanna forget that
we’re couch-bound for basically
ever, which is why Senegalese
German jam skater Oumi Janta
went viral on Instagram this
summer (to wit: her mesmerizing,
distinctly non-couch-y skate-dance
moves and her enviably bright
yellow short set). In other words,
give your comfort a side of retro
and you just might feel half as cool
as she is. Here’s how.

FA S H I O N S T Y L I S T: S E R E N A P O M P E I . H A I R

1
AN D M AKEU P: BEREN I CE A M M ANN.

Everything
goes with
athletic shorts
Sure, they’re
sporty…but also v
chic when layered
with a printed
button-down and
L o uis Vuit t o n t o p, sweater. Bonus
G C DS
swe a t e r, an d s h o r t s. points for coordinat- t o p an d
G e nt l e M o nst e r ing sunnies. je ans
sun gl as s e s.

3 4 C o s m o p o lit a n N o v e m b e r 2020 Photographs by VINCENZO LIAZZA

 N OW,
WATC H H E R
S K ATE
Yo u’re go nn a wann a s e e
O umi’s m ove s f irst h an d. 3
H e a d t o Cosm o p o lit an
.co m/O umi-J ant a right Cardigans +
n ow f o r o u r ~vid e o
miniskirts =
f as hio n s h o o t~.
w h e r e i t ’s a t
Varsity styles in bright
stripes with matching
A-line skirts were pretty
much made for twirling—
but also work for, you
know, just sitting around
at home. Add tall socks to
keep the cozy vibes goin’.
Ve rs a ce
swe a t e r,
s k ir t, a n d
necklace

l on your skat
Fal e s,
2 but .
make it f ashion

Just say yes to

flared patch-
work denim
The wider the pants,
the closer to God Live out your retro dreams
better you can fit
them over your skates. M ut e d primar y colors, whil e not re quire d re quire d, are t he e asiest wa y to
Pair with a bold- a chieve t his a est hetic. St ar t your new hobby wit h t hese f unk y finds.
colored tee for a little
more drama.

L o r r ain e West J ewe lr y

e a r rin gs, $85,
l o r rain ewe st jewe lr y.c o m

Fe N o e l
p ant s, $288,
f e n o e l.c o m

Ret r osup e r f u-
t ur e sun gl as s e s,
$30 0, re t ro
Kul e s u p e r f u t u re.c o m
s o c ks,
$28,
ku l e.c o m

D o d o B ar O r t o p,
$ 410, d o d o
b a ro r.c o m.
N a gn a t a
s h o r t s, $16 4,
n a gn a t a.c o m.

Fo r eve r 21
t o p, $10,
f o reve r21.c o m

J o osTricot t o p, $395, jo os
t ric o t.c o m. Tr a c k smit h s h o r t s, Imapala Skate skates, $100,
$52, t ra c ks mit h.c o m. impalarollers ka t e s.c o m

35
 b e a u t y

Am I being punished
for falling asleep in
my makeup or
something? It
happened once.
(Narrator: It hap-
pened four times.
This week.)

I’m pretty sure my

coworker thinks these
zit stickers are just
regular stickers
de

I randomly stuck on
my face.
sp

If I top off my white-

Ju
er

head with a little

st

1 brown eyeliner, will it

ha

look like a beauty

a
at

I don’t even care—

I’m showing up mark?
lis

to this Zoom
d

e
to

7
drenched in pink
By

Someone get me a
f

spot treatment.
RU

th
w

vial of salicylic acid

BY

ug 2 and hydrocortisone
BU

o
hi

right the hell now.

D

Alexa, how do I
D

ht
EM

tie my hands to This is not a drill.

le
E
Y

sI
R a chair?
E

re ’
b

3 Welp, hope my

ak I hope my derma- Hinge date has zits

tologist doesn’t too so at least we
ve

in
W

think I’m stalking can call it even.

hy
are

her. This time it’s

n ’t m y z i t s c u t e

actually an
emergency!
g
out
lil
sh
ap

s
G E T T Y I M AGES.
e

th
ou
gh
?

3 6 C o s m o p o lit a n N o v e m b e r 2020
 OF BEA
T

UT
BE

Y
AW
2020

R
R

E
A
D N
WIN
b e aut y

Th
is An
ul NG
Ig the
en tr su
L, ex
a- m m my m
AC foli
uin da I F
t pr m ts e e
( y his e l y g e a g e gl yc r, b l as m at
es
, I d re l o o k SP ot nt l d o u E in
am F ec y, , hy lic t I sw a wa W
wi
It
ma st j u f
y c or w
be pe ac e s A g
th p k c ti ca r id a
us p i g m g e r t hi n a b
i SH
r a
mi o t e e s m l l e re a m a rd ve ea n s a
n c d
mi e ra t s it y s k a s eve o s l
t gg ent e t ly d cle a d p
l u a ro d d is s ns lac
ni
mi S P F f ro m in p ns c r y m t h e ex o e
f o l e a d l ve s r c l e a t
e
ze 4 d l u m re o rin ia t sk t a th
s d 0, a p en rn g or in h e g re d e e
ar a n m a g a n d r in g o n s o ce n
ks d i d e nly lls t lue t up m d of
po ha ng d am ma o h a y
ts s a U V ew y y). g
ke e t h e t h o l s k i n
an r , .
d she e a ys me r
l a s ( ke y
d s
re r
dn t ma w
e s in t t wo o rd
s. ha rs e =
t ).

Ep
i.l
o
Gl gic
yc b
ol y D
ic
C l r. J e
ea an
ns n
er ito
,$ n
48 Cle
, e an
pi
lo Rev
gi ea
cs
kin l Br
ca igh
re ten

Ho
.c
El om ing
ta
M
D
Ti UV
nt
e d Res
, $ to

ly
38 re
.5 Bro
0, a
de d-S
rm pe
st ctr Th
or u e

gr
e. m
co SP o
m F
40 de pr nly
pu od thr
t u e
La y b cts e s
pu ure e au Co kin
ts n t
on Ba y d mo re
s ca
ai
he lsa ire c
r f mo to
ac
e.
r st a l
tu
s
Th
e
M m
th y
s
o st
e
b e k in c M ov
pa te t a r O
t ie r (b e m I S er
an th nc c an T ac
i
t io s d e? lit U
xi o ? e r t ra R hi
) a i IZ
a n d a n e s - a . T h l l y s si ev
an t s a ll - t at’ wh mp ER in
ti - n h s o l e
ag d t e - th wh ha : th g
e r h e in g y I ’ s t h e f
U , a ri m e
H Be nd gh s l o o e w
yd a
ra ut a t a t io b s e t im e e r s
to y b r cid n— s s e /e n t e p
t h r, T h e ig s s
eu 1 $ h t , it t h a n d w e rg ,
be 68 Sup e n ’s i y
au fo er e r a h ks t th /
ty r S i n y o
. c 1. m o n ra d
om 7 ar ,
oz t e. t o r aur
, . , e n!

3 8 C o s m o p o lit a n N o v e m b e r 2020 Ph ot o g r a p h by CO R E Y M AY WA LT Illustration by SARAH MADDEN

b e aut y

u * r e a lly* need to b n g
a t y o e d o i
a i r
W
h ow yo
g r ur natural h
to
Any thing’s possible if you just
~BeLiEvE~ (and follow this guide).
By CHLOE METZGER

is growing every day,

so why isn’t it getting
longer? Because you’re
not trimming it,” confirms
NYC-based hairstylist
I know what I just
Jazzee Santiago. “Coily
said—and I’m stand- hair splits and tangles
ing by it—but first, a around itself, creating
wompity-womp fact fairy knots—itty-bitty
(and also an apology knots—that inevitably
to your vitamins/oils/ break off. Type 4 hair
needs to be trimmed
serums/IG feed/mom):
religiously every three
You can’t actually months to the day, or
make your hair grow every two months if it’s
faster—it’s just gonna color-treated. Don’t even
chug along at a think about skipping—
relatively steady rate set a reminder and
of half an inch per go.” Or DIY it at home.
#SafetyFirst
month. But! You can
help it look longer and
Prep the
be healthier, which is
*right* way
kinda the whole point “The equation for longer
anyway, right? hair is low manipula-
“Hair growth is a tion plus hydration
two-stage process,” and time,” says Davis-
explains trichologist Sivasothy. Which means
skipping harsh chemical
(that’s beauty for
treatments, coloring,
“hair expert”) Audrey
and tight styles, and
Davis-Sivasothy. “The opting for loose twists,
actual growth from rolls, and French braids.
your scalp is stage “But don’t just braid
one”—aka the part your dry hair and call it
you cannot control— good,” says Santiago.
“To prep, saturate your
“and the retention of
wet hair with a ton of
that growth is stage leave-in conditioner,
two.” And that, my
dear friends, is where Wo w, l o v e t his
h a ir j o u r n e y
our fun begins. f o r y o u.

First, cut
your hair
I know (again!), but to
retain length, you have
to lose length—specifi-
cally, about a quarter
of an inch. “Your hair

4 0 C o s m o p o lit a n N o v e m b e r 2020
 LCOME
WE
TO

R ATIO then blow-dry with a

YD N
H A T I O comb attachment until
ST N it’s 100 percent dry,
stretching each section
with your fingers as you
work.” Yup, she said
blow-dry. With heat.
“Heat helps the leave-
in penetrate your hair

(Ver y) hot take: Your oil obsession might be sabotaging your grow th.
cuticle and stretch it, so
it won’t shrink up and
dry out as quickly in (wash-and-gos will still
your protective style,” need the daily moisture
she explains. tho). By month two,
CLARIFYING “your hair will be opti-
SHAMPOO
Add moisture, mally bonded, and you’ll
D ove A mp lif ie d Tex t u re s
start to see some length
H yd ra t in g Cl e ans e not oil
S h a m p o o, $7, d r u gs t o re s instead of breakage.”
If your go-to product is
oil, oil, and more oil,
especially when protec- Embrace
tive styling, listen up: shampoo!
“Oils don’t moisturize— Don’t be afraid: “Product
they seal in moisture,” buildup can clog pores
says Davis-Sivasothy. So and make it harder for
if you’re slathering them hair to push through the
on without a hydrated follicle,” says Davis-
base, “you’ll end up with Sivasothy. “Massage
D A I LY C O N D I T I O N E R
crispy, broken hair.” your scalp with a clari-
M aui M oist ur e H e a l &
H yd ra t e + S h e a B u t t e r For the first two weeks fying shampoo once a
Co n dit io n e r, $9, d r u gst o re s of your growth process, week if you’re a heavy
she recommends rewet- user of butters and oils
ting and moisturizing or once a month if you
your hair every single use lighter products.”
day (exactly why easy
DIY styles = key) with But slow down
a daily moisturizing on the protein
conditioner and a If every product you own
leave-in to help “rebuild has “anti-breakage” or
the hydrogen bonds in “strengthening” on the
your hair” (basically, label, bad news: You
L E AV E - I N the stuff that locks in could be throwing fuel
Ad wo a B e aut y B a o mint
L e a ve - I n Co n dit io nin g
moisture). Then layer on the damaging fire.
S t y l e r, $24, s e p h o ra.c o m on an oil. “With daily “These protein-filled
moisture, those bonds formulas help repair
will get better at staying, strands, which is great,
and your hair will start unless your hair is
! looking fuller within a
IN dried out,” says Davis-
TE !
O
IN
month,” she says. Sivasothy (and if you’re
PR
TE After two weeks of
O reading this, it probably
PR
daily rewettings and is). “Too much protein
protective styles, you on dehydrated hair
can space out the rinses creates a stiff buildup
OIL to every five-ish days that’ll snap off.” Fun!
B r e a d B e aut y S up p l y H air
Try cutting out all
M I G U E L H E R R E R A / T H E L I C E N S I N G P R O J E C T.

O il, $24, s e p h o ra.c o m

protein for a month,
loading up on moisture-
rich products (check
out the bbs at left),
then bringing back one
protein-based product,
like a weekly deep con-
DEEP CONDITIONER ditioner, she says. And
I m b u e Cu r l Re st o rin g
I nt e nsive M as k,
just like that: suddenly-
$20, imb u e c u r ls.c o m ish longer hair.

N o v e m b e r 2020 C o s m o p o lit a n 41
b e aut y

A case for using your makeup

the wrong way
Free ideas for switching up your
look without leaving the house.
By AM A KWARTENG

Brow pencil
More impt news:
You can line your
eyes with a regular
Concealer ol’ brow pencil. Its
Hi, guess what? Your pigments tend to be
cream concealer softer, giving you a
happens to be a more diffused,
really legit eye- sultry-ish vibe.
shadow primer. Use
it to make your
powder and liquid
shadows last
longer and look way
more intense.

Lipstick
You know the
matte red you
*had* to have but
Lip gloss never wear? It’s
Super-shiny lids are now your cheek
really cute rn. Just stain. Dab it on
swipe clear gloss and blend it out
for a natural flush

B E N J A M I N M A D G W I C K /A U G U S T. S W I P E S: C O R E Y M AY WA LT; P R O P S T Y L I S T: L A U R A W O O L F.
over them (or layer
it over your favorite that’ll wake your
shadow) for some face right up.
serious sheen.
Bronzer
Maybe you’re not
going full Jersey
Shore anymore, but
you can still use this
Mascara guy on your lids, Eyeshadow
Save the $ you’d blending it up into Lip balm Create a new lip-
spend on brow gel your creases for a Tap that lip balm stick by mixing
and brush up your neutral smoky eye. that’s been bouncing some Aquaphor
brow hairs with So damn easy. around the bottom of with the pink
mascara. Fill in any your bag onto the shadow you have
patches and high points of your left over from 2019
basically look face for an is-she- (lol, remember
S O U R C E: J E N N A

like Gigi. K R I S T I N A , M AY B E L L I N E
wearing-highlighter- sunset eyes?).
N E W YO R K U. S . B R A N D
A MBASSADOR
or-is-her-skin-just-
that-good glow.

4 2 C o s m o p o lit a n N o v e m b e r 2020
 Think periods
hold women back?
Think Again.

U by Kotex CleanWear Pads

® ®

adjust to fit and move with

you for outstanding comfort
and provide up to 100% leak
free protection.

ubykotex.com
b e aut y

Your sniff-free guide to

Dilemma: You
deser ve a new
scent, but science
is still working on
the “smelling
objects through a
screen” thing.
Enter: us.
By AM A KWARTENG

THE

ONES

These bbs are full of

earthy notes like sandal-
wood and patchouli—but
in a “cozy Joshua Tree
getaway” way, not an
“actually sleeping on the
ground” way. They are
rich and calming and give
off warmth, kind of like
your favorite vintage
cashmere sweater.

Bulgari S p l e n did a Pa t c h o uli

Gucci B l o om Prof umo di

Fio ri, $10 0 f o r 50 m L,
ma c ys.com. Valentino Vo c e
at s o
mell
nice b w ny Viva, $10 0, val e ntino.com.

u t w o n ’t b u r n d o

HOW TO Stalk your Judge the Stock up on minis Study the reviews
past faves packaging Rollerballs are your friend (truly, Hit up BaseNotes.net
N AV I G AT E
Peep the notes Think of it as a visual they’re, like, a fifth of the price). and Fragrantica.com for
THE ( VIRTUAL) on your old representation of the Another option: a subscription honest customer POVs,
FR AGR ANCE perfumes to help scent. Looks clean and service like Scentbird that will then queue up YouTube
decode what minimalist? The stuff send you a 30-day supply of a reviews to get a second
AISLE you’re into. inside likely will be too. trendy scent for $15. (or third) opinion.

