Teen Magazines

Teen Magazines

Seventeen Seventeen Magazine is the most popular magazine for girls ages 12-24 featuring the latest scoop on Style, Friends, Guys, College, Careers, the Stars and Love, with tips on beauty, fashion, fitness and relationships.

Cosmo Girl! Cosmo Girl! Magazine is the sassy, savvy younger sister of Cosmopolitan, and is written by young women in the voice of a hip confidante, offering advice, encouragement and inspiration on issues that are crucial to every girl's life.

They are growing up too fast !

Many people are worried about today's teenagers growing up too fast. The teenage years seem to start at age eleven these days, especially for girls. They seem to go from playing with dolls to experimenting with make up overnight. It's only natural that each generation will mature a bit quicker than the previous one, but surely there must be a limit. The teen magazines on offer are all part of the process.

In my youth, if I can remember that far back, teen magazines were harmless affairs. They had articles about the pop stars of the day, asking searching questions about their favorite food or color. There might be a story giving a moral message about waiting for the right person to come along. Teen magazines have come a long way since then. They seem to put pressure on young girls to emulate models and pop singers. Young teens and younger are dieting and fretting about miniscule zits. The advertisers want a conveyor belt of mini Britneys, all spending their money on the latest fashions.

Everything must be perfect, hair, figure, skin, and make up. It's hard enough for adults to live up to an ideal, let alone vulnerable teens. The clothes stores collude with the teen magazines in this, selling inappropriate clothes aimed at children. They push accessories adorned with glitter and brightly colored feathers. The size range focuses on skinny to ridiculously skinny.

There doesn't seem to be an equivalent for teenage boys in all this. They're too busy thinking about sports and mixing decks. Yes, it's true that they get interested in girls pretty early on, but they don't have teen magazines telling them to get the latest hair gel or no one will ask them out. Boys seem to be under less pressure to grow up.

There has been some protest from parents regarding the inappropriate targeting of our teens through the teen magazines and elsewhere. The magazine editors claim that their magazines aim for the over sixteen's. This is clearly not the case, as anyone can see by looking at the advertisements, free give aways,  and general flavor of them.

I don't want to be a party pooper. I want teenagers to have a nice time, I just don't want them to be in such a hurry. It makes me angry when I see the corporate world licking their lips with glee at the thought of making big bucks out of them. Teen magazines have a particular responsibility. They are the bible of young people. It's not just a question of looking good. There are constant features about how to get the boy, and then how to keep the boy. It's no wonder stress related illnesses and eating disorders are on the rise amongst young teenagers. Perhaps the teen magazines should realize that thirteen year olds want to read about ponies sometimes. I know I did.