Back Story: Launched in 1886 as a family literary magazine, Cosmopolitan evolved through several identities—from a muckraking journal under Hearst to its iconic 1965 reinvention by editor Helen Gurley Brown. Brown transformed it into a groundbreaking publication for single, working women, focusing on female empowerment and sexuality.

For "In The Cosmos," I was drawn to the colorful, ad-filled, sensational nature of these 1968 magazines. The pages vibrate with optimism and aspiration—vivid cosmetics ads, bold fashion spreads, and the relentless promise that the right products could transform your life. There's something both exhilarating and exhausting about that energy.