For women of color it can be more of a struggle to find a beauty magazine that targets their hair, skin, and culture. Black Beauty is a magazine that provides an outlet to black women and their beauty. Between the racially based Black Beauty UK magazine and the mainstream American beauty magazine Cosmopolitan there are clear differences. Despite the differences there are also some similarities both magazines possess. With the differences standing out the similarities are harder to see, but they are surely there. The UK magazine is catered towards an all black audience. Cosmopolitan on the other hand has a wider audience of white, hispanic, and black women. Both magazines are made for a range of women to read. 

The cover page of any magazine is what catches the attention of the audience. Both magazines go in different paths in their attempts to catch the eyes of their readers. On the cover of Black Beauty is a headshot of a black woman showing off her facial beauty. The goal of the magazine was to target and capture the makeup and hair up close. Cosmopolitan had a different approach for their cover shot. They showcased a long shot of a woman in a more revealing outfit with ice cream in her hand. Their main goal was not to highlight the makeup of the woman in detail, but rather to have the woman show a happy mood. With the covers differing it’s clear that the target of their brands is not completely the same. Black Beauty magazine is all beauty and hair and Cosmopolitan is not just beauty but lifestyle articles as well.

On the back of the magazine is a main place brands want their ad. The ad also says a lot about what the magazine is about. Since Cosmopolitan has not just beauty and hair but also lifestyle articles the fourth cover showcases that. The advertisements that could be on the back is a wider range because it’s also a lifestyle magazine. In this case the back cover is Magnum Ice Cream. For Black Beauty magazine the fourth cover is an advertisement of KeraCare hair product. For Black Beauty the ads are a smaller range of brands that are going to be seeking to be on the back. A main brand that would desire to pay to be on the back will be a hair product that targets the hair of black women or beauty products that they would use. 

Having a magazine that directly targets a specific audience makes the photos and articles have a smaller scope of what’s being shown as well. For instance, in the Black Beauty magazine beauty section the products are all shown with the dark complection. There is no point putting a beauty product for anyone but a black person, because the magazine is for black readers. Cosmopolitan differs in the sense that there is a wider racial audience, so in the beauty section the foundations shown are a mix of fair, medium, and dark. To sell products to all their audience they need to provide diversity in the article. The audience is prone to buy the merchandise if they feel that it is targeted for them. For example, if there were only foundation that match white women then women of color are not going to buy it. Another big difference is what the ads are specifically targeting. Since black women have naturally curly hair most, if not all, of the hair advertisements are targeting natural curling hair. Cosmopolitan doesn’t have ads that are directed towards specifics. Their ads are more broad so all their audience have potential of using it.

Cosmopolitan showcases many advertisements that are targeting women. The ads displayed are for a wide range of women, such as birth control, pads, and various makeup brands. Black Beauty has an abundant amount of hair care ads and also skin care for women. Flipping through the photos on each of the pages it becomes very obvious mostly all the pictures are of women. Placing women all over the magazine makes more women want to buy it. A tendency to want to read something that relates to us is the main reason why women will read more things with women on the pages. Both companies are aware of that characteristic and displayed women all over the pages of their magazines. 

Many of the main differences in the magazines are spotted at first sight. With the differences including the front and back cover you can not miss the contrast between the two. Once you dig deeper into them they show there are also some similarities as well. Both have an obvious target audience of women. Although, Black Beauty targets an audience of specifically black women and Cosmopolitan is more of a mainstream women audience. Looking through and reading both magazines you can figure out that there is something so you. For women of color there is a bigger struggle to find an outlet that has news for them, but Black Beauty is a resource to make it easier. No matter the skin color, women all over need an outlet that they feel is for them.