Magazines, Adolescent Girls'

Teen Magazines as a Unique Medium in Girls' Lives

Currently, mainstream teen magazines (e.g., Seventeen, YM, Teen) represent one of the largest segments of a thriving consumer magazine industry. Researchers estimate that nearly all girls in the United States read teen magazines occasionally and that more than 70% of girls read them on a regular basis. By providing detailed instructions that promise to help girls improve their physical appearance and relationships, teen magazines communicate a level of intimacy with their readers that is rarely shared by other media. Indeed, some researchers have likened the “how to” nature of magazine messages to the type of advice that is provided by an older and more knowledgeable sister or girlfriend. Consistent with this view, research suggests that most readers find teen magazines to be a trustworthy and valuable source of information.

Content of Teen Magazines

The vast majority of studies investigating teen magazines are content analyses, which provide detailed descriptions of the quantity and quality of magazine messages. Content analyses reveal that the most common topics discussed in teen magazines focus on fashion, beauty, domestic life, and romantic relationships. In particular, teen magazines have been found to support traditional gender roles, placing high value on girls' physical appearance and their capacity to attract boys and maintain heterosexual romantic relationships. As notable as the presence of messages supporting traditional gender roles is the absence of other types of content. In particular, researchers have noted that girls' interest in education, careers, travel, sports, public service, or politics is rarely mentioned. Moreover, the topics covered in mainstream teen magazines [Page 483]appear to be relatively consistent regardless of the particular magazine in question, the era in which it was published, or its country of origin. Indeed, themes identified in teen magazines published in the United States, Canada, Great Britain, Australia, New Zealand, and the Netherlands are strikingly similar across several decades.

Messages about Femininity and Gender Roles

Through the topics covered and the advice given, teen magazines provide strong and often contradictory messages about what it means to be a girl and about how girls should act in relationships with others. Specifically, teen magazines adhere to traditional norms of femininity that portray girls as dependent, preoccupied with their physical appearance, and consumed by heterosexual desire. In a content analysis of Seventeen spanning more than 30 years (1961–1985), Kate Peirce found that in all three decades, about 60% of the editorial content was devoted to discussions about girls' appearance and their interest in keeping house (i.e., decorating, cooking), whereas little attention was devoted to topics of personal development and growth. In a follow-up analysis of fiction stories presented in Seventeen and Teen, she found that the female protagonists were almost always portrayed as weak and dependent on others to solve their problems. Moreover, analyses of Seventeen, YM, and Teen indicate that these magazines explicitly encouraged girls to be confident and “be themselves,” but the implicit message was that they should do so in order to attract boys. Thus, in teen magazines, heterosexual romance is described as a significant and serious component of adolescent development, and one that will ultimately bring happiness and meaning to girls' lives.

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