S O U R C E: T I FF B E N S O N , FR AG R A N C E I N FLU E N C E R (@T I FFB E N S O N )

4 4 C o s m o p o lit a n N o v e m b e r 2020 Ph ot o g r a p hs by CO R E Y M AY WA LT Illustrations by KATIE CZERWINSKI

 LIMITED HOLIDAY EDITION:
8 | $124 VA
$6

GOLDIE LUXE

ST

LU
• JU

E •
BY GRANDE COSMETICS
N

RA
O
LY
AT S E P H O

100%
Saw fuller
looking brows*

91%
Saw longer
looking lashes*

Give the gift of beautiful natural lashes & brows. See longer looking
lashes in 4-6 weeks & fuller looking brows in 6-8 weeks when used 1X daily.

Available only at *Based on consumer studies. Results will vary.

b e aut y

THE

ONES

THE

ONES

A whiff of either of these

implies that you are cur-
rently WFH in Hawaii and
have a two-step skincare
routine, one of which is
washing your face. While
floral notes are def part of
the scent profile, their over-
all mood is light and clean,
like the silk sheets you’ll
slide into after your post-
surf shower.

Burb err y H e r Lond on D re am

Eau d e Par f um, $96 f o r 50 m L,
ma c ys.com. Chanel Co co
M a d e mois e ll e L’Eau Privé e,
$95 f o r 50 m L, c hane l.com.

Notes Fragrance family Dr y down Accords Pulse points

A L L T H O S E FA N C Y
A bougie way of Cliques of perfumes The smell that lingers Like a music chord— Wrists, neck, behind
PERFUM E WORDS,
saying “ingredients.” with similar key notes on your skin when a or when you the ears—basically,
EXPLAINED Post-spritz, you’ll smell and the same vibe. The scent’s middle and combine different must-spritz spots bc
the top, middle, and big five: the categories base notes combine complementary they give off body
What even is an
base notes over the you see in this story with your natural notes to create an heat and help activate
“accord”?? course of a few hours. (woodsy, citrus, etc.). body oils. entirely new smell. the fragrance.

4 6 C o s m o p o lit a n N o v e m b e r 2020
 THE

ONES

Okay, this is the fragrance

version of That Friend—you
know, the one who car-
ries a pricey micro-bag
and spends their winters in
Aspen. Just like spicy per-
fumes that include intense
notes (black pepper, saf-
fron), they pack a punch
a ac your n

that has everyone else

wishing they were them.

Vik t or & Rolf S pic e b omb

THE

ONES

Concentration
and cedarwood.
The ratio of perfume to alcohol (the
latter helps diffuse a scent). Eau
de parfums have more perfume
and are more intense (they last five
hours); eau de toilettes have less
and are lighter (they last three).
f o r 1.7 oz., dio r.co.
S O U R C E: A L A N A S H L E N K E R , F O U N D E R O F
M AYA FR AG R A N C ES ( @ M AYA _ FR AG R A N C ES )

N o v e m b e r 2020 C o s m o p o lit a n 47
 l i f e

a list of
Just

unexpected
reasons
we a r in g a m ask is
g o o d f o r yo u
By ASHLEY OERMAN

9
3
If your socially
You’ll project distanced first date
“I’ve got my shit judges you
5
together” even for it, you’ll know
though you’ve been You won’t run out 7 it’s time to bail.
1 in the same of lip gloss for No one will
sweats for days. a long-ass time. have to smell your 10
It disguises
your purple wine coffee breath
Because
mouth. 4 6 but you.
Lady Gaga
Prepping for the You can make ~sexy and the VMAs.
2 epic journey mystery-lady 8 Obviously.
that is buying eye contact~ with Your phone is
Strangers on
groceries is a hot rando. getting a little
the street probs
suddenly way d: a s t e a
won’t ask you TOO good at facial t ure lth
more fashun. recognition. ic
to “smile more.”
tp
No

A N D I E L LO WAY/ T H E L I C E N S I N G P R O J E C T.

c hin
zi
tl
ivi
lif ng
its best

e.

4 8 C o s m o p o lit a n N o v e m b e r 2020
Trademarks owned by Société des Produits Nestlé S.A., Vevey, Switzerland.
 k i l l s,
s ta s
pa
y on my m
m
on skills ind
ta
Mind p as .

54
o f A m e ri c a ns a re
%

c o o kin g m o re n ow
t h an eve r.
S O U R C E: H U N T E R P R
F O O D S T U DY

5 0 C o s m o p o lit a n N o v e m b e r 2020 Illustrations by NATALIA VOLGINA

 lif e

I f t h e p ast
f i ve m o nt hs h a ve f e l t
like f i ve ye a rs,
yo u’r e n ot w r o n g
The trauma and drama is fast - for warding
our lives, but that’s not necessarily a bad thing.
By SUSIE MOORE

I was foam rolling move with a newish

“invisible enemy,” our bodies

my randomly sore boo so he could be

hip on the floor closer to his fam. there’s a whole bio-
of my apartment when So. Yeah. Aching logical process behind
I got a text from a and de-stressing activi- body parts, relentless this sorcery: Being
friend: “I’m leaving ties (commutes, the angst, a new grown- stressed causes our
the city, Susie!” gym, date nights) are up life in Arizona… bodies to release
I was shocked to MIA. And although it it’s enough to make a cortisol, the energizing
Because we’re bat tling an

hear that she, a die- can certainly feel like human feel like they hormone that helped
hard New Yorker, was went from being a kid
are permanently on guard.

Nothing Is Happening people fight or flee

packing up for good. inside our homes, (or, okay, a “young from lions in ye olde
I immediately sat up there is actually a ton person”) to an adult caveman days. But
to call her, but my hip of upheaval going adult overnight. Prob- because we’re now
was like, “Lol, NOPE,” on inside our bodies. ably because we battling a long-term
and I thought (not, by Adding to that kind of have? “invisible enemy”
the way, for the first pile of hot garbage, Here, what’s been (hi, COVID-19), our
time this year), WTF, lots of people have going on with our bodies are perma-
when did I become a been forced to make bodies and minds nently on guard,
million years old? major life decisions in since March, why it’s pumping out lots of
Some obvious infor- 2020—stuff that we not all terrible, and that stress juice with
mation: Pretty much all probably would have what to do now that nowhere for it to go.
of us are now facing waited years to do we’re basically all Thing is, though,
constant pandemic- otherwise. Exhibit A: middle-aged. too much cortisol over
related stress and anxi- my texting friend, extended periods of
ety, while our regularly Tracy, who’s now Why we’re feeling time can weaken our
scheduled distractions moving across the hella geriatric immune systems (per-
country with her boy- If you took a high fect timing…), increase
friend, Jason, when in school health class, inflammation (what
her previous existence, you probably know up, new old-lady hip),
she might have waited and ramp up our risk
months or years before for depression, says
making such a major Crystal T. Clark, MD,

N o v e m b e r 2020 C o s m o p o lit a n 51
 your job any less
miserable, so you’re
plotting a new career.
Whatever it is, your
Oh, and the cherry
brain is focused on
on top: Severe chronic

New
making decisions that
stress might even dam-

m a n i, n e w
will alleviate some
age our DNA, making
of the never-ending
us more susceptible to
stress. IRL, that looks
age-related diseases

old
like (1) finding what’s

-la
like osteoporosis.

dy
most important to you
(P.S. Sorry for stress-
joint s. ing you out even more
and (2) protecting
it at all costs. This is
with all this….)
why, say, relocating
thousands of miles
And also suddenly
away can seem
so grown
almost obvious.
Take a deep breath
It’s also why
with me, because now
many of these new
it’s time to dig into that
other thing: the forced
Marie-Kondo-ing of
our lives. Surprisingly,

2.6
we can thank our sur-

It ’d be weird if you *didn’t* feel like you’ve

pool at 23 only to emerge soaked, tired, and

vival mechanisms for
M I L LI O N this too, says Symcox.
T h e num b e r o f yo u n g “You only have so
p e o p l e w h o m ove d in wit h many mental and

been thrown into the deep end of the adulting

t h eir p a re nt s b e t we e n
emotional resources,”
Fe b r u a r y an d J u l y.
S O U R C E: P E W R ES E A R C H
she explains. “Now
C E N T E R S U RV E Y
we don’t have the
reserves to dance with

somehow 40 on the inside.

the nonsense we once
an associate profes- tolerated.” Translation:
sor of psychiatry and No one’s got time for
behavioral health le bullshit anymore.
at Northwestern So maybe, like
University. my homegirl Tracy,
Then there’s the your casual relation-
serious impact of ship sped the hell up
excess cortisol on the (related: this acceler-
body’s nervous system based psychotherapist ated pandemic-
and, well, pretty much and the host of the induced scenario
every other system I Mental Health Remix has an official name,
haven’t yet mentioned. podcast. In other “turbo relationship,”
“When you experi- words, maxed-out JSYK). Or maybe
ence stress, it can body *and* brain. you’ve realized that
trigger headaches, This cortisol situa- even working from
muscle tension, tion can also manifest home doesn’t make
fatigue, digestive in smaller, stranger
issues, a sense of feel- ways. Like, say,
ing ‘wired and tired,’ random gray hairs
and irritability,” says popping up out of
Nicole Symcox, a San nowhere. Acne flare-
Francisco Bay Area– ups. Silly mistakes
at work or trouble
remembering a new
colleague’s name.

5 2 C o s m o p o lit a n N o v e m b e r 2020
 for yourself to mitigate stress will work
And why it’s all
(mostly) fine

Basically, any thing you’d normally do

Becoming more of a going to bed, going
grown-up isn’t nec- outside, going to
essarily bad. Nor is therapy, taking
being pushed by these your friends post-’rona warm baths, taking

to help stabilize your body now.

challenging times if you still want to.) breaks from the news,
(lol, please enjoy that But, right, there’s taking deep breaths,
euphemism) to change still all that gray-hair- calling your friends,
your life, hopefully in triggering, DNA- calling your mom,
positive ways. modifying, creaky- FaceTiming your dog,
Plus, needing to bones-inducing stuff. reading a book, eat-
Grown-Up Decisions™
think deeply about And the fact that this ing some vegetables,
look more like reac-
what does and doesn’t cortisol situation isn’t eating some comfort
tions versus carefully
make you happy going to calm down food, etc., etc., etc.
thought-out choices.
means you’ll finally, on its own for a while. Basically, anything
See: people whose
truly be focusing on The good news here you’d normally do
weddings were can-
your well-being, says (yes, there is some) for yourself to miti-
celed by COVID-19
Symcox. Because ulti- is that the best way gate stress will work
and who used their
mately, “taking stock to tamp down stress to help stabilize your
marriage funds to
of your life, goals, and hormones is by doing body now. So please
buy a house instead.
relationships is a great the healthy stuff you pass the bath bombs,
Or those of us who
opportunity for growth already know about: and if you need me,
always planned to
“learn how to cook and improved mental I’ll be over here foam
one day” now shop- health in the long run,” rolling till 2021.
ping for and preparing adds Dr. Clark. Even
two freaking weeks’ if you’re trading
worth of meals ahead dancing on tables
of time to save money at 2 a.m. for buying
and avoid grocery new dishes online
stores. Or even just from bed, you’ll be
ppl who had no more prepared for that
choice but to pack fancy-lady-dinner-
up and move home, party phase of life
where they’re cur- down the line. (And
rently sorting through hey, you can always
decades of family dance on tables with
drama (“Dad, we need
to discuss your bound-
ary issues…”).
Whatever your
~journey~, you’ve
almost certainly
s.
hi

gotten sucked into

rt
fo

the necessity-is-the-
on
pti

mother-of-maturing-
ca

super-fast cycle that is

er
lev

2020. And honestly,

a c

it’d be weird if part

k of

13.8
of you didn’t feel like
in

%
n ’t t h

you’ve been thrown

into the deep end of
ould

T h e in c re as e in
the adulting pool at
O n- b r a n d: C

n ew h o m e s a l e s
23 years old only in J un e 2020.
to emerge soaked, S O U R C E: A S S O C I AT E D P R ES S

tired, and somehow

40 on the inside.

N o v e m b e r 2020 C o s m o p o lit a n 53
lif e

B r e a k f ast t a c os:

laziest the

healthy meal
t h a t d o e s n’t t ast e
l i ke d i r t
Armed with tor tillas,
eggs, and a few extras, your
highkey sleep - deprived
hangr y self could basically
win Chopped.
By SARAH WELDON

Pairs ni
cel y wi
th c
of fee
an
ds
o me
a.m
.N
et
fli
x.

G OT
A D O
OC S
V

?
Fry a couple of eggs,
add slices of ripe avo,
and sprinkle on some
parsley. Bonus points
for pickled onions,
cotija cheese, and hot
sauce. Post it on IG.

B E AN
T
O
S
G

Sauté any kind with

onions until they’re
toasty, scramble
le eggs, and fill the
tortilla so she’s thick.
Generously add
cheese and hot sauce.

G OT
N TO
ZE
O
T
S?
FR

Stick these puppies

in the oven for
however long the
I VA N S O L I S/S TO C K S Y.

bag says, then mush

’em up with some
scrambled eggs.
If you love yourself,
add bacon bits.

5 4 C o s m o p o lit a n N o v e m b e r 2020
ROOTED
IN NATURE
DIGESTION • IMMUNIT Y • VITALIT Y
We believe Mother Nature is the world’s greatest healer. That’s why
our Synergy raw kombucha embodies Nature’s perfect gifts of active
nutrients with naturally occurring probiotics that revitalize your body
from the inside out.

gtslivingfoods.com
lif e

rom
ge f
er
m

e
to
since you

t thing
en rf
ov

al
ur
bes

ls
yo

we at e rs.
he
T THE FOOD
1 (4 to 51/2 lbs.)
whole organic

T h ank s gi v in g c hic ke n
chicken
Salt and pepper
4 thyme sprigs
1 bay leaf
1 lemon, halved

Danielle Alvarez, author of the new cookbook Always Add Lemon, is gonna help you impress your pod.
1 large onion
1 large carrot
2 celery stalks
1 fennel bulb
1 garlic bulb, split
in half
1 oz. soft butter

THE RECIPE

is w h a t m i c r o - Fr i e n d s g i v i n g d r e a ms a r e m a d e o f
1. Season your bird
liberally with salt
inside and outside.
Crack some pep-
per on top and put
the thyme, bay
leaf, and lemon
inside the cavity.

2 . Preheat your oven

to 400 degrees,
then roughly chop
your veggies (don’t

A DA P T E D W I T H P E R M I S S I O N F R O M A LWAY S A D D L E M O N : R E C I P E S YO U WA N T TO C O O K — F O O D YO U WA N T TO E AT, BY DA N I E L L E A LVA R E Z ,

bother peeling the
carrot). Arrange
them, along with
the garlic, in one
even layer in an
oven-safe skillet or
baking dish.

3. Sprinkle the vege-

tables with salt and
place your chicken,

P U B L I S H E D BY H A R D I E G R A N T B O O K S , N O V E M B E R 2 0 2 0 . P H OTO G R A P H Y: B E N I TO M A R T I N .
breast side up, on
top. Rub the butter
over the bird.

4 . Place the skillet in

the center of the
oven and roast
for 20 minutes.
Then turn the skillet
around and roast
for another 20 min-
utes, or until the
juices run clear.

5. If it’s not ~golden~

yet, let it sit under
the broiler for a
minute or two.
Serves 4

5 6 C o s m o p o lit a n N o v e m b e r 2020
lif e

Looking for a new job?

