Cosmopolitan magazine is returning to Australia

With another iconic magazine brand returning down under, women’s publishing is back with a vengeance for, and thanks to, a new generation.

Cosmopolitan magazine is returning to Australia in August. Photo: Supplied.

After a brutal cancellation, Cosmopolitan magazine is returning to Australia.

The iconic magazine for young women was shuttered after 45-years by former publisher Bauer Media in 2018.

Cosmo 2.0 will be introduced to a new generation of readers and advertisers by independent publisher Katarina Kroslakova in August.

“There’s nothing like Cosmo in our magazine landscape. Young women want to enhance their lives. They aim to live fully, unapologetically, and fulfil their potential. For young Australian women of today, no other publication has such a strong emotional connection or serves as an influential support network and a safe space for the sharing of knowledge,” Ms Kroslakova – a former Australian Financial Review magazine editor – told The Australian.

Cosmopolitan Australia will be a collaboration with KK Press and Heart Magazines International.

“Hearst approached us about a year ago, impressed by our success with T Australia: New York Times Style magazine. We began exploring the possibility of a Cosmopolitan relaunch around August or September last year, coinciding with our presentations to media agencies for T Australia. During these discussions, our commercial team mentioned the upcoming launch of Cosmo in 2024, and the reaction was overwhelmingly positive,” Ms Kroslakova added.

Cosmopolitan was established in its modern form in 1965 and helmed by “devout feminist” Helen Gurley Brown in the US where it set about breaking down the stigma of unmarried women having, and enjoying, sex.

Cosmopolitan editor Helen Gurley Brown in her New York office in 1990. Photo: AP Photo.

Her first issue contained an article about the birth control pill and Cosmo became a bible for sex and relationships for young women during her 32-year tenure all around the world, including Australia.

In the 1970s, the Australian publication caused controversy when it had Skippy star Tony Bonner appear as the magazine’s first male centrefold.

Tony Bonner was the first Australian centrefold for the Cosmopolitan magazine, published in 1972.

Later in the late 1990s and 2000s Cosmopolitan Australia became a champion of the body positivity movement, renowned for its annual Fun Fearless Female awards and inducting former prime minister Julia Gillard into its Hall of Fame in 2015.

Former Australian editors include Mamamia co-founder Mia Freedman and former TV judge and writer Sarah Wilson.

“Make no mistake, women’s media has never been stronger. Women are consuming more content than ever before. It’s just now it’s via their phones and social and podcasts. I spent many years trying to convince my mag bosses that winter was coming and in the end I got tired of their blindness,” Ms Freedman said back in 2018.

Journalist Mia Freedman was the editor of Australian edition of Cosmopolitan Australian from 1996 to 2005.

Ms Freedman said trust was one of the most important aspects of any outlet looking to establish and engage with Australian women.

“The reason Mamamia took hold as an Australian brand 15 years ago is that women felt magazine brands were no longer relevant to them. Making them contemporary let alone relevant to new generations was always going to be a challenge given their legacy which is why so many of us who’d worked in mags and loved them decided to leave. Mamamia was born from those historical ashes and we now reach more than seven million women each month across audio, written, video and social and while our reach is significant, it’s no longer just a numbers game when you’re talking to women. Modern publishers also need to create and maintain trust and you need an authentic connection,” Ms Freedman told The Australian.

While sex, fashion and beauty will still be a focus for the new Cosmo, Ms Kroslakova said the publication – in print, online and social media – will also have a strong focus on technology, careers and financial literacy.

“This new direction that’s close to my heart aims to empower women to make informed, smart decisions that enhance their lives and secures their futures. The emotional and subjective connection we create with our readers will set us apart in both editorial content and our partnerships.”

The last Cosmo Australia issue hit stands back in 2018.

Cosmo returning to virtual and physical news stands in Australia follows the successful relaunch of Elle Australia earlier this year by Are Media.

Like Cosmo, Elle Australia was also killed off by previous owners Bauer in 2020.

Podcast star and fashion writer Grace O’Neill was installed as the new editor with a mission to expand Elle into an “omnichannel powerhouse for young, savvy women in Australia” Are’s fashion and beauty general manager Nicky Briger told The Australian.

Something she has accomplished in mere months following the release of the first magazine in March.

Ms Briger said the response to the new version of Elle has been “overwhelming” from both past fans, new followers and the market.

“Being a Gen Z and early millennial brand, our strategy was always to grow Elle’s digital audience by leveraging the print launch, and we achieved that beyond all expectations.

“Since March 1, when the magazine launched with one print and five digital covers, our TikTok followers have increased 500 per cent. A week later and we expanded that base by 23,000, We had over 3m video views, 26,000 likes, 6000 comments, and more than 3,300 shares. These are huge engagement numbers for one platform.,” Ms Briger said.

Vogue Australia, owned by News Corp Australia, publisher of The Australian, has the lion’s share of the audience and market spoils since being one of the first publications of its kind in Australia to pivot from a print to digital focus.

According to Roy Morgan research, the Gen Z and Y professional women audience has grown 57.4 per cent year-on-year, largely due to digital growth.

“Magazine brands are experiencing audience growth led by Gen Z consumers nostalgic for the 1990s and 2000s, an age before social media and digital consumption. You can see this same nostalgia playing out in the consumption of re-runs of Friends and Gilmore Girls by teens and 20-somethings,” editorial director and News Prestige publisher Edwina McCann said.

“Interestingly the growth in magazine audience specifically appears to be driven by Gen Z’s desire to own a piece of the Vogue world, much like merchandise might be bought at a concert. It’s a keepsake.”

The resurgence of magazines is also taking the US by storm with model Karlie Kloss recently launching her own publishing house which has acquired Life and i-D magazine.