Cosmopolitan August 2013

How they GOT THEIR START… Paul Costello Costello photographed real Tulane University students for the fashion story "Rule the School" (p. 180). How I got my start. "My father was an amateur photographer, so I grew up surrounded by cameras. In high school, I built a darkroom in our bathroom so I could experiment. After earning a photography degree from New York University, I spent many years assisting the best photographers I could get close to, like Ellen von Unwerth and Annie Leibovitz—I observed their dedication and began to understand how much work goes into one picture." Instagram: @PThePaul Jennifer Wolff Perrine Writer Wolff Perrine explores the allure of the Disney sisterhood in "So You Want to Be a Princess" (p. 122). How I got my start. "…

Growing up in the U.K., I always longed for the full-on American college experience. It looked so much more fun than studying English and American lit at a liberal-arts college with only 4,000 students in a flat and rainy corner of Britain. In fact, one of the most fun times I had at college was at Purdue, staying with my American friend, Mary Payne, whom I had met during my gap year in Paris. I was on a tour of the U.S., and my first stop was that gorgeous campus in West Lafayette, Indiana, where I arrived in August at the beginning of rush. With 35,000 students and a massive Greek system, I had never been to so many parties in my life! Watching Mary's friends sweat entry into various…

MARRIAGE OF THE MINDS "Thank you for 'Secrets of the First Year of Marriage.' As I read it, I felt my anxieties slip away. It was like reading a page out of my own journal! It felt awesome to know that I'm not the only one out there who has experienced these shifts in my relationship. So thank you, Cosmo, for quieting my postmarital blues and helping me to love my hubby that much more." —Danielle R., Swansboro, NC SUNNY-SIDE UP "Thanks for including the article 'Do You Know Where Your Eggs Are?' I sure could relate! Being 23 and married, it's crazy that I am already worried about my fertility. This article reminded me not to let fear run my life." —Rachel L., Saskatchewan, Canada NAME GAME "I loved…

"Right now, I'm all about chillness. I've been going on roller coasters and riding my bike. I just want to relax, have fun, and not let anything get to me." Tytiana O'Bryant, 16, student, from Imperial Beach, CA "I've been baking vegan sweets—cupcakes and cheesecakes. I even make my own ice cream at home." Noor Ebrahim, 24, architecture student, from Kuwait City, Kuwait "I got married last year, and I'd heard that the first year is the toughest, but it's been going really well. We're growing together. I was expecting more fighting!" Alexis DelChiaro, 31, news anchor, from San Diego, CA "I'm really passionate about politics. I want to get involved and help people be more knowledgeable about their choices." Erin McGibbon, 23, recent poli-sci and history grad, from Houston,…

Cosmo readersshare their mosttoe-curling stories and steamiest secrets. Underwear Overshare "A few months after I broke up with my boyfriend, a cute guy asked me out, and apprehensively, I said yes. One of my friends came up with a great plan for me: wear granny panties on the date but keep a sexy pair in my purse to ensure that I'd go home with him only if I decided it was a good idea, since I'd be forced to change in a bathroom. I took her advice and arrived on the date wearing a huge, beige pair. We hit it off, so halfway through dinner, I excused myself to change. I had taken off my jeans and had the bloomers halfway down my butt when the door creaked open and…

Wildest Dreams "I'm a big cuddler, but my girlfriend isn't. She pushes me away whenever I start snuggling her in her sleep, so I'm always saying, 'Just let me hug you—you're sleeping. It's harmless.' One night, she caved and let me cuddle her, and I fell asleep happy with her face nuzzled in my arms. It was great, until she woke me up screaming about half an hour later. I had dozed off into one of those immediately deep sleeps, had a dream about tackling an intruder in our apartment, and started wrestling her—aka the intruder—in my sleep! I don't even bring up cuddling anymore." —Tom P., 26 Hair Scare "I took a girl to the movies for a first date, and she looked so beautiful…