Helen Gurley Brown
Author, publisher, businesswoman, Editor-in-Chief of Cosmopolitan Magazine, independent thinker, ambitious woman — Helen Gurley Brown literally rewrote the book on what modern womanhood could be.
1948
Helen makes history by becoming the first female copywriter at Foote, Cone & Belding.
1958
Helen meets David Brown – the man who will become her biggest champion and the love of her life.
1962
Helen publishes her first book, Sex and the Single Girl, which was an instant success.
1965
Helen takes over at Cosmopolitan and turns the magazine around: her first issue completely sold out.
(SEX AND) THE SINGLE GIRL
Helen Gurley before Brown
Born Helen Marie Gurley in 1922 in Green Forest, Arkansas, Helen was possessed of a rare type of drive that would carry her far beyond the typical life milestones for women of her time – sometimes clearing the path herself when she ran out of road. She came from an extremely modest financial background, made all the more precarious by her father’s early passing and her sister’s contraction of polio. Helen had always considered herself a “mouseburger,” the term she used to refer to women who were not naturally the most beautiful or charismatic people in the room; but she believed strongly in everyone’s ability to invent and reinvent themselves. So that’s what she did: she took on work answering fan mail at a radio station to support her family and began a career as what was then called a secretary and today might be considered something closer to an assistant, for a salary of $6 a week.
After 17 such secretarial jobs, Helen landed at the advertising agency Foote, Cone & Belding.
do it, be it, and get on with it
Enter David
David Brown entered Helen’s life in 1958 and would become both her husband and her fiercest champion. Though she was already self-made by the time they met, it was David who encouraged Helen to write Sex and the Single Girl, reflecting on her years in Los Angeles. The book spoke frankly and honestly about life as a single career woman. Unlike other advice books at the time, Sex and the Single Girl encouraged women to focus on their career, to develop financial independence, and to experiment with a wide range of relationships before – or even without – getting married.
The book was a smash, staying on the bestseller lists for over a year. It was published in 28 countries and spawned a film starring movie star Natalie Wood. Helen got so much fanmail for Sex & the Single Girl that she was soon spending most of her free time writing replies. Eventually, an exasperated David had an idea: instead of writing a million letters dispensing advice, why not just write one in the form of an editor’s note?
THE DAWN OF THE COSMO GIRL
Speaking Frankly
SATSG had shined a spotlight on a largely ignored and misunderstood demographic, and its incredible success showcased clearly that there was a wealth of opportunity for someone to publish a magazine directed toward single women, addressing their real-life questions about life, money, work, and, yes, sex. And Helen bet that she was just the writer to do it.
The bet paid off. The first issue of Cosmopolitan under Helen’s leadership completely sold out; by its peak, the circulation had soared to over 3,500,000 copies per month, and yearly advertising sales grew to 857 pages per year. She would remain at the helm for 32 years. The first true Editor-in-Chief of the magazine, Helen made Cosmo into a global phenomenon. Under her leadership, the magazine expanded to 67 countries, pushing boundaries with its fearless coverage of taboo subjects and frank discussions of issues facing women across the world. Helen’s very first Cosmopolitan covered featured articles on birth control (the first magazine ever to do so) and what it was like to visit a psychiatrist. Future editions included articles about homosexuality among women, abortion, sexual politics, and how to manage anxiety attacks.
A PROLIFIC LEGACY
The Writer’s Rules
Sex and the Single Girl was Helen’s first book, and catapulted her to success. It looked frankly at life for women in the work place, in relationships, and in life. But her book-writing didn’t end there; Helen went on to publish nine books and even recorded an LP. Her work paid attention and offered advice to those demographics who were largely ignored by the mainstream – not just young, single girls.
Over the years, Helen won a host of awards for her work at Cosmopolitan, including an induction into the Magazine Editors’ Hall of Fame in 1996. Her writing was known for being funny, sharp, and of course, provocative, with no subject matter too taboo for her to give her two cents.
For the duration of her career, Helen continued to write books and publish articles that spoke to women’s experiences – their feelings, their ambitions, and their potential. And she did it all with the same flair and verve that she brought to that very first book.
In Her Own Words
Work with the raw material you have, namely you, and never let up.
helen gurley brown
Helen’s Legacy: The Outsiders, the Foundation, and beyond
2008
The Outsiders
In Helen’s later years, she came to be involved with other Hearst employees in a decade long project with a baseball group made up of 20 young boys from the Bronx, NY called “The Outsiders Mentorship Program.” Our BridgeUP programs are rooted in that mentorship program.
2012
The Papers
Upon her passing, Helen Gurley Brown’s collected correspondence, photographs, interviews, and more were donated to Smith College, where it is available for scholars and fans alike to learn more about her life.
2010
The Foundation
The Helen Gurley Brown Foundation – established in 2012 as The Pussycat Foundation after one of Helen’s favorite pet names – operates the same way that Helen did: by believing in the power of every individual.
2013
The Programs
The Helen Gurley Brown Foundation has three core programs areas: Empowering Women, Empowering the Future, and Empowering Innovation. In all our work, we seek to fund programs which disrupt the status quo and redefine what is possible.
Dear Pussycat…
The Helen Gurley Brown Foundation was established in 2010 by Helen, as the Pussycat Foundation, named after Helen’s favorite term of endearment. Quite often, Helen used ‘Pussycat’ as an affectionate name to address near and dear ones. The title of the 2001 published book, Dear Pussycat: Mash Notes and Missives from the Desk of Cosmopolitan’s Legendary Editor, underlines how well-known and significant this pet name of Helen’s was.
