Meet the Fun Fearless Females that put your favourite magazine together each month
Kerrie Simon
Editor In Chief
It’s not unheard of for Kerrie to take on the grueling task of choosing between two photos of a guy without his shirt to appear in the mag (she knows, she’s a trooper), and trying to convince Chee to include a bulldog puppy in her next photo shoot. And when she’s not comparing photos of shirtless men, Kerrie is chatting to and meeting the readers of the magazine, finding out what makes them tick, and then working out what they want from their very own edition of Cosmopolitan. “Empowering women in this region is a big job, but it’s also an honour,” Kerrie says.
Kerrie has spent four years in the Middle East, working on women’s mags, most recently as editor of Grazia Middle East.
Who is your fave celeb? Does Kate Middleton (sorry, Duchess Catherine of Cambridge) count? I think she’s sending out a pretty important message through her refusal to give up the things she loves (high street clothing, time with her girlfriends and, ahem, grocery shopping) just because she’s signed on to become the future Queen of England. I think it says a fair bit about her character, no? I’m also still head-over-stilettos in love with Khloe Kardashian, Cosmo Middle East’s first ever cover girl. I love her devil-may-care attitude – she’s my fave Kardashian by far!
Fashion trends you don’t get? showing the tops of your thong out the top of your jeans. Can you believe some underwear companies even make knickers especially for this?!
Most fun fearless moment? Joining my best friend (along with 50,000 other revelers) in Spain five years ago for the annual La Tomatina Festival – 23 three hours of flying and five weeks of backpacking for three hours of having tomatoes thrown in our faces. Hilarious.
Cosmopolitan Middle East is... the friend every girl should have
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Aoife Stuart
Deputy Editor
Among Aoife’s many responsibilities is finding the hottest guys in the GCC, convincing them to strip off for Cosmo (tough job, but someone’s got to do it!) then grilling them to find out exactly what makes them tick. She also taps local career, health and relationship experts for invaluable life and love advice, and hunts down the region’s most fun, fearless females to find inspirational real life stories. Originally from Belfast, Northern Ireland, Aoife has spent the last five years in Dubai working on various women’s celebrity, health and lifestyle magazines, most recently on Shape Middle East. She’s also worked for several women’s titles in the UK and Ireland.
Who is your fave celeb? Too many to choose, but man-wise, Bradley Cooper is currently rocking my world (hello, Hangover Part Two!) and I’m loving the new crop of cool Hollywood chicks like Emma Stone and Carey Mulligan. Ryan Gosling, Tom Hardy, Ginnifer Goodwin, Jennifer Aniston, Joseph Gordon-Levitt, Marion Cotillard, Rachel McAdams and Blake Lively (espesh with Leo) are also on my short list.
Fashion trends you don’t get? Brogues. They make even skinny supers look stumpy.
Most fun fearless moment? When myself and two of my best friends whisked ourselves off to the South of France for the summer. Among the many gigs we took to pay the rent (for our tres tiny campsite bungalow) and fund our partying was cleaning the super-swanky yachts in Antibes for $50 a day. Not very glamorous, but it meant we got to spend the summer partying in Cannes, Monaco and Nice. We met heaps of celebs, but we didn’t tell them that we were the ones polishing their cutlery by day!
Cosmo Middle East is… A conversation about your relationships with your man, with your friends and with yourself.
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Acacia StichterArt Director
Who is your fave Celeb? This changes daily. At the moment it has to be Beyonce! Everything she does is amazing and has purpose. She isn’t shy about her curves, has an amazing wardrobe and who doesn’t love anyone that think Girls run the world!
Fashion trends you don’t get? Jeggings. Leggings made to look like jeans are not ok.
Most fun fearless moment? It is kind of my most embarrassing moment and fun fearless moment wrapped up into one. When Kerrie (Cosmo’s awesome editor) and I were in New York to meet our big bosses we took some time out to do some serious shopping. We went into Saks Fifth Avenue pretending to be all fancy and headed for the shoe department. I wandered off to the sale section and spotted some seriously high Miu Miu shoes. Kerrie convinced me to try them on insisting I will wear them every day. So I did. I put them on and was about to stand up and admire them when all of a sudden I was flat on my face sprawled out on the floor of Saks with EVEYRONE looking at me. Have you seen the scene in Sex And The City where Carrie falls at Dior? That was me. My bracelet also snapped and was rolling all over the floor while the sales assistant was trying to reassure me that no one saw they only heard my fall. I was so embarrassed that I bought the shoes and ran out of the store with Kerrie in tow laughing hysterically. Every time I put those shoes on now I smile a little and think about the most embarrassing moment of my life and walk a little taller thinking if I can get through that and smile I can do anything!
Cosmo Middle East is… A voice for women and your best friend!
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Fashion & Beauty Director
Who is your favourite celebrity? I love Rihanna. I think she’s talented, super stylish and has so much attitude. But, I am also obsessed with the Kardashians and love watching all their shows.
Fashion trend you just don’t get? Socks worn with sandals- there’s nothing sexy or stylish about it!
Most fun fearless moment…Visiting my best friend Belinda in Las Vegas for the weekend once a month for almost a year to purely party and have fun. But all good things come to an end, plus it was exhausting and very expensive!
Cosmo Middle East Is… Sexy, sassy & stylish
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Christina LuciwPicture Researcher
Christina is Cosmo’s lovely picture researcher. She not only gets to keep up about all the hot new celebrities gossip, style, and trends, she makes sure that Cosmo has the prettiest pictures in existence to fill those pages. Christina recently moved to Dubai, from New York City where she worked for US Shape Magazine.
Who is your favourite celebrity? I will admit I do have a major crush on Katy Perry…..She seems super fun, and is sexy without trying! I’d like her to be my friend!
Fashion trend you just don’t get? Poofy sleeves……ok, some people can pull it off, but personally, I have no comment.
Most fun fearless moment…. Quitting my Job, & moving abroad away from all my friends and family. It was the scariest moment in my life, but the best thing I ever did. It’s true what they say, Big Risks=Big Rewards!
Cosmo Middle East Is…the ultimate girls guide to life. Will empower you in those tough guy, work, & life situations, and answer the questions you have always wanted to ask but never had the guts to!
