LiveWorld Transcripts

CosmoGIRL! presents

Editor-in-Chief Atoosa Rubenstein
Challenges facing young women

March 13, 2000

Atoona Rubenstein, CosmoGIRL!'s Editor-in-Chief, chats about her magazine, the challenges facing young women, why she loves her job so much, and what makes her magazine stand out so much from the other teen magazines on the rack today.

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CosmoGIRL!: Welcome to our chat with Atoosa Rubenstein. CosmoGIRL! Editor-in-Chief about friends, love, and family. This chat is sponsored by CosmoGIRL!-a magazine for REAL girls with REAL issues. Log on at www.cosmogirl.com! Welcome, Atoosa!

Atoosa Rubenstein: Hey, everybody! Thanks for coming to hang out with me tonight!

Kittygrrlz200: What would you do if your friend went behind your back and lied to everyone you know? Would you tell her off or play it cool?

Atoosa Rubenstein: I don't think you should do either, because if you tell her off, then you're stooping to her level. You should just talk to her. Be honest - tell her what you heard, tell her that it hurt you, and let her give her side of the story. I hope for your sake that someone was just trying to spread a rumor and get you guys in a fight, because I'd hate to think that your friend can be that mean. But just remember that if she is, she's not a very good friend, and as much as it hurts, you have to tell her that you can't be friends any more.

Bonnie: I go to a private school and wear a uniform, but want to express myself. How can I do this and still stay in uniform?

Atoosa Rubenstein: We actually talked about this in CosmoGIRL! a few months ago. One cool thing you can do is wear your button down shirt one size too big, crisscross it in the front, and knot it in the back. So that way, you have a cool wrap top. Also, you might want to try wearing really cool and crazy bright sneakers (if you're allowed)! And there's no uniform for your hair, right? So try really cool bobby pins or other fun hair accessories.

Bonnie: There is a boy I really like but he's shy. So am I. How can I get him to know I like him?

Atoosa Rubenstein: The only way to really tell him is to actually tell him Even though it seems easier to have your friend tell him, the most adult thing to do is to tell him yourself. You might want to wait until he's by himself, so that he doesn't feel that he has to put up a front for his friends. But just be brave, and do it. Like they say in the lottery, "You gotta be in it to win it!" Good luck.

Sigma: My mother and I can't get along! She is so unreasonable, she won't even let me date and I am 15! How do I get her to treat me like a real person! One thing that we always say in CosmoGIRL! is that it's really important to communicate with your mom, like an adult, when you ask her for things. It's really important that you're really clear about where you're going, and if it makes her feel better you should call her the second you get there. And you have to - HAVE TO - be home on time. If you really want brownie points, you need to come home even 15 minutes earlier. I know that doesn't sound like fun, but the only way to get your parents to trust you is by putting in this type of goodie-goodie time so they'll trust you more in the future. It's the only way.

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