FRIDAY, 9 A.M.
"Look how cute they are!! I can't miss this wedding!!" I'm panicking at JFK, showing Louis from the TSA pictures of my outrageously attractive friends who will walk down the aisle in roughly 36 hours...on the other side of the country. And I've lost my driver's license.
As you may recall, I already had to amend my RSVP from plus-one to minus-one to account for my newly single status. I can't hit this couple with a day-of minus-another-plus, I'm a bridesmaid, Louis! He checks my health care card, credit card, nail salon rewards card, and work ID and by the grace of some god lets me through. I just make my flight. Hooray for Louis.
FRIDAY, 6 P.M.
I meet Owen, the best man the bride wants to set me up with. On vibes alone, it's an immediate no. He strikes me as the type of guy who likes to have sex facing a mirror but only watches himself. Besides, there are plenty of other hot surfer bros in this sea of guests. Which is great because, honestly, being slow-faded by Sean, my last guy with real potential, was so prolongedly painful that I think I've expedited my emotional refractory period. This weekend, I'm in the market for some flirtatious energy.
SATURDAY, 4 P.M.
Standing alongside the other bridesmaids in front of a lush California vineyard, I am bawling listening to my friends Olivia and Sean (yes, yet another Sean) exchange the most incredible vows. Without having coordinated beforehand, they share the same anecdotes and inside jokes. Hearing about the way this muchbetter-than-my-Sean Sean supports, values, and appreciates his partner underlines how many glaring red flags I had somehow ignored in my situation.
As we exit behind the newlyweds, a fellow bridesmaid grimaces, "Oh no, Zara, your arm." In addition to beautiful memories, I will also be taking home the most awkwardly shaped sunburn from my halter-neck dress.
This story is from the Issue 07, 2022 edition of Cosmopolitan US.
Start your 7-day Magzter GOLD free trial to access thousands of curated premium stories, and 9,000+ magazines and newspapers.
Already a subscriber ? Sign In
This story is from the Issue 07, 2022 edition of Cosmopolitan US.
Start your 7-day Magzter GOLD free trial to access thousands of curated premium stories, and 9,000+ magazines and newspapers.
Already a subscriber? Sign In
DREAM-SCROLLING FOR DINNER
With young people in the grip of a cost-of-living crisis, TikTok creators are turning grocery runs into rich-girl-coded productions - and followers are eating it up. Krista Diamond digs into what happens when a cart full of staple goods becomes a clout metric.
Young Love in Atlanta
WE TOOK OUR COUPLE SPOTTING SERIES DOWN SOUTH.
THE NEW C-SUITE 2024
Progress. It’s a word that, in 2024, gets thrown around a lot. Especially when it comes to representation across all sorts of roles at all sorts of companies, including, crucially, at start-ups. Yet...people of color—and specifically women of color—still don’t often get the chance to even enter the conversation. Over the past few years, less than 1 percent of venture capital funding in this country has gone toward women of color entrepreneurs. (Making matters worse, funds that are geared toward supporting these women have become targets of anti-affirmative-action groups, forcing at least one to shut down entirely.)
Revenge Dressing
Model and content creator Olivia Ponton is giving you permission to bring everyone who's ever wronged you to their knees with these simple yet very effective styles.
HOTTER Than DRAGON FIRE
It’s very likely that no matter where you are right now, there’s a copy of Fourth Wing nearby. Probably one of Iron Flame too. Both books, by romantasy queen Rebecca Yarros, topped every bestseller list—and absolutely ignited BookTok, spawning a rabid fandom that cannot get enough of badass heroine Violet Sorrengail and her relationship with fellow dragon-rider Xaden Riorson. Honestly, what’s not to love? There’s extreme adventure. Absurdly high stakes. Wildly hot sex. And the promise of a lot more, starting right here, with this exclusive first excerpt of the series’ third book, Onyx Storm. Friends, get your daggers ready. (IYKYK. If you don’t, prepare to get obsessed.)
RACHEL ZEGLER
She won a Golden Globe for her first major film role, in West Side Story. She took on a beloved franchise and made the newest Hunger Games a hit. She became a bona fide Disney princess with 2025's Snow White. And now the 23-year-old is checking a new career milestone off her bucket list: Broadway. Here, she chats with her Romeo + Juliet collaborator Jack Antonoff about it all.
Your Holiday Brunch Requires a Panful of These Treats
A gooey, coconutty gift to you and yours from Tik Tok-viral chef Tuệ Nguyễn.
We Need to Talk About ADHD in Young Women
We've been excluded from this conversation for a long time...and we're suffering because of it.
Go Ahead - Plan a Trip Around the Northern Lights
Because we're in the midst of a solar maximum (yup, we had to google it too) that's expected to end soon and this is the most intense and most accessible the aurora borealis will be for years. These stunning under-the-radar spots will grant you the best, least crowded views.
I Got My Tubes Removed and It Was the Most Liberating Experience
With reproductive health care ever at risk in this country, could this be the future of birth control?
