Helen Gurley Brown Among feminists, Brown's role has been highly contested as empowering women to be unashamed of their sexual urges and as creating a magazine that may live on as a sexist magazine with a body image problem. However, some feminists feel that the sexism in our world cannot be blamed all on "Cosmopolitan" and Brown, with other magazines circulating that objectify women's bodies. These other people look at Brown's work as both "progressive and retrogressive" when it comes to the feminist movement. Helen Gurley Brown Helen Gurley Brown (February 18, 1922 – August 13, 2012; born Helen Marie Gurley) was an
William Gurley his interest and the business was renamed W.& L.E. Gurley. The firm still exists today as Gurley Precision Instruments. William Gurley was involved in several local organizations. For many years he was connected with the YMCA, and in 1851 was elected its president. He served as alderman from 1860 to 1864, and as fire commissioner he helped to improve fire prevention systems in major cities. He was a member of the New York State Assembly (Rensselaer Co., 1st D.) in 1867. In 1868, he was appointed by the Secretary of the Treasury to serve on a commission with Prof. Joseph