It's no secret that sex changes as you age, but this listener, who is single in her sixties, is having trouble escaping the ideals of sex that shaped her in her formative years. Girls were taught that sex was meant for after marriage and that it wasn't something to be discussed. It was not something empowering, let alone playful. As she stands with many years ahead of her, she wants to know how to release her deeply embedded shame around sex and have fun hooking up. Cosmo Confessions is made in ...
Dec 12, 2023•35 min•Ep. 15
This confession gets into a topic that carries a lot of stigma: couples therapy. Most people think, “If you’re in counseling, your marriage, relationship, whatever, is about to be kaput.” Not so! People seek out therapy together for a number of reasons other than hating each other’s guts, like our listener on this episode, who wants to go to couples therapy with her partner to talk through the next big stages of life together. Her partner thinks this is a waste of money because their relationshi...
Dec 05, 2023•37 min•Ep. 14
A friendship breakup can hurt more than a romantic breakup, especially when you don’t see it coming. This listener's friend of over a decade suddenly lost her dad by suicide. She supported her through this grieving process—her friend even shared sensitive details about her dad's death that she likely didn't tell anyone else. One day, our listener's friend stopped answering her text messages and their friendship of over a decade was over. How is our listener just supposed to move on without a goo...
Nov 28, 2023•44 min•Ep. 13
Our listener had a sex dream about her best friend's boyfriend. 😟 She's never really been into him, so now she feels super awkward. What does this kind of dream mean? Does she secretly like her best friend's boo?? Our guest Layne Dalfen founded The Dream Interpretation Center in Montreal in 1997. She has been a lecturer at Concordia University in Montreal since 2005. You can find Layne at www.thedreamanalyst.com . Follow Mia Lardiere and Erika W. Smith on Instagram: @mialardiere and @erikawynn ...
Nov 21, 2023•39 min•Ep. 12
The world sucks. Your imagination is probably a nicer, safer place. The listener in this episode is writing in to ask if it's irresponsible to give herself permission to be delusional. If everyone else on TikTok can be delulu, why can't she? Our guest Antoni Bumba is a transgender content creator dominating multiple niches with her notorious pop culture parodies, astrology hot-takes, and daily unfiltered vlog-style videos. She’s known on TikTok as the originator of “The BBL Effect” trend. Follow...
Nov 14, 2023•35 min•Ep. 11
Sometimes, telling your best friend the truth means that feelings might get hurt. In these situations, you have to ask yourself, “Am I willing to risk a friendship to do what I believe is the right thing?” Our listener is not a fan of her best friend’s girlfriend and things are moving quickly—like, moving in together after six months quickly. Should she tell her how she feels or let the trainwreck keep rolling by? Our guest is Robin Hopkins, is a published writer, actress, podcast host, and form...
Nov 07, 2023•48 min•Ep. 10
It's just nature that we want what we can't have. In this confession, our listener is struggling with an office crush that's been haunting her for 18 months. "It's so painful as nothing will ever happen between us but the infatuation is so persistent," she says. Oh, and she's married, which makes matters worse. How can she get this man out of her head without finding a new job? Our guest Heather Havrilesky writes the popular Ask Polly advice column on Substack and is the author of “Foreverland: ...
Oct 31, 2023•37 min•Ep. 9
Our listener caught the travel bug from influencers on Instagram, but she's afraid that she will have a different experience than them in the same beautiful, dazzling locations across the globe because she's Black. Her family members and friends have shared their tales of racism while traveling abroad—being mistaken for a sex worker in Italy or being treated like a zoo animal in China. Is it worth spending a bucket of money on a trip that will make her feel violated? Our guest Kristen Martin is ...
Oct 24, 2023•43 min•Ep. 8
We're switching up the format in this episode and hear confessions from SEVERAL listeners related to a topic that we probably (unfortunately) all know something about—bad, weird, and awkward sex. At Cosmo, we’re all about having good sex , but sometimes, things just go awry. ¯\_(ツ)_/¯ You live and you learn from those experiences, but you sure never forget them. Our guest Chrissy Chlapecka is an emerging musician and social media personality from Chicago, making waves with her unapologetic style...
Oct 17, 2023•35 min•Ep. 7
There are bad exes...and then there are harmful exes. Unfortunately, this discussion is focused on the latter. Our listener was stuck in a relationship with a person who, along with his family, went out of their way to rob her of her self-worth. Now that she’s single and free, she’s having trouble picking up the pieces from her time with this man. All she wants is to be able to move on. And, heads up: this episode contains discussion of abuse. The National Domestic Violence Hotline is available ...
Oct 10, 2023•47 min•Ep. 6
Building your life after college is an emotional game of "choose your own adventure." Our listener is just about to graduate, and while her dream has been to live in New York City and pursue a career in fashion journalism, her family just bought a home far away from Manhattan. She's faced with a choice: Stay with her family and find a remote job or spread her wings and leave home to live the city life she's always dreamed of. Our guest Caroline Vazzana is a fashion editor, stylist, and the autho...
Oct 03, 2023•48 min•Ep. 5
Opening up a relationship can be a very fulfilling and exciting choice for a couple. In this instance, our listener and their partner opened up their marriage sexually but agreed to draw a boundary: no catching feelings. Still, her spouse fell in love with someone else and it nearly ended in a divorce. How should they build their relationship back after major trust was lost? Our guest Zachary Zane is on IG and Twitter as @zacharyzane_ and you can read the ‘BOYSLUT’ zine on Substack and read hi...
Sep 26, 2023•38 min•Ep. 4
Is it helpful or nosy to give your friends unsolicited financial advice? In this episode, our listener is sick of their friend borrowing money to pay their electric bill when Miu Miu shoes are sitting in their closet and their credit card is maxed out. All we know is that setting boundaries with your bestie gets sticky when money is involved. Our guest Tiffany "The Budgetnista" Aliche, America's favorite personal financial educator is on Instagram and TikTok as @thebudgenista. You can listen to ...
Sep 19, 2023•44 min•Ep. 3
Here’s a word that might send a shiver down your spine depending on your luck in this lifetime: in-laws. Yeeeah. I’ll give you a minute to unclench. While your in-laws might make Thanksgiving a royal headache or send you unsolicited articles about your parenting choices, they probably haven’t launched a full-blown smear campaign against you…to your own husband. And if they have, well, you’ll relate to this listener. Call or text the Suicide and Crisis Lifeline at 988 if you are in distress and n...
Sep 12, 2023•42 min•Ep. 1
Becoming a parent is a daunting adventure for many, and social media often magnifies its challenges. Our listener shares that after witnessing the primal scream of under-resourced parents (read: mostly mothers) on Instagram during the pandemic, she is more afraid than ever about becoming a mom. The stats validate her concerns: As of 2016, women spend about four hours a day on unpaid work , compared with about 2.5 hours for men according to data from the Organization for Economic Cooperation and ...
Sep 12, 2023•49 min•Ep. 2
At Cosmopolitan, we’re famous for keeping your secrets and for getting to the bottom of your most burning questions. From toxic in-laws to friends with messy finances to having a crush on your coworker — Confessions is a safe space to talk out all the gory-but-helpful details of getting through life's weirdest stuff. See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info ....
Aug 31, 2023•1 min