T h e y ’r e l i k e ,
Here’s how to make sure your “ Wa i t, w h o a r e
y o u a g a i n? ”
potential boss isn’t Everyone gets a bit of They get weird
benefit of the doubt

a m o nst e r
when you ask
(especially in 2020),
about growth
but if it’s obvious
that the person you potential.
just put on makeup Look, everyone
Future you thanks you for your ser vice. for hasn’t even *should* want their
glanced at your career to go some-
By ALISON GOLDMAN résumé, proceed with where. So it’s a bad
caution, says Lauren sign if your interviewer
McGoodwin, founder seems annoyed when
and CEO of Career you ask what could be
Yo u’re
Contessa. Working beyond this role, says
welcome
for someone who Shannon Taylor, PhD,
f o r t his
doesn’t respect you an associate professor
in t e r v ie w.
and your time from in the management
the start: not ideal. department at the
University of Central
Florida. They might
Yo u s u d d e n l y see you as “a robot
know their life. that’s going to punch
If by the end of the a clock.”
interview you’ve
heard all about why
their latest relation-
They act like
ship ended, McGood- t h e y ’r e d o i n g
win says they likely y o u a f a v o r.
have no boundaries. Yes, probably lots of
Working for someone people are interview-
like that can make a ing for this job. No,
job extra taxing once the hiring manager
you fall into “Are they shouldn’t tell you
your boss or your you’re really, really
friend?” territory. lucky you got the
interview. “That’s
an intimidation
T h e y ’r e n o t tactic that’s likely
clear about your part of their leader-
responsibilities. ship st yle,” says
(1) You deserve to McGoodwin. Not
know what a job will cool, particularly if
actually entail before you’d end up dealing
you take it. (2) When with it every day.
a boss can’t communi-
cate the goals of the
and also
position, it does not h, …
bode well for day-to -
O
day work stuff. “If
their answers change
or are all over the Do some
place, they’re also recon.
Yeah, so the employment rate is currently at record “meh.” But going to be all over Just like your maybe-
the place when you boss is sleuthing your
while searching for a gig—even in the midst of *waves hands* work for them,” socials, check out
all this—you can still at least try to avoid getting stuck with an evil McGoodwin says. theirs. See if you align
manager. The truth is that good impressions should go both ways with their Twitter hot
takes and look for
during the (virtual?) interview process. If they don’t, and you
hints of their work-life
catch any of these red flags, consider reconsidering a working
A L A MY.

balance on IG.
relationship with this maybe-kinda-probably awful boss.

5 8 C o s m o p o lit a n N o v e m b e r 2020
FURNITURE | UPHOLSTERY | LIGHTING | DÉCOR

RUGS | MATTRESSES | BEDDING | OUTDOOR

 s
sea on

kup

editio
ea
Br n
a list of
Just

wa ys t o h a u nt yo u r ex
b as e d o n t h e ir si g n
By KYLE THOMAS
ARIES
Post a FaceTime
screenshot of every
chat you have with
your gossipy-est
mutual friend.

TAU R U S
Change your Netflix
password when
they’re halfway
(L o l, j k, f o r e v e r = t w o w e e
through a series. k s)

GEMINI
Book a (safe! local!)
trip and oh so
casually mention it
when you text them
to reclaim your
toothbrush.

CANCER
Send a mixtape to
make them believe
you *do* wanna
stay friends…then
move on.

LEO
Study up on social
media strategy
to make sure you
always have more
followers than
they do.

V I RG O
Slide into their work
frenemy’s DMs CAPRICORN
and get them to Whatever they’re
mention you. into—crossword
puzzles, half- s.
ng

LIBRA marathons, their

tri
rts

Become a career—master it,

a
y o u r e x ’s h e

permanent part of then reach out on

their social circle. LinkedIn with tips.

SCORPIO AQ UA R I U S
Pretend you’re sorry. “Find” a UFO. Post a
esents

Then change the photo. Don’t tell them

story: The breakup any deets.
pr
e re

was all their fault.

PISCES
tap

S AG I T TA R I U S Livestream yourself
s
Thi

If anyone asks about taking a dip in

your split, act like it a pool/the ocean/
was NBD. Who? your shower.
Ignore their texts.

60 Photographs by AARON DURALL

 ….
ce
an
m
is ro
o o many signs in th
o ne t
a re
e
WHY

er
Th
YOU’VE
BEEN
MAKING
BAD
DECISIONS
IN LOVE
By A L IZ A K EL LY

If your romantic
life has reached
peak Women
Tell All–level
dramz, it’s not you,
it’s…well, actually,
it sort of is you.

See, we’re in
Mars Retrograde,
which wreaks
havoc on your
libido, temper,
energy, and moti-
A S K Y O U R vation. Meaning,
yeah, you may find

A S T R O L O B E S T I E yourself texting
your worst ex or
legit fighting with
Real - talk advice from astrologer, author, and bae after
they finished
Instagram meme queen Aliza Kelly. Selling Sunset
without you.

The good news:

Dear Persist ent that Scorpy change- Mars Retrograde
Pisces, the-subject thing ends on Novem-
ber 13. Until then,
Dear Aliza, Sometimes when cou- and says how much
you’ve prepared spe- when it comes to
I recently recon- ples reconcile, it’s he loved being in love stuff, consider
cific questions that he
nected with my Scor- best not to know your bed), trust your your Moon sign—
needs to answer:
pio ex. Since we details of what hap- gut. As a Pisces, it tells you what
Why did they break you really need to
broke up a few years pened during the “lost you have so much
up? How long have feel safe and nur-
ago, he’s been in a years.” This is not one intuition that you’re
they been cohabitat- tured and, in turn,
serious relationship— of those times. basically psychic, avoid taking rash
ing platonically? Has
they even moved in Look, I know so don’t ignore what romantic action.
he been asking her to
together—and I’ve you’re a romantic it’s telling you. So if your Moon
leave? Does she have is in active, travel-
also dated other peo- water sign, but unfor- It’s possible you
any plans to move loving Sagittarius,
ple, but…nothing has tunately, this scenario two really are meant
out? If so, when? take a power walk
felt as great as “us,” is waaay too messy to to be…or maybe it’s around your neigh-
If he’s honest
you know? He told dive into blindly. And best to leave this borhood—prefer-
about even the most
me that even though to make things even romance behind and ably a new-to-you
awkward details— route—to cool off
his now-ex still lives more complicated, just keep swimming.
like, say, that his ex after an argument
with him, he wants to Scorpios are known To t h e M o o n a n d b a c k,
can’t afford to move or to ease your
get back together. for being super secre- x x Aliza nerves before a
out rn and he wants to
I’m interested, but the tive (some might even @Aliza Ke lly date with your
help (Scorpios are, crush. Think of
situation seems, um, say manipulative). To
after all, loyal to a it as a little self-
complicated. Should prevent yours from
fault)—then it’s okay Need some cosmic help love that’ll make
I listen to my heart or hiding anything, start to cope with your dram a? your IRL love situa-
to proceed. But if you
my head? a conversation after Hit us up: A strolobestie tion go a lot more
get the feeling that @Cosmopolitan.com.
smoothly.
Sin c e r e l y,
he’s glossing over
Pe rsist e nt Pisces
truths (like when you
ask, “Where does she
sleep?” and he does

N o v e m b e r 2020 C o s m o p o lit a n 61
ast r o l o g y

Yes, love spells

are involved.
By LISA STARDUST

to help you move the eff on

3. Burn your
bad self-t alk
Write down 21 (like,
actually 21—it’s a
Bur n b o ok or
sp e ll b o ok, super-powerful number
w ho’s t o sa y? in witchcraft) post-
breakup fears. Things
like, I’m never going to
find love again; I’m not
worthy of love; no one
will love me the way
my ex did. Write your
full name and birthday
at the top of the list,
burn it in a fireproof
dish, and flush the
ashes down the toilet.

4. Feed cr yst als

all your feels
To break the pattern
of attracting the same
type of person over

l
and over, lie down
with a black obsidian
stone on your heart
and a selenite crystal
on your stomach.
Meditate for 21 (told
you) minutes so they
ove is love is love is love is love…until can soak up your
old feels and clear
it’s not. Then it’s annoying. It’s heart- 2. Cut of f your
your energy.
breaking. It’s tear-your-hair-out-by-its- 1. Drink some- ex like they ’re
unwashed-roots frustrating. It’s…sorry, thing other than split ends
what were we talking about? Oh, your own t ears Take an unlit white 5. Get naked
right, shitty breakups. And the fact that when Make a cup of lemon candle and wave it (it ’s fine)
balm (the herb, not over your body as Take a gallon of
my decade-long relationship ended in May, I
the Lip Smacker) you picture yourself spring water and add
turned to magic to heal my broken heart. (I surrounded by light,
tea with honey. The petals from your
mean, I also obviously turned to every single which symbolizes the favorite flowers, your
lemon balm will help
rom-com on Netflix—also: Cheez-Its—but I am heal your heart—the cords that tied you to fave perfume, and
an astrologer who dabbles in witchcraft, so.) stuff is so soothing your ex dissolving. honey. Mix it up while
With a little help from professional witch that ancient Greeks Next, sprinkle coconut thinking about what
Michael Cardenas, owner of the online magic used it to treat scor- oil and lemon balm you want in your next
pion stings (Do Not herb (yup, she’s back) S.O. Draw a bath,
resource Olde Ways, I set out to move on.
Try This At Home)— on the outside of the add your potion, and
And I did, tyvm, by following these rituals. candle, light it (a safe
and the honey will soak for at least 21
Interested? Pick the one that speaks to you, or bring a sweet future. distance away from (told you!!) minutes,
for max recovery help, do them all in order. Yes, it’s simple, but yourself this time), thinking about happier
sipping tea can be a and let it burn as you relationships ahead.
small act of magic. meditate on moving
on with your life.

6 2 C o s m o p o lit a n N o v e m b e r 2020
 Y O U R N O V E M B E R
H O R O S C O P E
ARIES
( 0 3. 21– 0 4 .19)
Mercury Retrograde is acting up in
your chart’s lurve zone at the start of
the month, but whatever drama hap-
pens, you’ll finally be feeling much
lighter heading into the holidays.
CANCER
( 0 6. 21– 07. 2 2)
Thanks to a lil thing called the
Jupiter-Pluto conjunction, your toxic
relationships could sink for good.
Later in the month, Venus in Scorpio
gets your love life on track.
LIBRA
( 0 9. 23 –10. 2 2)
Um, how’s your love life? Mercury
Retrograde in your sign + Mars Retro-
grade in your relationship zone = eek!
If you’re “on a break,” you can make
up mid-month—or find someone new.
SAGITTARIUS
(11. 2 2–12. 21)
Thanks to all the activity in your
chart’s isolation zone, you’re feeling
like you’ve just been dumped, even
if you haven’t. Sag season will make
you feel like you again on the 21st.
AQUARIUS
( 01. 20 – 0 2.18 )
Warning: The lunar eclipse on the
30th is hitting your chart’s zone of
romance and sex hard, so you’ll be
tempted to second-guess your S.O./
crush/situationship all month long.
By JAKE REGISTER
TAURUS
( 0 4 . 20 – 0 5. 20 )
Work shit is supes frustrating thanks
to Mercury and Mars Retrogrades,
but that’s over by mid-month. Then, on
the 21st, romantic Venus enters sexy
Scorpio and your love life is .
LEO
( 07. 23 – 0 8. 2 2)
You’re saying all the wrong things
at the beginning of the month, but
starting on the 21st, Sag season
brings self-love and love love. Expect
flowers, rubies, and amazing sex.
SCORPIO
(10. 23 –11. 21)
It’s your season, Scorpy, but you’re
feeling lonely. Wait until Mercury
enters your sign on the 10th and
brings in all the DMs, Zoom invites,
and hey-wanna-catch-up texts.
CAPRICORN
(12. 2 2– 01.19)
Your home life = the worst, until Mars
Retrograde ends on the 13th. You’ll be
making new friends and FWBs until
the 21st, when Sag season asks you to
chill…by yourself. Nap time!
PISCES
( 0 2.19 – 0 3. 20 )
Your love life has been a literal night-
mare lately, but once Mercury goes
direct on the 3rd, that ends…and your
on-again, off-again thing might too.
Remedy: (virtual) brunch with friends.
GEMINI
( 0 5. 21– 0 6. 20 )
Mark your cal for the 3rd, when Mer-
cury goes direct and messiness with
your ex exits stage left. Starting on the
21st, *airhorn sounds* Sagittarius
season brings you healthier ’ships.
VIRGO
( 0 8. 23 – 0 9. 2 2)
I know, I know: Your sex life has been
meh for months. That finally changes
when Mars Retrograde ends on
the 13th—and you’ll be all about
me-time. New toys, anyone?
THE EMPRESS
This card is all about love for you,
Scorpio! The Empress represents
nurturing relationships—and not just
the romantic ones. So it’s time to put
your energy into the connections that
feel natural, whether they’re with
your partner, your bestie, or your
mom. Basically, get out your yearly
cal and plan to spend even more
time with the people closest to you.
Safely, of course.
N o v e m b e r 2020 C o s m o p o lit a n 63
ast r o l o g y

IYKYK: In astrology,
Saturn is a BFD. If
you’re new here,
allow me to explain:
can turn into some-
The planet represents

yo u r ow n
thing bigger. Much
harsh lessons, restric-
more fun, right?
The secret to some tion, discipline,
Astrologers mea-
next - level and authority. Not
sure compatibility by

p e rs o n a l compatibilit y sh*t.
By A DA M A S ESAY
fun. But it also plays
a huge role in com-
patibility and is a
studying a relation-
ship synastry chart,
which looks at how the

r e l a t io nship
determining factor in
planets and points in
whether or not a fling
your birth chart relate
to your boo’s and vice

ps yc hic
versa, and a compos-
ite chart, which cre-
ANGIE’S
SATURN ates a whole new birth
chart based on mid-
points between your
and your partner’s
charts (as in, the half-

R S
TU ’
N
A AD
way points between,

R
B
S
say, where Saturn is in
your chart and where
it is in theirs).
Let’s look, in the
SYNASTRY diagrams at left, at
CHART Brangelina (and btw,
Brad’s Saturn makes these are v oversimpli-
a trine (a favorable fied versions of v, v
…o o p s!

connection) with complicated charts).

Angie’s Sun, and
Their Saturn place-
ion

her Saturn is on his

ments show why they
ns

North Node in
te

his 7th house of were able to fall in

al

u
ex
’ships, aka major love quickly and form
s
of

chemistry ahead! a deep connection—

Just a dash

spending more than a

COMPOS
decade together and
EIR IT
TH E
SA
TU raising six kids.
10 R
9
Now, I know what
N

11

8 you’re thinking, and

12
you’re right. They did
7 break up, messily.
1
Because here’s the
6 thing: Saturn can sig-
2

5
nal if your situation-
3
4
ship can make it to the
next level, but it can’t
guarantee forever
COMPOSITE forever. Think of the
CHART planet as a beacon of
Saturn is in comfy long-term-relationship
Taurus in the 8th potential—what hap-
house of intimacy, pens next is up to you.
sextile (another good
type of connection)
to the Moon in
Pisces. Meaning:
They got deep fast!

