2019-09-01 Cosmopolitan South Africa

SCANIT

SHOPIT

SCANIT

SHOPIT

ED’S LETTER

Earlier this year,
COSMO surveyed
more than 1 800
South African women
for our first-ever
national boob survey.
We asked a series of breast-
related questions (more
than 30) and we found that
60% of you wished your
boobs looked different.
A staggering 74% of you are
either unhappy, or only kinda
happy with your bodies. And,
more than half of you said
you would consider getting
a boob job if given the chance.
I’ve said it before – self-
love is no easy feat, and our
survey is testament to this. The
world needs more Lizzos –
who, as I write this, has just
finished performing at the
MTV VMAs, dancing in front
of a giant inflatable booty
balloon and surrounded by
a bevy of beautiful, bouncy
women. It is the most powerful
performance I have seen all
year, interrupted, mid-jiggle,
by a stirring speech on body
positivity. ‘I’m tired of the
bullsh*t... It’s so hard to love

yourself in a world that doesn’t

love you back. So I just want

to take this opportunity to feel

good as hell because you

deserve to feel good as hell!’

she said.

Lizzo, and many other

women across the world, are

tired of not being represented.

And so, in response to our

boob survey, and to celebrate

all women’s bodies, we

collaborated with 14 South

African women to create

a series of totally unedited

images. We asked each

woman to write a letter to her

boobs entitled #DearBoobs

(our feature is on page 69).

And, because it’s Breast

Cancer Awareness Month,

we asked three very brave

survivors to share their

stories so that we could help

educate you around the reality

of breast cancer among

Millennial women, and how

to be responsible and check

your boobs for lumps (read

more on page 1). According

to our survey, a third of you

don’t do self-examinations,

yet one in four women has

a family member who has

had (or has) breast cancer.

For this issue, we’ve

partnered with Strawberry

Lips, who will donate a

percentage of their bottle

sales during October to

PinkDrive, an NGO founded

on the premise that early

detection will help prolong

life. COSMO, too, will

donate R1 from every

September issue sold to

PinkDrive. We’re hosting

a COSMO Self-Love

Sunday brunch too, where

we’ll exhibit our #DearBoobs

portraits, run a gratitude

journalling workshop with

a self-love plan, and much

more (find out how to join

us and get your tickets on

page 10).

But before you do, let me

ask you to consider this: if you

were diagnosed with breast

cancer, how would you feel?

It’s a terrifying thought, but

it’s something Elzet, Piliswa

and Donna had to deal with

the day they got told they

had breast cancer. It puts

things into stark perspective,

and it reminds us that being

positive about the fact that

you have a working human

body – one that allows you to

breathe, move, laugh, live – is

a privilege.

It makes me feel rather

silly for all those times I hated

on my body, and grateful for

the fact that right now I have

a pair of perfectly healthy tits

(stretch marks and all). So let’s

say yes to all boobs – saggy

boobs, pancake boobs,

lopsided boobs and melon

boobs. I think we could all do

with a few more words from

the likes of Lizzo, and so I’ll

leave you with this: ‘Uh, put me

on a pedestal, bet I will, bet

o n m e.’

Holly Meadows

Editor

ADDTOCART

PHOTOGRAPHY

ZIPHO NTLOKO

PRICES CORRECT AT TIME OF

GOING TO PRESS

PRICES ARE RECOMMENDED RETAIL PRICES

Strawberry

Lips Cre a m

Liqueur, R

Mousson

Triple Results+

Intense Moisture

Lotion, R42,

Estée Lauder

A d v a n c e d

Night Repair

L imi t e d

Edition, POR

ghd P l a t in u m+

Ink On Pink

Styler, R3 400

R 20 0,

Shelley

a t Ed g a r s

SCAN IT

WATCH IT

#DearBoobs