Girls are also interested in things other than make-up tips

Mrs Simon, why does Switzerland need a magazine for girls?

There are many magazines for girls in Switzerland, but they are very one-sided in terms of subject matter: ponies and princesses for primary school children, make-up tips and stars for teenagers. But girls are also interested in completely different things. «Kosmos» takes girls seriously and has confidence in them. Each issue looks at a topic from different angles. In the first issue, everything revolves around the voice, from the political voice to the singing voice to the screaming voice. We would like to see the creation of a community, a nationwide network for girls.

What exactly are the contents or topics that are specifically aimed at girls?

The contents of «Kosmos» are equally interesting for girls and boys. That's why we call it «The magazine for girls (and the rest of the world)». In contrast to most media products, however, the majority of «Kosmos» features girls and women.

Wouldn't there also need to be a feminist, progressive magazine for boys?

We also think that boys deserve other role models and would love a magazine with similar standards for boys. Nevertheless, we wanted to create a magazine in which girls get the full attention for once. After all, women still get far less space in the media than men. Media aimed at both genders often run the risk of simply reflecting the status quo of society and catering to role stereotypes. We have also been told by people involved in youth work that although gender boundaries are being blurred, there is still a need to do things within one's own group. Girls of primary school age often feel more comfortable trying out new things if they are only among girls.

«Kosmos» is published 6 times a year and is aimed at girls between 8 and 13. www.kosmosmag.ch

*«Kosmos» is a registered trademark of Franckh-Kosmos Verlags GmbH & Co. KG; Stuttgart. Used with the kind permission of Kosmos-Verlag.