6 4 C o s m o p o lit a n N o v e m b e r 2020
 u t
, F r i d a y t h e 13 t h i s a l l a b o
FY I
fem

t
energy
am abundance.” You’ll
attract some much-
needed post-breakup
love (self-love, a new
hey were partner, or the support
right about of your friends/family)
one thing by literally being love.
though: It’s definitely a Just trust me.
~powerful~ moment.
See, in many
I M E
ancient cultures, B E DT

including the Sumeri-

Do your nightly
ans, Egyptians, and skincare routine—
Romans, feminine slooowly. Really appre-
goddesses were ciate how good that
worshipped as much moisturizer feels as
as masculine gods, if you massage it in.
Then grab that journal
not more. And they
and read those man-
were often associated
tras out loud, repeat-
with planets. Exam- ing them as you look at
ples: Venus, named for yourself in the mirror.
the goddess of love Smile at your reflec-
and beauty, and the tion and let the words
Moon, which repre- sink in.
sents maternal energy.
Some cultures also -U
P
A KE
tied each planet to a W
T I M E
day of the week, with
Friday being dedi- Use the element of
earth (it’s powerfully
cated to Venus. And definitely not let go eyes, and focus on your
feminine just like Fri-
planetary cycles were to waste! P. M . breathing. Identify any
9:3 0 day the 13th) to make
also very important, low-self-esteem-related
The next time this your nighttime rituals
thoughts (like, Maybe I
including the Moon’s day rolls around Set the mood by find- stay with you long
just wasn’t good enough
approx 13 yearly ones. (that would be ing a quiet, cozy place after the 13th. Head
for my ex) and tell them
Put all this together (like your bedroom) out the door instead of
November 13), plan bye-bye.
and applying an essen- hitting snooze for the
and it turns out Friday a night in to honor
tial oil to your wrists millionth time and go
the 13th is all about yourself and con- and neck or burning P. M .
to a park, beach, lake,
really good, really 0
nect with this divine incense infused with 10 :3 or yard. Walk bare-
strong feminine vibes. energy—especially herbs or plants tradi- foot to really *feel* the
tionally associated with Take a journal and write earth, and concentrate
if you’re recovering
Venus, like rose, jas- down positive mantras, on that post-breakup
from a breakup.
mine, or vanilla. Then like, “I am love” and “I self-love you mani-
sit down, close your fested last night.

AND FOR WHEN YOU FIND YOUR NEX T BOO

Ahem, speaking of moving on…we’ve got your next fave sex position here in Cosmo’s Zodiac Sex: The Hottest Sex
Positions for Every Astrological Sign. Grab a copy and spend your Saturday the 14th mastering your Sun sign’s.
Your Sunday the 15th too. Just cancel your weekend plans, actually. Everyone will understand.

N o v e m b e r 2020 C o s m o p o lit a n 65
 l us t

our
t list
on y
cke
x put
3

r a ti n g
e a r i n g vib
W yo ur
a n ti e s that
p ls i n
c o nt ro
bu

r t n e r
pa not
li c . Just t r y
pu b in g
se to

s c re am
of
1 a
a v e
r to h in t h e
par tne

t a l
g s
ist S e x ti n g yo u r
sy sce
a f a n ta y o u’r e
na r i o
o r g a s m r a i s le.
p e anu
t but te

J us
i n w h i le
b o th a
t wo r k
. Ke y

th ic
b ein g
wo rds FH
r k” ( W
“a t w o he gas

e m k i n d a ta ke s t
o u t ta t
his o n e
).

n d 2

pa
k:
. Q uic

post-
r e esome
A t h t ti m e
m e th e la s
N a eone
o u s a w som
y
IE
H
a ke d!
HS new n
RI NA
CA
By

ase d.
e l-b
it ter or a
av ot b
,
ke

n ny
, li

tr
I ’m
e

th
I swe ar only
nt of these ar

in g
….
r c e
pe

20

6 6 C o s m o p o lit a n N o v e m b e r 2020
 this.
nt after
ff ere
di
ts
hi
b”
clu
igh
“M il e h

9
k y,
g hoo
P la y i n otel
to a h 10
g oin g o s e ?!)
, d
ber th t b la n
e m e m e x e mos
( r
a v in g
s Just t h u e
t t h
and h y. A s s ex, b
y a ll d a v a n i ll a h a t y o u’r e
6
li t e r a ll o u rs. catch
is t
u n t r y.
, 24 h t h e r c o y.
a bou
d oir i n, li ke , t a n t r a, in an o a
i n g la y One d
Ha v
Wit h a Fo r e p u p. Si g h.
s h o o t. y u’r e
o
sional
p ro f e s
8
h air
g r a p h e r, s ex
4 pho t o p r o, in g a
a ke u p At tend r that
t oys and m e r s o n. hop fo
i n g f o r s ex g h t in g p w o r k s
lw a y s
Shop p o kin g and li u ’v e a
r I RL. Lo d t hi n g y o
r. Yo u
toge t h e an t o maste
y stuf f 7
wan t e d e.
a t kink feet the on
w it hin 6 * as k n ow
stand i n g I L D. la y i n g
o t h e r…W Ro le - p a b a r.
of ea c h e rs in
st ran g d
n’ t n e e
5 Yo u d o i g, b u t
aw
p a r t y. to buy u
a s ex s ly y o
G oin g t o
g to a o bvio u
a ls o : g oin s h o u ld
.
(S e e p e rio d
.)
p a r t y,

w k, buuu
e ma t…
se
ht
la yin g mig
e-p
ol

*R

… our ne w book (h um ble!

bra g! aler t!) b reaks
DA N N Y L A N E / K I N T Z I N G.

everyt hing down s o you can

ju st jum p righ t th e h ell in .

C o s m o’s Fa n t a s y S e x G a m e s,
$13, a m a z o n.c o m

N o v e m b e r 2020 C o s m o p o lit a n 67
lust

X Q&A
SE

All stuff you

the I ’m l i v i n g
with my
parents
can’t ask during the
pandemic.

anyone else Can I

have sex
in their
Truly nothing is of f- limits. house
By CARINA HSIEH without
making it
weird?
BV—aka the itchy, fishy-smelling, make-you-mad-at-your-

bacteria, says Kiarra King, MD, an ob-gyn in Chicago.

vagina infection—comes from an imbalance in vaginal

certain suppositories may also help, but run any prod-

always wearing clean, dry underwear. Probiotics or
Sure, those of
You can minimize your risk by never douching and us back at home
might feel we’re
regressing a bit (my
ucts by your doctor before you try ’em! 29-generation Sims
family says hi), but
you *are* still an
adult. With adult
needs. Try refram-
ing the convo as
one of comfort
rather than per-
mission, suggests
Heather Lyons,
PhD, a therapist in
Baltimore. “Get a
sense of how much
they want to know
about your inter-
actions while at
v a g i n o s i s?
constantly

home,” she says.

bacterial
How can

getting
I avoid

Do your parents
need to know
who’s going to be
in the house or get
a heads-up when
guests are pres-
ent? Lyons also sug-
Yes, they’re legit, touching them at gests making sure
Are says sex and rela- the same time. It’s there’s some sort
nipple- tionship expert basically like a of trade-off: Gift
gasms Nicole Moore. To Pavlovian way to them a safe night
F R O M L E F T: S A N T I N U N E Z /S TO C K S Y;

real? up your chances of “train” your muscle out at a resto with

And how getting there, she memory so your outdoor dining as
do I advises establish- body gets used to a thank-you-for-
J U R I P OZ Z I /S TO C K S Y.

h a v e o n e? ing a connection feeling pleasure housing-me-now-

between your clit when your nipples please-give-me-
and nips by always are touched. privacy treat.

6 8 C o s m o p o lit a n N o v e m b e r 2020
 e direc
n th tio
he n
w
E S WA N N

s
D

u
DU A

o
for y
are co
e box nf KNOW
u
th

si
here

on

ng
as h e ll.
re
e’
W
“ W hy d o q u e e f s
h a p p e n, a n d d o
wo m e n f e e l
awk ward when
t h ey d o? ”

A queef, or a lit-
tle toot from the
vagina, is just the
sound of trapped
air escaping. It
can happen for a
buncha reasons,
like switching
positions, natural
WAPness, or just
anatomy. It’s not a
big deal, so don’t
make it one!
“Semen
f a c i a l s ”: “I f c o n d o m s a r e
98 p e r c e n t
actually
e f f e c t i v e, d o e s
good for
that mean a 2
y o u?
percent chance
o f p r e g n a n c y? ”

Male condoms
Listen, while ppl
actually have an
have definitely 18 percent failure
used weirder stuff rate with typical
use (aka not fol-
in the name of
lowing the exact
glowy skin (look- instructions on the
ing at you, snail box), meaning that
“18 pregnancies
mucin), just don’t per 100 women
with semen. There’s will occur within
the possibility of a year,” says Dr.
King. The lower
an allergic reac- failure rate of
tion to the proteins around 2 percent
in sperm—or even applies only to
“perfect use.” If you
transmission of wanna be extra
STIs like HIV or safe, use condoms
syphilis through with other forms
of BC, like oral
any breaks in contraceptive
your facial skin, options or an IUD.
explains Dr. King.
So, yeah, I repeat: “Is eating ass
b a d f o r yo u? ”
Are there not worth it.
any household Unfortunately, it
can potentially
products lead to transmis-
I can safely use sion of pathogens
like hepatitis A for
a s l u b e? both the receiver
You’re better off sticking to stuff actually made (and tested!)
and the giver, says
for this purpose. But according to Octavia Cannon, DO, Dr. King. Grab
an ob-gyn in Charlotte, North Carolina, pure coconut oil a dental dam to
keep it clean and
is likely the safest option from your pantry. Just don’t use it
minimize the risk
with latex condoms, as it can weaken the material. for you both.

N o v e m b e r 2020 C o s m o p o lit a n 69
lust

Can we please stop trail was so steep that

it was basically rock
climbing. Our hands
pretending to match’s head than
had to touch the
ground!!! I finished

like hiking dates?

with their face (which the trek, but slowly,
is already 50 percent and my date was
covered by a mask). obviously annoyed.
For sale: hiking boots, Second, it’s incredibly Afterward, he
never worn. ( JK, never even owned them.) hard to focus on stopped responding
anything they’re to my texts. (At
By ERI K A W. SM ITH
saying when you have least I made it back
beads of boob sweat though—traveling
running down your miles away to
stomach. And most “explore nature” with
important: How are a stranger just sounds,
IDK, really risky?
Maybe I’ve seen
one too many scary
movies, but I, for one,
would like to live.)

Sorr y, but enjoying hiking is not

Yet somehow,
someway, despite all
this, hiking dates have

a personalit y trait.
become A Thing That
Will Not Go Away,
regardless of the time
of year. Like, come
on, fall is the season
of cute sweaters!
And PSLs! And
flannel! I’d rather
Let’ not trade my hardly
ss
tic
k
worn cardigans for
to

actually-meant-for-
fla
tg

sports athleisure. And

rou

I would definitely
n
d, s h a l l w e?

rather get to know

someone via a cozy
picnic in the park
you supposed to with hot beverages
utter the words “So, because doesn’t that
to my Jim.” But the tell me about your just sound NICE?
most aggravating birth chart?” when Sincerely talking
cliché of all: “must you can barely catch to someone face-to-
be adventurous.” your breath? face sans extraneous
Translation: must I once went on a activity or distracting
enjoy hiking. COVID-19 has rudely hiking date under the “vista” is a revolution-
I mean, sure, paused live music and guise that it would be ary idea, I know.
If you’ve ever I guess hiking is a happy-hour meetups. a “leisurely, casual But I’m not the only
opened a dating perfectly fine hobby But people, it is so not walk uphill.” Reader: one. Jump on my
app, you’re all to do with friends the move for a date. It was not. Part of the Cancel Hiking Dates
too familiar with
C O U R T E S Y H U L U.

or whatever. Maybe For starters, 2020 World Tour

profiles that proclaim even more so now that you wind up more and help me spread
“6'3" if it matters” or acquainted with the the word—one left
“Looking for the Pam back of your Tinder swipe at a time.

7 0 C o s m o p o lit a n N o v e m b e r 2020
 M U LT I - F U N C T I O N
POWER TOWER

BLUETOOTH INDOOR TRAINING BIKE

W I T H M YC LO U D F I T N E S S A P P

BLUETOOTH ROWING MACHINE WITH B L U E T O O T H C A R D I O S TA I R S T E P P E R

M YC LO U D F I T N E S S A P P W I T H M YC LO U D F I T N E S S A P P

Get that 6-pack with this 4-pack

Your Complete Home Gym For Less
Vintage Jean Paul Gaultier top, Pechuga Vintage. Lisa Says Gah T-shirt.
PH5 shorts. Oma the Label earrings. Ariana Boussard-Reifel ring.
2.0 Barbie

movie Unpregnant subver ts basically ever y single te en

P s s t : Yo u k n o w w h a t w i l l l o o k v g o o d o n y o u ? V o t i n g .
A n d ye ah, a ls o t his 2020 e l e c t io n t e e, a limit e d - e dit io n c o ll a b
Words by JEN ORTIZ

Photographs by PEGGY SIROTA

Fashion by CHRIS HORAN

Euphoria breakout star Barbie Ferreira—whose new

stereot ype you’ve ever se en onscre en—is too

real to play into that Holly wood bullshit. That’s what

makes her so damn watchable.

b e t we e n Cosm o an d Lis a S a ys G ah. I t ’s m o re t h an just a civic a ll y

min d e d f as hio n st a t e m e nt t h o u gh: Lis a S a ys G ah will d o n a t e

50 p e rc e nt o f s a l e p ro c e e ds t o High e r H eight s L e a d e rs hip Fun d,

a n o np ro f it t h a t b o ost s B l a c k wo m e n in p o lit ic s.

Avail a b l e a t Lis aS a ys G ah.c o m.

N o v e m b e r 20 20 C o s m o p o l i t a n 73
O k a y, s o
I r e a l l y d o n’t
want
to make this a story about Barbie
Ferreira’s body. About how she is
“soft, fleshy, bountiful” (L.A. Times,
September 2020) and has “learned to
embrace her curves” (Daily Mail, the
day after this photo shoot). About what
it’s like to “be whittled down to your
most marketable, tokenized parts”
(Them., September 2019) or whether
“the term ‘plus-size model’—is that
something you are okay with?” (W, a
hundred years ago, in March 2016).
And yet here I am, using the open-
ing lines of the 23-year-old’s first
major magazine cover story to talk
about her body.
Because here’s the thing: It’s all a
fucking trap. The pointing out, the
celebrating, the implicit messaging:
This not-thin woman is thriving! Can
you believe it?! Yes, it is important to
see someone like Barbie. To have her
body pointed out and celebrated. To
message to other women—especially
women who, like me, look more like
Barbie than not—that, Oh, shit, yeah,
you can thrive too. Just watching
Barbie exist does something (not
everything but something) to counter-
act the years of hiding your upper
arms, of spending your allowance on
diet pills, of standing in the back-
ground of group pics doing that thing
where you stick out your head like
E.T. so that, if you’re lucky, you’ll look
just a little bit smaller.
Barbie gets this too. She knows
that her body’s mere existence in
Hollywood is a balm. How relieving,
how energy-shifting, how so-good-it’s-
almost-numbing it is to see someone
you can relate to in an ad, on TV, in a
movie. But that doesn’t mean it’s fair.
It doesn’t make it okay that even
though she’d really like to Finally
Move On to something else—her ambi-
tions, maybe…her talent, her actual
work—she has to keep talking about
her body. Which means I do too, at
least for some of this story.
But anyway, here’s something that
has zero to do with it: Barbie’s top-
billing role in this fall’s Unpregnant.
It’s a road-trip buddy comedy…about
abortion. And honestly, it’s great.
Warm and fuzzy and legit really
funny. Also real. “Normalizing abor-
tion is what we have to do,” Barbie says
matter-of-factly, under the glow of
string lights in her L.A. kitchen during
our midday Zoom. “Society puts this
pressure on people who are getting
abortions, that they should feel a lot of
guilt and shame and really emotional
about it. Most people are just relieved.”
Barbie plays Bailey, quirky high
school loner and ex–best friend of
Veronica (played by Haley Lu
Richardson), the Insta-perfect popular
senior. They reconnect when Veronica
realizes she’s pregnant and needs to
travel across several states for an
 Mugler dress. Ariana Boussard-Reifel ring.

