Shit, Cosmo Says on New Cover

The trend of women’s magazines using curse words on their covers continues: Cosmopolitan‘s January cover screams “52 HOLY SH@*!T SEX MOVES: Let the Games Begin!”

As the New York Times noted last year, the editors of women’s magazines like Glamour, Marie Claire and Cosmo have started loosening the standards once held for their cover lines. Shortly after joining Cosmo as editor in chief, Joanna Coles told the Times that she was careful about what words she used on the cover.

Since then, Cosmo has featured censored curse words for both Miley Cyrus covers (“It’s Miley, B*tches” and “It’s Been A Crazy F$*%ING Year!”) and the used “ass” a few times as well. In the Times article, Coles is quoted saying that people responded negatively when she used “ass” on the cover of her first Marie Claire issue in August 2006 (as seen above). “A couple of people said to me, ‘You can’t use the word'” Coles said. “‘Are you planning to cheapen things up?’ ”

This is definitely not the first time shit has been used on a Cosmo cover, though the last time, on the December 2011 cover, the word was in quotes: “‘Sh*t My Guy Says’: WHERE’S A MUZZLE WHEN YOU NEED ONE?”

We’re waiting for the day when covers just say “FUCK” across a picture of whatever celebrity of the moment is hot. Would buy – and frame.