“Even if I was screaming

fro m t h e mount aint o ps,
it was only used
f o r m a r k e t i n g .”

abortion. Veronica’s crew is too judgy,

her parents too religious, to ask for
help, and Bailey has a car.
I know what you’re thinking, and
no, it’s not one of those roles—the
one-dimensional character whose
insecurities are used for laughs or to
affirm the pretty lead. Bailey is com-
plex, with her own full backstory and
plotline. And most important: “My
character was not based on her body
whatsoever,” says Barbie. The role of
Bailey didn’t include a body type—
neither the fanciful kind (“fluffy”) nor
the literal kind (“overweight, loud, and
sassy”), both of which Barbie has seen
written into character descriptions.
Anyone, in theory, could be Bailey. “It
was really great not to talk about—or
act out—my body for once,” she adds.
Especially since, for Barbie, it’s
always been about acting, even before
she became a full-time model at age
18. Specifically a “plus-size” model,
not that the label was all that authen-
tic. As a size 10, she’d have to bring
padding to photo shoots to fit into the
clothes she was asked to model for
Adidas, H&M, Target, Missguided,
ASOS, and other brand campaigns
with “plus-size” lines. When she
gained weight and hit size 14, “people
were telling me to lose weight—are you
kidding?” she remembers, her hands

N o v e m b e r 20 20 C o s m o p o l i t a n 75
punctuating each exasperated word.
“The whole time, I’d been talking
about being yourself and no one was
listening. I understood, at that
moment, that even if I was screaming
from the mountaintops, it was only
used for marketing.”
Still, she kept screaming, and her
outspokenness—especially in inter-
views with fashion publications—
about the industry’s treatment of
non-tiny bodies catapulted her into a
different kind of spotlight. She was
one of Time’s “most influential teens”
of 2016 and became a front woman for
the body-positivity movement. That
influence? Still there. Earlier this year,
she signed on to be the first-ever face
of Becca Cosmetics—on her own
terms, tyvm. “I told them: I’m not
interested in a beauty contract or
beauty company that’s not going to be
catering to people other than white,
cis, straight folks,” she recalls, her
brows furrowing in a way that says,
Hi, hello, don’t you get how obvious this
is? “That’s not what I’m interested in
because I don’t think that’s what
beauty is. In fact, I want to see less of
that. It’s already taking up so much
space in the world. Why don’t we try
something new?”
That just might have been the
moment when those paying attention
woke up—to see that while much of
Barbie’s career had been about her
body and that, okay, her body would
probably still play into future chap-
ters, it would no longer be THE thing.
There was actually already so much
else going on: the *real* stuff that
makes her so electric. Like her…how
do I put this…charm, maybe, if
“charm” didn’t sound like something
your grandmother would say.
Charisma? Feels stuffy too. It’s what-
ever you’d call what she’s wearing
 “A s a n e l d e r G e n Z , w e ’v e
gotten our fair share of bad
t im es. I m e an, my f irst d a y
o f k i n d e r g a r t e n w a s 9/11.”
today, which is basically the embodi-
ment of typing “indie girl aesthetic”
into the Pinterest search bar: an
oversize black T-shirt with a cigarette-
smoking Frankenstein on the front
layered over washed-out-floral
Gaultier long sleeves; a messy-but-
not-messy topknot; a silver safety-pin
necklace; one silver half-moon earring
dangling from her left ear. She’s
dressed for Zoom, which means I
wasn’t supposed to see her bottom
half, but when she moves to sit on
the couch, there they are: Team
Ravenclaw basketball shorts. (Also
offscreen: a new tattoo. “It’s a spiral
on my butt,” she says nonchalantly.
“A spiral for my quarantine spiral.”
Her girlfriend, musician Elle Puckett,
did it with the at-home stick-and-poke
kit Barbie gifted Elle for her birthday.)
It all points to a chill-girl vibe, even
though she admittedly can’t do any-
thing in a chill way. “I either do it too
much or I don’t do it at all,” she con-
fesses, before launching into details
about her casual Animal Crossing
addiction. “I had to give myself dead-
lines because I’d be so caught up that
it would be, like, 4 a.m. It’s ridiculous
that I even spent this much time on
this game. Because you have to do
every single little thing by hand. By
hand, I mean by Nintendo Switch.
Here’s a little waterfall area….”
Being just a tad obsessive and deal-
ing with a lot of anxiety is sort of in her
DNA (which, if you can’t relate, I don’t
believe you). “As an elder Gen Z, we’ve
Hervé Léger dress. Cled earrings.
gotten our fair share of bad times,”
says Barbie. “I mean, my first day of
kindergarten was 9/11. We were the
guinea pigs of the internet—you’re 11,
and the darkness of the entire world is
just packed into your computer and
you’re scrolling through it.” Growing
up, she was on everything: Tumblr,
LiveJournal, Neopets, RuneScape,
Xanga. “That had to do something to
my brain,” she continues. “I mean, I
got crippling anxiety. A lot of depres-
sion issues, eating issues, paranoias,
and just weird things that I’m one
thousand percent certain are from the
internet. I don’t know if we’re designed
to do that…to chat online with strang-
ers when you’re 9. God knows who I
was talking to.”
Then there’s her family backstory,
the sort of familiar, aspirational
American dream that up until recently
still felt like a real possibility. Barbie
was raised by her Brazilian single
mother, with an aunt and grandma
playing backup childcare while her
mom, now a private chef, balanced
culinary school and a grueling restau-
rant job. “It was hard,” Barbie says,
“but Grandma was there, filling my
brain with made-up stories.”
“She just embellishes things,”
shoots back Barbie’s mom, Janaina,
who’s just FaceTimed into our Zoom.
“Mom, Grandma used to say that
she had brunch with Gisele
Bündchen,” Barbie responds.
When Barbie first left New York to
move to L.A., Janaina would FaceTime
her twice a day just to say hi—and to
make sure Barbie was still alive. “If I
didn’t answer, she was going to call me
back six times,” Barbie laughs. “Yes,
Mom, I love talking to you, but I’m
going to forget to call you back, and it
doesn’t mean I’m dead.” It’s a cultural
difference, Barbie explains, a first-
generation-American-kid thing that I
(and my missed-call log) know all too
well: Our parents just don’t get why
we’re not picking up the phone all the
time or living at home or coming over
for dinner every single night. Like
N o v e m b e r 20 20 C o s m o p o l i t a n 77

when her mom visits and Barbie offers
to put her up at a nice hotel or Airbnb
but Janaina cries because she wants to
stay with Barbie, even if that means
sleeping on the couch.
Right now, they haven’t seen each
other since Christmas, the longest
they’ve ever been apart. “I like to
believe that I’m a friend of yours,”
Janaina says. “And I know when
things are serious, for the good or for
the bad, I’m the first person you talk
to.” Yes, the fantasy of actually being
friends with your mom seems real for
them. I can feel it three screens
removed. Even when Barbie shows
off the recipe-blog-esque stuffed
peppers she’s been cooking during
our interview and her mom replies
that she doesn’t like stuffed peppers;
she prefers stuffed zucchini.
And then there’s this, the simplest
but most urgent reason you can’t look
away from Barbie: her innate talent. “I
was a very, dare I say, empathic kid,”
she says, “and maybe, dare I say,
extremely emotional.” Acting was the
only thing that got her out of those
feels. She did the drama thing, and
after school, she’d rehearse for plays
with the local Boys & Girls Club, drag-
ging her grandma to auditions “even
though my grandma didn’t speak
English, didn’t know where she was.”
At age 21, Barbie auditioned for the
role of Euphoria’s Kat Hernandez, like,
10 times before it was down to her and
one other actress. “I have never in my
life been more anxious,” she says. “I
was literally exploding. I couldn’t even
move most of the day because I was
just like, I need this. If nothing else, give
me this, give me this and that’s it.”
She got the call—technically, three
missed calls from her agent, her man-
ager, and the casting director—while
in therapy. “I was like, ‘Carol, Imma
have to answer this,’” Barbie says with
a laugh. “She’s like, ‘I’ll be here for you
regardless of the decision.’ And I’m
like, I love Carol.”
If you’ve watched the show (and I
know you have), you get why she was
the one cast. Barbie never looks like
she’s trying. All the grit, the work,
the overthinking required to bring
a complicated character like Kat to
life is both obvious and not-at-all in
her performance.
She probably couldn’t have pulled
off any of that if she weren’t grounded
in such realism. In a media-trained
world of evasive answers and people-
pleasing, her authenticity is a word
better than “refreshing.” Like how
point-blank she is about her worries
that opportunities like Euphoria and
Unpregnant, for her or for anyone
who isn’t the traditional Hollywood
body type, won’t be around forever.
(Yeah, sorry, back to body stuff, just
for a second.) “That it’s not going
to be ‘trendy’ anymore,” she says.
“That brands are still going to find
people who are the thinnest version
possible of something.”
Or like how she talks about her most
top-of-mind worry this year: the elec-
tion. It scares the shit out of Barbie
(her words), and it should scare the
shit out of everyone enough to go vote
(again, her words). “In the years since
Trump was elected, I’ve noticed how
popular very, very hateful beliefs are,”
Barbie says, looking up at the ceiling,
choosing her words carefully. “It’s a
disservice to oneself to think that
everyone thinks the way you do. It’s
F O R S H O P P I N G I N F O R M AT I O N , G O TO C O S M O P O L I TA N .C O M .
more apparent now than ever in my
life that I am living in a different
world than a lot of people.”
“We think we’re the greatest coun-
try, we think we’re perfect, we think
we’re the land of the free, but
Vivienne Westwood custom top. Story Mfg. pants.
White/Space Jewelry earrings.
Hair: Ken Paves using STYLD by Ken Paves.
Makeup: Kali Kennedy at Forward Artists using
Becca Cosmetics. Manicure: Queenie Nguyen
at Nailing Hollywood for MiniLuxe.
Props: Danielle Von Braun for Art Department.

“ Ye s , M o m , I l o v e t a l k i n g
t o y o u, b u t I ’m g o i n g t o
forget to call you back, and
i t d o e s n ’t m e a n I ’m d e a d .”
inherently, we’re not,” she continues.
“We’re disillusioned about the coun-
try. I think that’s where Gen Z gets a
lot of the angst and the sadness and
the mental neuroses. We still haven’t
reckoned with this.” (That might
explain the Juul she keeps reflexively
inhaling from. She did quit, by the
way—she even publicly announced
on Instagram that she was quitting
alongside her Euphoria costar Hunter
Schafer, but “now I’m back,” she says.
“It’s an addiction that I am working
on. I am not a perfect person.”)
Right now, like so many of us,
Barbie’s taking solace in her friends,
especially when it comes to facing
those hateful beliefs or the personal
attacks they breed. Her bestie, the
actress Rowan Blanchard, says,
“So many people feel like they can
speak on everybody’s life. But I love to
remind Barbie, ‘You’re fucking awe-
some, dude. You’re amazing. You’re so
talented. You’re so smart. You’re so
beautiful.’ You need somebody to be
your mirror sometimes, you know?”
That’s it, that’s Barbie: a mirror. Our
mirror, our solace. Bearing witness to
her getting asked about, judged on,
and talked about in terms of only her
physical form triggers something
inside of us. Here come all of our own
lingering fears and discomforts that
are right below the surface. The fear
of not being considered worthy
enough, the discomfort of not feeling
wanted enough. The ones that never
really go away. But to see Barbie say
fuck that—to see her push through it,
to take up as much space as she
wants…it’s proof that the only shit
that has to matter is the shit we allow
to matter. And it’s relief you never
expected, not because you didn’t know
you needed it. But because you never
thought you’d get it.
N o v e m b e r 20 20 C o s m o p o l i t a n 79

ridiculously thorough,
voting
FIRST TIME
Yo u d i d n’t t h i n k
we’d let you go
through this alone,
did you? Helping
women navigate
their first time is kind
of our thing. This
year, it’s also our
civic dut y.
Especially since
you might miss out.
For whatever rea-
son, people 65
years of age and
older are getting in
on the action at
more than t wice
the rate of those
bet ween 18 and 24.
And the rumor is that
this year, that gap
may only widen.
8 0 C o s m o p o l i t a n N o v e m b e r 20 20
Yo u r t o t a l l y c o m p r e h e n s i v e,
*maybe-even-too-detailed*
guide to
FOR THE
in 2020
By R AC H E L M OS E LY
We get it—it can
be hard to know
where to even start. ductive rights and
(Ahem, next page.) civil rights and
A quick search health care and
online for “how to student debt and
vote” turns up an whatever issue is
overwhelming important to you.
2 billion results. Meaning: Now is the
And absentee - most important time
ballot-related ques- to actually Do It.
tions mean sifting To help make
through millions the process less
(yes, millions) of intimidating, we’ve
answers. Not to broken down every-
mention trying to fig- thing you need to
ure out what voting know to cast your
even is in the weird- ballot so you can
ness that is *ges- keep your eyes on
tures wildly around the prize: experi-
the room* this. encing firsthand Illustrations by T YLER SPANGLER
Here’s exactly that voting just feels
what it is: a chance really, really good.
to take decisive You ready?
action on climate
change and repro - Photographs by TYLER JOE

WHERE
TO
EVEN
start
A plan will make everything better. Promise.
M AKE SURE YOU’RE LEGAL
Get registered or deal with any issues now so you
don’t miss out just because of some paperwork.
IF YOU’RE NOT SURE IF
YOU’RE REGISTERED:
Double - check at Head
Count.org. If there’s an
issue with your status,
the site will direct you to
your state’s voter page,
where you can find con-
tact info for who to call.
IF YOU’RE NOT
REGISTERED:
In most states, there are
three ways to do it: in
person, by mail, or online
(which, if you can go
this route, takes less than
t wo minutes). To figure
out the best choice for
you, head to USVote
Foundation.org. You can
register there too.
IF YOU’RE NOT SURE IF
YOU’RE ELIGIBLE:
Many people believe that
felons can’t vote, but
that’s not entirely true.
Some states restore citi-
zens’ right to vote after
their sentence is finished.
To find out more, check
out CampaignLegal.org/
RestoreYourVote.
I F YO U ’ R E D E F I N I T E LY
REGISTERED:
Cool, but you haven’t
moved states since you
signed up, right? If so,
you’ll need to register
again where you
currently live.
IF YOU NEED TO
CHANGE
SOMETHING:
If you moved within your
state or changed your
name, you’ll need to
update your registration.
The t wo easiest ways to
do this, depending on
where you live: online
at your state’s election
site or by mail (nearly
every state accepts the
National Mail Voter
Ballotpedia.org for a sample ballot
Registration Form).
and key info about the people and
Want to swap political
parties? Same rules,
but part y affiliation
doesn’t affect your abilit y
to vote for whomever
you want in November’s
general election, so you I f vo t i n g by m a i l, m a ke s u r e
can do this later.
If not, call your board of elections
IF YOU MISSED THE
DEADLINE:
Did you though? The cut-
off for online or mail-in
registration is sometimes
earlier than in-person
(check page 84 for your
state’s deadlines). Also,
19 states and D.C. have
“same - day” registration,
which means you can
register to vote in person
on November 3. Other-
wise, if you did miss it See at left for info on how to make
miss it, check in with
your local election office
any way. Because of
COVID -19, the rules are
always shifting and it’s
possible your state may
extend the deadline.
H E Y, D O Y O U L I V E
IN NORTH DAKOTA?
If so, you just got luck y.
It’s the only state that
doesn’t require (any!)
voter registration.
All you need to do is
show up to your polling
place with an ID. Oh,
and hey, you’ll also
THE
need proof of residence
STEPS YOU or DOB if either is not
CANNOT on your identification.
SKIP
RIGHT NOW
Re g is t e r t o vo t e
If you’re a U.S. citizen who
will be at least 18 years old by ALSO NOW
Election Day, you should be
D e c i d e i f yo u’r e g o i n g
eligible, so go ahead and sign
t o vo t e by m a i l o r i n p e r s o n
up right now (we’ll wait).
Both are great choices, despite
what you may have heard. We’ll
help you decide right over here.
Y E P, S T I L L N O W
I f vo t i n g by m a i l, r e q u e s t
yo u r a b s e n t e e b a l l o t
YOU GU ESSED IT: N OW
If you don’t live in a state that
I f vo t i n g i n p e r s o n,
automatically mails you an
application or ballot, there’s a
s e e i f yo u c a n vo t e e a r l y
cutoff on when you can ask for Prime time at the polls is
one. More info on page 87. November 3, which means that
if you can vote before then, you’re
less likely to encounter lines.
C I R C A O C T O B E R 13 ( A N D U P
UNTIL YOU CAST YOUR BALLOT)
O C TO B E R 14 (O R AT L E A S T T WO
D o yo u r p r e p
WEEKS BEFORE NOVEMBER 3)
There’s voting and there’s voting
See if your boss will give
*well*. To do the latter, check out
yo u E l e c t i o n D a y o f f
In some places, employers must
issues you’ll be voting on. allow time off by law (anywhere
from one to four hours); sometimes
it’s even paid. Check yours
at WorkplaceFairness
.org/voting-rights-time-off-work.
BY OCTOBER 20
Worst case, you can still vote,
and most polls have early
yo u’ve g o t yo u r b a l l o t and late hours.
so they can track it (do *not* go
online and request another one,
since that could make it look like BY OCTOBER 22
you’re tr ying to vote t wice). M a i l i n yo u r a b s e n t e e
Google “[your count y] board of
b a l l o t i f y o u h a v e n’t a l r e a d y
elections phone number” to get
In some states, you have up until
their contact info.
Election Day, but this year, due to
~USPS drama~, experts suggest
sending it in 10 mailing days
before November 3. Then guess
BY OCTOBER 26
what? You’re done!
I R L vo t e r s: D o u b l e - c h e c k
y o u r r e g is t r a t i o n s t a t u s
P R O P S T Y L I S T: M E L I S S A S TA M M E R .
sure your name is on the list. NOVEMBER 1
L i n e u p yo u r l a s t - m i n u t e
vo t i n g d e t a i l s
Things like where your polling
NOVEMBER 3
place is, if you need an ID
Vo t e, vo t e, vo t e! (check at NCSL.org), and what
This is it, the final thing! time you plan to go.
You’re all set (at least, until the
midterms in 2022).
 FIND YOUR METHOD
A flowchart to help you decide whether
in-person or mail-in suits you best.

START

A r e y o u e l i g i b l e t o v o t e a b s e n t e e?
( Fl i p a h e a d f o r a s e c a n d c h e c k
o n p a g e 8 6.)

Okay, so, no. Sure am!

A n d w h a t a b o u t d e a d l i n e s, d o y o u
Does the idea of mailing
have enough time to request a ballot
a b a l l o t m a ke y o u n e r v o u s?
a n d m a i l i t b a c k? ( We’v e g o t t h a t
i n f o f o r y o u t o o o n p a g e s 87 a n d 89.)
Yep. Nope.
Well, damn, no. Looks like it.

A r e y o u 10 0 p e r c e n t s u r e Do you live in a highly

y o u c a n m a ke i t t o t h e p o l l s? p o p u l a t e d a r e a?
A ny c h a n c e y o u a r e
immunocompromised
Um…. Absolutely. Not really. You could or live with someone
def say that. w h o i s?

Thankfully, no. Actually,

yes.

I s i t b e c a u s e: Is having access to
a p o l l w o r ke r
i m p o r t a n t t o y o u?
You can’t get You’re out
off work? of state?
Now that Eh.
you mention
it, yes. Wo r s t c a s e, y o u w o u l d
Have you actually r a t h e r d e a l w i t h…
a s ke d y o u r b o s s?
A long line. A crappy
Not yet, but I did and printer.
I’m willing to the answer
call in sick in was no.
the name of
democracy.

IN PERSON BY MAIL

T U R N T O PAG E 8 4 T U R N T O PAG E 8 6
for a breakdown of what to do for an easy step-by-step on
(and not do) when you show up. casting an absentee ballot.

N o v e m b e r 20 20 C o s m o p o l i t a n 83
 SAFE

How to

for you.
heading

Call your
While not
DO IT IN

across the
available,
VOTING

fill out your

the crowds.
are offering
country that
YOUR CAR
to the polls.

the ability to

ballot, avoid
super widely

it’s an option
vote from the
health when

curb. Pull up,

local election
PR ACTICE

office to see if
there are defi-
nitely counties
prioritize your

IS...
YOU R

DEADLINE
R EG IS T R AT I O N
WEAR
HOW TO DO IT

DON’T
STRESS
at polling

shield too.

T O U C H Y-
one. Many

respect the
6-feet rule.
lutely wear

OVER THE
ask anyone

handle, the
convince the
bling up and
suggest dou-
experts even
should abso-

diately after.
machine, the

just use hand

Not all states

and should—
in front of you
require masks

around you to
that science is

F E E LY S T U F F
And while you
probably can’t

barefaced guy
PROTECTION

ballot, a pen—
wearing a face
places, but you

real, you can—

sanitizer imme-
Touch what you
need—the door
There’s nothing wrong with
the old-fashioned way.

PEOPLE
Nonpeak
MILLION

then. Even
so try to go
MÉNAGE À
AVO I D T H E

early voting,

vent crowds.

will pop right

click needed.
and D.C. offer
midafternoon,

Google “[your

ing” and a box

state] early vot-

up with info, no
hours tend to be

better: 42 states

which helps pre-

A L A B A M A : 10/19 i n p e r s o n,
b y m a i l, o r o n l i n e; A L A S K A :
10/3 b y m a i l, 10/4 i n p e r -
s o n o r o n l i n e; A R I Z O N A :
10/5 i n p e r s o n, b y m a i l, o r
o n l i n e; A R K A N S A S : 10/5
i n p e r s o n o r b y m a i l;
C A L I F O R N I A : 10/19 b y m a i l
o r o n l i n e, 11/3 i n p e r s o n;
C O L O R A D O : 10/2 6 b y m a i l
in person

o r o n l i n e, 11/3 i n p e r s o n;
C O N N E C T I C U T: 10/2 7 b y
m a i l o r o n l i n e, 11/3 i n p e r -
s o n; D E L AWA R E : 10/10 i n
p e r s o n, b y m a i l, o r o n l i n e;
D.C . : 10/13 b y m a i l o r
o n l i n e, 11/3 i n p e r s o n;
F L O R I D A : 10/5 i n p e r s o n, b y
m a i l, o r o n l i n e; G E O R G I A :
10/5 i n p e r s o n, b y m a i l, o r
o n l i n e; H AWA I I : 10/5 b y
m a i l o r o n l i n e, 11/3 i n p e r -
s o n; I D A H O : 10/9 b y m a i l
o r o n l i n e, 11/3 i n p e r s o n;
I L L I N O I S : 10/6 b y m a i l,
10/18 o n l i n e, 11/3 i n p e r -
s o n; I N D I A N A : 10/5 i n
p e r s o n, b y m a i l, o r o n l i n e;
I O WA : 10/19 b y m a i l,
10/2 4 o n l i n e, 11/3 i n p e r -
s o n; K A N S A S : 10/13 i n
p e r s o n, b y m a i l, o r o n l i n e;
K E N T U C K Y: 10/5 i n p e r s o n,
b y m a i l, o r o n l i n e; L O U I S I -
A N A : 10/5 i n p e r s o n o r b y
m a i l, 10/13 o n l i n e; M A I N E :

Illustration by SARAH CONRAD-FERM

10/13 b y m a i l, 11/3 i n
 p e r s o n; M A R Y L A N D : 10/13
b y m a i l o r o n l i n e, 11/3 i n
p e r s o n; M A S S A C H U S E T T S :
10/2 4 i n p e r s o n, b y m a i l, o r
o n l i n e; M I C H I G A N : 10/19
b y m a i l o r o n l i n e, 11/3 i n
p e r s o n; M I N N E S O TA : 10/13
b y m a i l o r o n l i n e, 11/3 i n
p e r s o n; M I S S I S S I P P I : 10/5

cast.
i n p e r s o n o r b y m a i l; M I S -

locator.
THE LIST
ISN’T ON

is officially
don’t leave

happened.
provisional
Check your

ballot. That
S O U R I : 10/7 i n p e r s o n, b y

to request a
Regardless,
you’re in the

Once every-
thing checks
at Vote.org/

allows you to
wrong place.

vote while the

polling-place-
YOUR NA ME

It might be that

without voting!
You’ll just need

looks into what

out, your ballot

election official
polling location
m a i l, o r o n l i n e; M O N TA N A :
10/2 6 b y m a i l, 11/3 i n p e r -
s o n; N E B R A S K A : 10/16 b y
m a i l o r o n l i n e, 10/2 3 i n p e r -
s o n; N E VA D A : 10/6 b y m a i l,
10/2 9 o n l i n e, 11/3 i n p e r -
s o n; N E W H A M P S H I R E :
b e t w e e n 10/21 a n d 10/2 8 b y
m a i l ( v a r i e s b y t o w n), 11/3 i n FO
R
YO U R

p e r s o n; N E W J E R S E Y: 10/13 N W

instead.
O
a driver’s
NAME IS

on-site and
i n p e r s o n, b y m a i l, o r o n l i n e;
if you bring

HE

let you vote.

identity, like

sional ballot
staff will cor-
G
MISSPELLED

proof of your

N
license, pass-

to file a provi-
may be asked
in most cases,
by county, but

ID, the election

It varies county

port, or student

Otherwise, you
rect the mistake
N E W M E X I C O : 10/6 b y m a i l IT IN
’S G
o r o n l i n e, 10/31 i n p e r s o n; 1.
TO CL
N E W YO R K : 10/9 i n p e r s o n, G E
E
Hey, rookie mistakes happen.

BE AR
D E A L I N G W I T H AW K WA R D

b y m a i l, o r o n l i n e; N O R T H
Ch T A A LY
liv eck H E A Q
C A R O L I N A : 10/9 b y m a i l o r (i. e wa yo u D O UI
o n l i n e, 10/31 i n p e r s o n;
e. i r
, k t-ti co F CK
no me un I T IE
N O R T H D A KO TA : N /A ; w t
h o d a t y ’s w
O H I O : 10/5 i n p e r s o n, b y w a
2. ma , so ebs
m a i l, o r o n l i n e; O K L A H O M A : 5 ny yo it e
YOU

M sn u c to s

leave.
10/9 i n p e r s o n o r b y m a i l; e
THING

Al IN ac an
l p e
It’s called

U ks
distance of

cover it up.
Otherwise,
O R E G O N : 10/13 i n p e r s o n,
WEARING

Some states

take it off or
pe for TE to lan if it “[insert your

ting asked to
o S p

you’ll risk get-

tioneering.” If
“passive elec-

m
to wear shirts,
SHOWED UP

you’re rocking
THE WRONG

date’s name],”
favorite candi-
that tout a spe-

polling places.
cific candidate

something with
don’t allow you

hats, or buttons

within a certain

b y m a i l, o r o n l i n e; P E N N S Y L- sin ple ak IN ac acc has

FI RS T-T I M E S I T UAT I O N S

ce ar ing k ). o r
VA N I A : 10/19 i n p e r s o n, b y th o di
ng
at und frie ly
m a i l, o r o n l i n e; R H O D E ca n
n b you ds w
I S L A N D : 10/4 i n p e r s o n, b y 3. e s , bu ith
15 ee t t
m a i l, o r o n l i n e; S O U T H C A R - n a avo he s
If M s i d o
O L I N A : 10/2 i n p e r s o n, 10/4 y IN ele p cia
f r i o u’ UT cti olit lly
o n l i n e, 10/5 b y m a i l; S O U T H e r E S o ne ical dist
da nd e a
er a
D A KO TA : 10/19 i n p e r s o n o r
y. s a l l o w I N
M n in chitc nce
g.
ay d fa ed ha d
b y m a i l; T E N N E S S E E : 10/5 i n we mi to u t
p e r s o n, b y m a i l, o r o n l i n e; su ly to se
y
you up.

4. gg
FEELING

inside the

T E X A S : 10/5 i n p e r s o n o r b y es rem our

poll worker
time, let the
TO FINISH

p
a little extra

you get situ-

i
chances are

30
TOO LONG

newbie, and
booth. Since

to
PRESSURED

Some polling

three minutes

know you’re a

ing assistance
IT’S TAK IN G

M
AND YOU’RE

this is your first

ated and offer-

they’ll give you
locations allow

love by helping
each voter only

if anything trips

m a i l; U TA H : 10/2 3 b y m a i l Br ur nd t hon
us I N U Co he e
o r o n l i n e, 11/3 i n p e r s o n; W hu T sm m t , tex
s i x e Vo p o E S o G ha ty
V E R M O N T: 11/3 i n p e r s o n, IF t tod our
mi te a n w I N
nu h s t
b y m a i l, o r o n l i n e; V I R - te pp t at y ick ay’
er s th
s. o p ou s? e
G I N I A : 10/13 i n p e r s o n, b y la ’
5. n y re v
m a i l, o r o n l i n e; WA S H I N G - o ot
in
45 ur
T O N : 10/2 6 b y m a i l o r Go M I
en g fo
tir
o n l i n e, 11/3 i n p e r s o n; W E S T N
yo to U e b r wi
u r Iss T E
S
al th t
lo
V I R G I N I A : 10/13 i n p e r s o n, ca t in he
n a e l e c u eVo I N
YOU

b y m a i l, o r o n l i n e; W I S C O N - lso ted te jus

t
DIDN’T

BALLOT
ON THE

still count.

S I N : 10/14 b y m a i l o r o n l i n e,
a d o f r. c o
m
your phone
A C T U A L LY

info. Other-

what aligns
RESEARCH

to figure out
while voting

reflects your
which group
to VoteSmart

legislation, it

it blank. Your
cal beliefs. In

d c fic
i
.org for quick

t
comes to new
If you can use

o
can be harder
wise, you may
EVERY THING

other votes will

want to vote by
party based on

11/3 i n p e r s o n; W YO M I N G :
with your politi-

not ideal, leave

values. When it

that case, while

in all states), go

om al
(it’s not allowed

6. me wil see
10/19 b y m a i l, 11/3 i n p e r s o n N nt l ne leg
EA so e i
If RI n w d to slat
y he v io
t h o u’ N G
e r re ote n th
po sta e w T H
E
y ou on ( at
an lling f f if orrie 2 - sta yo
dc p th d H nd u
as lac ere you O U ).
t a es ar R
p r . I t e s c a n’ M A
o v ’s h t
isi p o or t e stic R K
on ssi r k

N o v e m b e r 20 20 C o s m o p o l i t a n
al bl lin it o
ba e y es u
l l o o u a t t, a s
t th ca ne k

85
er n s arb
ei ho y
ns
te w up
ad
.
 HOW
TO DO
IT

by mail
Not to peer pressure you but...a lot of people are doing it.

O K AY,
LET’S
GET
STARTED...

t ur e -
os if yo nt e .
s. m t e. ra
t n r u t lin e bs e l o u d ic ll fo
e n in o t a , o b
t, o n /a f il
a v
m l- t y ee re . ad ca e
g
r e m a i ’v e d u e n t o u l y . o r g t o l y ). u t ’s t e s uir
i e d o m
q u f e r yo u t a r a b
y s he
m ir
t ot
e
ee ab yo ll o t a re q
r e s o f y if mili n g i l t t e n o V u n ro b r e b a t e m e s e rs
a oi t yo (p m
h e t a t e o nl o n l ow
i m
y : D , go r m il it s u u r f- sta . So Oth
t , l l t e o o e t.
a k n y o u t u liv n g i
l t. -
t l s es e a 9. ca ne o fo a
e e ? A l t im l l e g a re D -1 ll o a t i o r o . I f n e s t n d m m o r i
m ht me co s VI u , u yo n
u i g s o a t a c e CO b a u t o s k sit e re q l y) a
m f
t i t o n s y o r e s i g I D.
o r r a a n i n e u
ge uct
e b h r
e
y
e d, b u t a y y p l o u t o u t es d to ctio e t h ob a l
o
y n w y yo yo u
r r , w n b y a e e t r u r r e o l l f
2
e y a t t l
y o n s t a n’ t s e d c t u a y o
1 s u gis t wa ’re m a d a ra
3
s e e p
e , e s l of u n it s ne t it ( i
k re t h e yo u e a r r rie q u u y o n e n c e c a a op
a r e y i f y o e n d f if
i t o ill g p ri n t h e yo u r y b it ’s t o c
M u a , b ke s ew R so rs O l o
hi ha w to o, v a f y h
i
Yo t in g e, l k . T yo n A n’ t , o f f e h i c h a v e a l d n l e s ve ri a p
t
vo c us sic r a n d o t e t, w n h A n e r u y t o b mi
ex all y f o sta llo the T h ar su
t
re t in g b a u’l l no u to
v o Y o yo
one go to get a
photocopy
made?
You can use
Mailform.io for
this too. Snap a
pic of your ID,
I’m not sure if Ugh, but I Wait, I missed A notary? upload it, and
my state is don’t have a the deadline Where the hell
they’ll get it to
cool with it. printer. to request a does one find
you overnight.
Here are the You may not ballot! a notary?
There’s also the
places that need one. First, see if you Read the fine option of using
*don’t* allow Some states can still snag print, as some-
an office sup-
it just because allow you to one in person at times a witness
plies store, like
you’re con- email your your local elec- (e.g., your
cerned about application tion office (that Staples, which
roommate) will
COVID-19: back. If that’s deadline is offers same-
suffice. If you
Indiana, not an option, sometimes do need a day document
Louisiana, before you hit later). If not, ask legit notary, printing that
Or a stamp.
Mississippi, up the library, them if there’s search online you can pick
Tennessee, use a site like So, having to anything you for “mobile up curbside.
and Texas. If Mailform.io, buy a few can do. You notary” to find
your state is which prints stamps isn’t might luck out: one who makes
on this list, and mails the that bad. You Many states are house calls.
turn back one documents for can do it from reporting
page for info you. Just your bed, your record-high
on in-person upload them couch, wher- absentee
voting. and enter your ever, through requests this
address. It the USPS year, and to
takes about online store. keep up with
15 seconds (we the volume,
tried it!). Worst they’re extend- BA D AT
case, you can ing deadlines. K E E PI N G T R AC K
always snag a O F A L L TH IS?
Set up a free account at
hard copy of
TurboVote.org so you’re reminded
a ballot request
of exactly what you need to do
form in person and when. Or just follow us on
at your local Instagram, where we’ll be
election office. cheerily spamming you with
updates all season, lol!

8 6 C o s m o p o l i t a n N o v e m b e r 20 20
 AL ABA M A: 10/29 in person or by
mail; AL ASK A: 10/24 in person, by
mail, or online; ARIZONA: applications
mailed automatically in October;
ARK ANSAS: 10/27 by mail, 11/2 in
person; CALIFORNIA: ballots mailed
automatically on 10/5; COLOR ADO:
ballots mailed automatically on 10/9;
CONNECTICUT: applications mailed
automatically in September; DEL AWARE:
applications mailed automatically in
September; D.C.: ballots mailed auto-
matically in October; FLORIDA: 10/24
in person, by mail, or online; GEORGIA:
10/30 in person, by mail, or online;
HAWAII: ballots mailed automatically
in October; IDAHO: 10/23 in person,
by mail, or online; ILLINOIS: applica-
tions mailed automatically in August;
INDIANA: 10/22 in person, by mail, or
online; IOWA: applications mailed auto-
matically in September; K ANSAS: 10/27
in person or by mail; KENTUCKY: 10/9
online, 10/27 in person or by mail;
LOUISIANA: 10/30 in person, by mail,
or online; M AINE: 10/29 in person, by
mail, or online; M ARYL AND: applica-
tions mailed automatically in August;
M ASSACHUSET TS: applications mailed
automatically in September; MICHIGAN:
applications mailed automatically in
early fall; MINNESOTA: 11/2 in person,
by mail, or online; MISSISSIPPI: no
deadline but recommended 10/27 in
person or by mail; MISSOURI: 10/21 by
mail, 11/2 in person; MONTANA: ballots
mailed automatically in some counties
on 10/9, other wise 11/2 in person or by
mail; NEBR ASK A: applications mailed
automatically in September; NEVADA:
ballots mailed automatically in Septem-
ber; NEW HA MPSHIRE: no deadline in
person, recommended 10/27 by mail;
NEW JERSEY: ballots mailed automati-
cally on 9/19; NEW MEXICO: applica-
tions mailed automatically in some
counties in early fall, other wise 10/20 in
person, by mail, or online; NEW YORK:
10/27 by mail or online, 11/2 in person;
NORTH CAROLINA: 10/27 in person, by
mail, or online; NORTH DAKOTA: ballots
mailed in some counties automatically
on 9/24, other wise 10/27 by mail;
OHIO: applications mailed automati-
cally in early fall; OKL AHOM A: 10/27 in
person, by mail, or online; OREGON:
ballots mailed automatically on 10/14;
PENNSYLVANIA: 10/27 in person,
by mail, or online; RHODE ISL AND:
applications mailed automatically in
September; SOUTH CAROLINA: 10/30
in person or by mail; SOUTH DAKOTA:
11/2 in person or by mail; TENNESSEE:
10/27 in person or by mail; TEX AS:
10/23 in person, by mail, or online;
UTAH: ballots mailed automatically
on 10/13; VER MONT: ballots mailed
automatically on 9/21; VIRGINIA:
10/23 by mail or online, 10/31 in
person; WASHINGTON: ballots
mailed automatically on 10/16;
WEST VIRGINIA: 10/28 in person,
by mail, or online; WISCONSIN:
applications mailed automatically in
early fall; W YOMING: 11/2 in person
or by mail

REQUEST
YOU R
ABSENTEE
B A L L O T B Y. . .

it e
up a c e liv
l u
ed k p yo
u di l a c o e r y if
s t r b , s ev and ill
t s, o u s e) i n , r e s w
en n y to u t e O h h a s e’
m e
ri e o t t e d d a ! ! ). ’ t s e e l
d ( n n
qu g ne a n p e , d o e o e d.
! re a n d o u k .
g n l o e m lifi
t h e s, ty a c u si nve e n t e h s o u a
o u all t sue ha b t
t yo e e bs wi is q
i n g g h d is t ’s w i l i that g th g a lot g d
h u n a e ! a l in
o n in
t t t hr t e s a y (t h vo t m e c k lu di vot r b a b e
4 F i ll
a
e
g nd
v ca pe
e
t h on ida e a ou
n
r
d
s ty
r
5 a
d
r i
A t t ou on t t o
c h
t
c
e
o o
a n p l e - o, i n a l s g y v o
i n u
u
r
te
s
BY TH E WAY,
u’ ca s e u y YO U C A N A L SO...
Yo t h e o in t n d J u ks y o m s. P of
n
o llp th a s s e t h Use a drop box. This method
r a th op o
ba fo i
w ve l in b lets you drive or walk your
go en sult ballot up to a designated
re location. No worrying about
it going missing.

So…I didn’t I’m having sec-

sign the ond thoughts.
envelope. If you’re sud-
Shit, Oh, great,
It’s a little tricky, denly wishing
I already made I missed
but you may be you could talk
a mistake. another to a poll worker
able to fix this.
Marked the Some states deadline. or just feeling
wrong candi- offer a ballot Actually, some generally over-
date? Spilled cure affidavit states allow whelmed by
coffee all over that addresses you to mail the whole
the place? missing signa- your ballot up doing-it-by-
Contact your tures. You’ll def- until November mail thing,
local election initely need to I’m worried my 3. And most you’re totally
office and call and talk states permit allowed to
ballot got lost.
they’ll help you to somebody you to hand- change your
get a new one. Many states deliver your
at the county mind as long as
The same rules offer a tracking absentee ballot
election office you haven’t
apply if you service so in person on
about this, already sent in
lose it. Also: that registered Election Day.
though, as it your ballot. On
Make sure your voters can You’ll just need
varies county Election Day,
signature follow their to check where
by county. go ahead and
matches what’s ballot’s path. you should hit the polls—
on file from Vote.org links drop it off, as just bring your
when you regis- to participat- it’s typically a blank absentee
tered. If you ing states’ county election ballot with you
already sent it websites. office and not so you can turn
back, call up— your usual poll- it in to election
you guessed ing place. staff, which
it—your elec- makes it clear
tion office; you’re not try-
20 states will ing to vote
allow you to twice.
“cure,” or fix,
your signature.

Illustrations by SARAH CONRAD-FERM N o v e m b e r 20 20 C o s m o p o l i t a n 87

 HOW
TO BE,
LIKE,

really good
at it
Give us five minutes to make you
the best voter in the room.

Wait, do I ha ve
to go down on…
t h e b a l l o t ? Yes, you do.

WHAT IT IS
“Down ballot” refers to everything you’ll be
voting for this election that doesn’t involve
Biden/Harris or Trump/Pence. Basically, local
and state races for things like senators and
school board members plus issues like legalizing
marijuana and abortion laws.

WHY IT M AT TERS
Of course picking the next president is impor-
tant, but issues at the state and local levels will
affect you in a more day-to - day way.

H OW TO PR E PA R E
Use Ballotpedia.org to see a sample of what your
ballot will look like. All you have to do is put in
your address. Then you can start researching
anyone running (*casually googles “what is a
magisterial judge”*) or any provisional issues
you’ll need to weigh in on.

AND NOW LET’S TAKE IT SIGN UP TO BE A ADVOCATE TO RUN FOR OFFICE

POLL WORKER MAKE VOTING A If you’ve been research-
TO THE NEXT LEVEL
The overwhelming N AT I O N A L H O L I D AY ing candidates and
A few advanced moves to get you even more involved. majorit y of poll workers feeling underwhelmed,
ElectionDay.org (an
are elderly citizens, initiative from Vote.org) maybe the change your
and this year, they’re at collaborates with compa- communit y needs is you.
high risk for COVID -19. nies around the country Here’s an example: Alex-
You, younger person, to advocate for paid andria Ocasio - Cortez,
will be responsible for Election Day leave. Go to who had little political
things like checking the site to find out if your experience and was a
in voters and demonstrat- employer is already bartender before she
ing how to use the involved—or if not, to decided to run for Con-
machines. Most poll sign them up! gress…and won. Check
workers are even paid for out SheShouldRun.org to
their service. Find find resources or even
out how to apply at just to discover other
WorkElections.com. aspiring candidates.
 THE
MORNING
UNDERSTAND AFTER
WHAT’S NOT
O K AY
Here’s what to expect
FACT
Unfor tunately, not when you’re expecting
An analysis found that
ever yone has equal results. Spoiler: You
bet ween 2016 and 2018,
access to voting, may be waiting awhile.
at least
par ticularly people of
color and those from
low- income communi -
ties. For example…
17 MILLION
people were removed from
voter registration rolls, par tic-
ularly in counties with a his-
tor y of voter discrimination. THE BEST- CASE
FACT SCENARIO

8
It’s clear who won.
Meaning one candi-
STATES date had enough of a
require ID to vote but don’t accept margin that the winner

E M I L Y L A N D O N , M D, exe cutive me dical dire c t or f or inf e c tion p revention and cont rol at U Chica go M e dicine
student identification cards. is officially declared,
usually in the early
FACT
morning hours. Fingers
crossed for this one.
In 2018, Georgia prevented up to

85,000 THE MEH SCENARIO

L E A N A W E N , M D, a pub lic he alt h p re p are dne s s ex p e r t at G e orge Washingt on Unive rsit y

J E A N E T T E S E N E C A L , senior dire c t or of mis sion imp a c t f or t he L e a gu e of Women Vot e rs
Because so many peo -
people from voting on Election Day. C A R O L A N D E R S O N , PhD, p rof e s sor of Af rican Ame rican st udie s at Emor y Unive rsit y ple are expected to

B R I A N H I N K L E , a re se arch anal yst at t he N ational Conf e renc e of St at e Le gislat ors

vote absentee this year,
FACT it will likely take time
In 2020, Milwaukee cut the number for all mail-in votes to
of polling places in the cit y from be counted. This could
mean you find out who

182
S O P H I E W E B B , event and p ar t ne rship co ordinat or at H e a d Count
the next president is
in a few days…or a
TO...5.
few weeks.
FACT
THE WORST- CASE
It’s estimated that only
SCENARIO

40
% If this is happening to you
If the vote is really close
or you see it happening
and the candidate with
to someone else:
fewer votes doesn’t
C a l l 8 6 6 - O U R -V O T E concede, it may kick
A N D R E A H A I L E Y , CEO of Vot e.org

of polling places fully The hotline will help off a recount. Just FYI,
accommodate people with you through any voter- it happened in 2000.
disabilities. suppression issues in This year’s presidential
real time. election is…more
Take to social media tense, so if one person
Tag the Legal Defense
refuses to accept the
OUR EXPERTS

Fund (@NA ACP_LDF) or results, it might require

YOU R the ACLU (@ACLU), which the involvement of the
ABSENTEE may take notice and be courts, which could
BALLOT MUST able to assist. take, at best guess,
BE RECEIVED a long time.
B Y. . .

A L A B A M A : 11/3 ( p o s t m a r k e d b y 11/3) ( p o s t m a r k e d b y 11/3) M I N N E S O TA : 11/10 ( p o s t m a r k e d b y 11/3) O R E G O N : 11/3 U TA H : p o s t m a r k e d

( p o s t m a r k e d b y 11/2)
A L A S K A : 11/13
( p o s t m a r k e d b y 11/3)
A R I Z O N A : 11/3
A R K A N S A S : 11/3
C A L I F O R N I A : 11/2 0
( p o s t m a r k e d b y 11/3)
C O L O R A D O : 11/3
C O N N E C T I C U T: 11/3
D E L AWA R E : 11/3
D.C . : 11/13
F L O R I D A : 11/3
G E O R G I A : 11/6
( p o s t m a r k e d b y 11/3)
H AWA I I : 11/3
I D A H O : 11/3
I L L I N O I S : 11/17
( p o s t m a r k e d b y 11/3)
I N D I A N A : 11/3
I O WA : 11/9 ( p o s t -
m a r k e d b y 11/2)
K A N S A S : 11/6
K E N T U C K Y: 11/6
( p o s t m a r k e d b y 11/3)
L O U I S I A N A : 11/2
M A I N E : 11/3
M A R Y L A N D : 11/13
( p o s t m a r k e d b y 11/3)
M ASSACHUSET TS:
11/6 ( p o s t m a r k e d
b y 11/3)
M I C H I G A N : 11/17
( p o s t m a r k e d b y 11/2)
( p o s t m a r k e d b y 11/3)
M I S S I S S I P P I : 11/10
( p o s t m a r k e d b y 11/3)
M I S S O U R I : 11/3
M O N TA N A : 11/3
N E B R A S K A : 11/3
N E VA D A : 11/10
( p o s t m a r k e d b y 11/3)
NEW HAMPSHIRE:
11/3
N E W J E R S E Y: 11/10
N E W M E X I C O : 11/3 P E N N S Y LVA N I A : b y 11/2
N E W YO R K : 11/10 11/6 ( p o s t m a r k e d V E R M O N T: 11/3
( p o s t m a r k e d b y 11/3) b y 11/3) V I R G I N I A : 11/6
NORTH CAROLINA: R H O D E I S L A N D : 11/3 ( p o s t m a r k e d b y 11/3)
11/6 ( p o s t m a r k e d SOUTH CAROLINA: WA S H I N G T O N :
b y 11/3) 11/3 p o s t m a r k e d b y 11/3
N O R T H D A KO TA : S O U T H D A KO TA : WEST VIRGINIA:
p o s t m a r k e d b y 11/2 11/3 11/9 ( p o s t m a r k e d
O H I O : 11/13 ( p o s t - T E N N E S S E E : 11/3 b y 11/3)
m a r k e d b y 11/2) T E X A S : 11/4 ( p o s t - W I S C O N S I N : 11/3
O K L A H O M A : 11/3 m a r k e d b y 11/3) W YO M I N G : 11/3

N o v e m b e r 20 20 C o s m o p o l i t a n 89
 THESE
BOOTS WERE
MADE FOR

t ra ve lin g c o ast t o
c o ast in a ll o f f a ll’s
b e st o l d - s c h o o l
A m e ric an a t re n ds,
o bvio us l y. Wh a t
we re yo u a b o u t t o
s a y?

Miu Miu jumpsuit and

belt. Miron Crosby
boots. Roxanne
Assoulin earrings.
Shourouk ring (left).
Bounkit ring (right).
ROAD
T W O

W O R D S :

TRIP (!!!)
The car is the new plane—thanks, COVI D -19.

Singer- songwriter Charlot t e L awrence makes a case for

the most fashionable cross - count r y trek of your lif e.

Photographs by Fashion by Words by

E R I C R AY DAV I DSO N CASSIE ANDERSON RACHEL TORGERSON

91
COSM O P O L ITA N

N OVEM BER 2020

 unt il yo u g e t a l o o k a t yo u r h air in t h e re a r view mir ro r.
S p e e din g a ro un d t o p - d ow n is a ll f un an d g am e s…

Tam e ann oy in g f l ya wa ys f ast wit h L’O ré a l Pa ris

E ve rS l e e k Friz z Finis h Oil - in - S e r um, $10.
BEAUTY BONUS

SKIRTING
THE ISSUE

Sid e s lit s = t h e o nl y
wa y t o c o mf o r t a b l y
we a r o n e o f t h e s e
f o r h o u rs in a c a r.
I t ’s t h e ran g e o f
m o t io n a n d n o
f e a r o f wa rd ro b e
m a l f u n c t io ns f o r m e.

Staud top and skirt.

Maryam Nassir Zadeh
heels. Roxanne Assoulin
earrings.
O K AY, M S .
ELLE WOODS

Fa c t: A pink suit
h o n e st l y l o o ks gre a t
in b o t h a c o u r t ro o m
*an d* a ran d o m
m o t e l l o b by.

Chanel jacket, top,

and skirt. Maryam Nassir
Zadeh heels. Celeste
Starre earrings.
Nana Fink rings.

N o v e m b e r 2020 C o s m o p o lit a n 93
 DISTRACTION
TACTIC

N o o n e c a n ye l l a t
yo u f o r g e t tin g u p
o n t h e c o unt e r w h e n
yo u’re m e s m e rizin g
t h e m wit h s p a r k l e s
an d f rin g e (an d a ls o
g o rg e Va l e n t in o
b o o t s).

Valentino top, skirt, boots,

and belt. Lana Jewelry
necklace.

9 4 C o s m o p o lit a n N o v e m b e r 2020
GET COUNTRY
WITH IT

Ye s, t h e s e c ow b oy
kic ks d o d e s e r ve t o
rid e s h o t gun f o r t h eir
s t e ll a r p e r f o r m a n c e
wit h t his un ex p e c t e d
e m e ra l d eve nin g we a r.

Carolina Herrera dress.

Miron Crosby boots.
NOT MELLOW
BUT DEF YELLOW

Af t e r se eing t his pic-

t ure, I ha ve t wo o ptio ns:
b e c o m e a t hrif ting
g o d d e ss and re dire c t all
my e ne rg y int o b eing
a caref re e gir l w ho
matches her b e d line ns
or…no, act ually, that ’s
t h e o nl y o ptio n.

Fendi top, shirt, and

skirt. Nicholas Kirkwood
heels. Omi Woods earrings
and necklaces. ARK Fine
Jewelry rings. Gucci
suitcase, fashionphile.com.

F O R S H O P P I N G I N F O R M AT I O N , G O TO C O S M O P O L I TA N .C O M .
 ALL IN THE
ANGLES

H ow d o we f e e l
a b o u t D is n ey ’s Ca rs
re f e re n c e s in f as hio n
s h o o t s? B e c a us e
Light nin g M c Q u e e n
c o u l d n eve r.

Maggie Marilyn top and

skirt. Stuart Weitzman heels.

Hair: Laura Polko using

Naturelab Tokyo.
Makeup: Kelsey Deenihan
using Lorac Cosmetics.
Production: Crawford & Co
Productions.

N o v e m b e r 2020 C o s m o p o lit a n 97
 Words by JULEE WILSON

Photographs by ADRIENNE RAQUEL

Bl

en
E V E R Y O N E

F R O M
L E A R N
C A N
W H A T

w
ack
A B O U T
B E A U T Y
om
FA S H I O N S T Y L I S T: A L E X B A D I A . H A I R : A K I H I S A YA M A G U C H I . M A K E U P : K U M A . N A I L S: TO R I
H U A N G. M O D E L S: M A R L E E B E L L / T H E L I O N S A N D L U C K Y/ R E D M O D E L M A N A G E M E N T.
 sh
ock
W A N N A
H E A R
S O M E T H I N G
g?
Most of my beauty icons are nearly twice my age.
Ask any Black woman who inspires her when it
comes to beauty and she will likely rattle off a list
dotted with plenty of older dames. Like the legendary
Diana Ross: This woman is 76 years old and looks like
she just stepped offstage with The Supremes. Singer
Grace Jones might as well be a vampire, slaying at 72
with her signature androgynous look. And then
there’s actress Cicely Tyson, who, at 95 (!), was step-
ping out and dazzling on red carpets as recently as
January. Insert the ubiquitous and beloved (if not
*entirely* factually accurate) “Black don’t crack!”
That’s not to say these women haven’t aged at all. It
just means we don’t care that they have. Because
while most of the world is obsessed with youth—and
figuring out how to look like they just came out of the
womb—reverence for “over-the-hill” gals is a crucial
part of Black girl magic.
Think about it with me: I’ve never heard any of my
white friends reference stars like Helen Mirren, Meryl
Streep, or Goldie Hawn (who all look great, for the
record) as their beauty muses. And no shade to my
1 00 C o s m o p o lit a n N o v e m b e r 2020
white friends—my point is just that Black women
approach beauty in a pretty special (and pretty inspir-
ing, in my not-so-humble opinion) way.
Part of that is about celebrating each other regard-
less of age—or skin tone or hair texture or body type.
Part of it is that we don’t stress over what everyone
else thinks. And the other part is that our overall
beauty POV transcends the physical to go much
deeper. Let me attempt to overexplain.
O U R D I A N A S, G R AC E S, C I C E LYS : T H E Y R E P R E S E N T A
form of transgenerational pride that works to remind
us that Black is, has always been, and will forever be
beautiful. “So much of beauty culture in the Black
community is passed down from generation to gener-
ation,” says Brooke DeVard Ozaydinli, 31, host of the
award-nominated podcast Naked Beauty. “Those are
the women our grandmothers and mothers looked up
to.” So we do too.
I can’t pinpoint when this shared esteem started,
but my gut tells me it’s always been this way. It cer-
tainly revved up during the Civil Rights movement in
the 1960s, as the Black community publicly embraced
its pride for our brilliance and, yes, our beauty. And
learning to love the skin we’re in has always been an
imperative, since society at large definitely wasn’t
doing it for us.
Ozaydinli says that the Black women she chats with
often say, “I feel more beautiful as I gain more experi-
ences, as I become more confident, and as I’ve
learned who I am.” And she agrees, adding, “I’d like to
think that that’s universal, but I think for Black
women, it may be even deeper because our journey of
tapping into who we are takes a bit longer. We don’t
have as many signals from the mainstream about
how to do it.”
In fact, I’d argue that that’s why self-care has con-
sistently been at the center of Black women’s beauty
rituals. I know I wasn’t the only little girl whose
mother and grandmother reminded her to never set
foot outside of the house looking ashy, because mois-
turizing my body wasn’t just about keeping it looking
 WHILE MOST OF THE WORLD IS OBSESSED

WITH FIGURING OUT HOW TO LOOK LIKE THEY

JUST CAME OUT OF THE WOMB, REVERENCE FOR

“OVER-THE-HILL” GAL S IS A CRUCIAL

PART OF BL ACK GIRL M AGIC.

 good; it was a personal and public act
DONNA
SUMMER of love for my own brown skin.
Before you ask, it’s not just us
Black 30+somethings (I’m a loud
and proud 38, thankyouverymuch)
who take inspo from all this inherited
history. Naima Brown, a 21-year-
DIAHANN
CARROLL old student at New York University,
cosigns. “I’m not sure if I would
M AYA C I C E LY
ANGELOU
say, ‘I love this hairstyle that Angela
TYSON
Bassett is wearing, let me go get
that exact look,’” she says. “But I
do know how legendary these icons
are and how timeless their talent
ANGELA
and beauty are. And I’m directly and
BASSETT indirectly inspired by that to take
care of myself too.”

OF COURSE, THIS PROLONGED TREK TO

DIANA ROSS
self-assured dopeness isn’t a breeze.
Society’s (still) narrow beauty stan-
dards mean the vast beauty of
Blackness isn’t often celebrated. And
when it is, it’s usually with a stereo-
typical iteration of our beauty—with,
say, an ad campaign that showcases
only fair-skinned Black women with
KERRY soft curls or a photo-shoot series that
WA S H I N GTO N
does the polar opposite, featuring
only Black women with deep skin
TINA
TURNER tones and kinky hair. There’s no diver-
sity in this diversity.
Oh, and beyond imagery, there are
actual laws aimed at dimming our
light. Did you know it’s perfectly legal
GRACE
JONES in more than 40 states to discriminate
VIOLA against the way our hair naturally
DAV I S
grows out of our heads *and* the ways
in which it’s styled? Facts, and not the
fun kind. When our Blackness is con-
sistently and systematically disre-
garded (or appropriated), we have no
choice but to validate each other.
Which is exactly why mantras like
NAOMI
CAMPBELL “Black is beautiful” and “Black girl
magic” are so necessary—to remind us
who the fuck we are.
“Black women have always had to
create their own beauty standards
because when you’re not supported by
and reflected in mainstream culture,
you develop your own subculture,”
G E T T Y I M A G E S (18 ).

IMAN

HALLE
explains Ozaydinli.
BERRY In doing so, we’ve also managed to
approach consumerism in a savvy

BILLIE
H O L I DAY
“ T H E R E ’ S J U S T T H I S

U N D E R S T A N D I N G

A M O N G S T M E

A N D M Y B L A C K

G I R L F R I E N D S T H A T

W E ’ R E A L L I N T H I S

T O G E T H E R . ”

way. Until recently, and despite our

buying power, the beauty industry
wasn’t focused on creating products
for our specific needs. Enter: Black
women becoming masters of DIY and
just plain figuring it out. We had to
mix several foundations together to
get the right hue and concoct potions
that have been passed down to clear
up hyperpigmentation.
The lack of readily available
goods coupled with our subculture
of self-proclaimed awesomeness is
why we’re much more interested in
enhancing—not transforming—our
looks. Translation: We know we’re
stunning. You don’t have to tell us,
because we tell each other. (But if
you’ve got products that will build on “Yesssss, sis! Your hair is everything!”
all this awesomeness, then I’ll take and blossoms from there. WHO’S
one of each. Thanks!) “I don’t know if there’s that sense NEXT?
of camaraderie amongst other groups Hi to these young up-and-
coming beauty icons,
P E R H A P S T H E L I V E L I E S T WAY I N W H I C H of women,” Ozaydinli says. “We are
whose swag will only get
we intersect with beauty is something like this village: We share secrets better with age.
I like to call our love language. There’s with each other and aren’t shy about
Marsai Martin
nothing like a Black woman compli- doing so.”
Yara Shahidi (1)
menting another Black woman. In a time of such overwhelming
Janelle Monáe (2)
“There’s just this understanding racial unrest, we need our village more
Storm Reid
amongst me and my Black girlfriends than ever. And honestly, everyone Chika
that we’re all in this together,” Brown could use this level of TLC. Because Chloe x Halle
says. “And I think it’s one of the many while our unique beauty ethos is dis- Issa Rae
ways that we support each other—by tinctly rooted in the Black woman’s Precious Lee (3)
2
gassing each other up.” experience, that doesn’t mean it can’t Zendaya (4)

Black women will literally go out of inspire others. Tierra Whack

their way to love on another sistah. We So I’ll leave off by asking all women Indya Moore
will cross the street if we see a com- to stop stressing, especially about SZ A
plete stranger with poppin’ curls and aging. And to think about how the
need to know what products she’s power of celebrating your overall
using. The interaction usually com- dopeness might just be the biggest
mences with the celebratory cry of beauty secret there is. 4
3

10 3
1
t h e l ast p a g e

I n m y nigh
tstand
Swedish singer- songwriter/Spotif y
queen Snoh Aalegra sets the mood with
a lit tle help from her candle collection.
By MADELEINE FRANK REEVES

My overall
nightstand vibe
Minimalist and simple.
I don’t have drawers,
Can your
so everything is
m a t c hin g visible, forcing me
s w e a t s uit d o to keep it neat.
~t his ~?? D i d n’t
t hin k s o.
Never not on top
Spray for soothing
my vocal cords plus a
bottle of water. I suffer
from panic attacks in
my sleep sometimes,
and drinking water
makes me feel safe.

My lighting sitch
I have this really cute
round Flos lamp and
a floor lamp with a
bulb that can be soft
or bright. And I’m a
big candle lover. I
have candles all over
my apartment from
Dear Sunday, Sunday
Forever, and Byredo.

What I st eal from my

par tner’s side
You mean the partner
who doesn’t exist? Lol.

Current bedtime
reading
A mix of biographies
and poetry. I’m about
to start More Than
Enough, by Elaine
Welteroth.

My snack rule
I’m not a big fan of
food in bed—unless I’m
at a hotel. Or unless
*I* count as a snack.
I . P.W.
 ©2020 Procter & Gamble

get your
on