Read the article entitled, “Magazines That Became Only Skin Deep,” by Marie
Myung-Ok Lee.
Answer the questions that follow in full-sentences. Be sure to make specific
references to the passage when responding.
Magazines That Became Only Skin Deep
By Marie Myung-Ok Lee
Browsing the magazine rack the other day, I noticed that Seventeen magazine still exists, but I
hardly recognize it: "Sexy Legs Workout!" "The New Party Drug That Could Kill You," "How
to Get a Natural-Looking Spray Tan."
I read Seventeen magazine religiously in the 1970s and '80s. Headlines from old copies that I
have saved include: "Five Pollution Fighters," "How is Women's Liberation Doing in the High
Schools?" "How to Survive College Rejection" and "Volunteer Work Does Pay Off."
The last article is one I wrote in 1982, when I myself was 17. The magazine, especially with its
annual fiction, art and photography contest, strongly influenced my decision to become a writer;
it was a perfect forum in which to express my thoughts. Well into my 20s, I continued to
contribute articles and essays -- "Taking a Foreign Language Could Be Your Ticket to Travel!"
"Get Growing," "Computer Friendly" -- and tried (unsuccessfully) to get my fiction in as well.
Lately, when I meet other female writers in my age cohort, it turns out we are all alumnae of
Seventeen and other magazines of the day, such as YM and Mademoiselle. A friend remembers
being turned on to Seventeen as a teen by an article promoting busing and integration. She went
on to do an article on the biosphere for Seventeen and now is a writer on environmental issues.
Mademoiselle (now defunct) published some of the best fiction in the nation, discovering such
talent as Truman Capote (who was also published in Seventeen), Joyce Carol Oates, Flannery
O'Connor and Tennessee Williams. Mademoiselle also ran an annual college guest editor
contest, one famous winner being Sylvia Plath, who immortalized the experience in her novel
"The Bell Jar."
Of course, back then, Seventeen had a bit of an unseemly focus on appearance and boys as well,
but it is difficult to imagine the slightly neurotic "When Your Boyfriend Forgets Your Birthday"
of 1982 eliciting any frisson compared with today's "Do I Have an STD?" There seem to be
plenty of articles on what to do about rejection from a boy but none about rejection from a
college. In fact, as opposed to thoughtful articles on college, joining the Peace Corps or relating
to parents, in the current Seventeen (Spring Shopping Issue!), life beyond instant gratification
seems utterly absent.
Another article in that 1982 issue, "How to Make a Candy Necklace," would today be relegated
to the "tween" (8-13) age group magazines such as Discovery Girl or Girl's Life. But even the
Girl's Life covers boast "Hot New Spring Looks!" and "Love Secrets." Its "Dear Carol" column
receives letters from writers obsessed with padded bras or lamenting that "I finally found the boy
of my dreams . . . The problem is, he uses drugs and alcohol."
And the first-person stories that used to appear in Seventeen's "You Said It!" and "Frankly
Speaking" columns have been replaced by "Real Life" ("I Survived a School Shooting"), written
not by the subject herself but by an "as-told-to" journalist.
Celebrities dominate these magazines in a way that they did not 20 years ago. The celebrityindustrial complex already saturating our culture keeps the reading experience at a distance, with
the reader passively digesting news about an off-limits "them" and not relating to her
contemporaries -- and herself. The magazine acts more as a vehicle for marketing than insight
into what girls today are thinking. Thus, the magazines are thick with celebrity profiles and
pages of glossy ads, but there is little fiction (God forbid, poetry), reader contests are largely
merchandise promotions and the only opportunity to share thoughts is the woefully narrow:
"Your opinions about our January issue."
I recently won a writing prize for creative nonfiction, and scanning the list of previous winners, I
saw a name, Adrian Nicole LeBlanc, that was very familiar. Not because she was a MacArthur
fellow or had written a nonfiction book that I admired but because she had been my editor at
Seventeen.
Maybe this is a natural generational evolution, the aging baby-boomer reminiscing on how things
were so much better "back then." But my first novel, begun during the time I was writing for
Seventeen, was called "Finding My Voice" because I had found my voice as a writer, and it was
Seventeen that was the first to publish me, to make me feel that my words were important.
Will the budding writers of today receive the same encouragement? Will the alumnae and alumni
of today's young women's magazines include Pulitzer Prize winners and MacArthur fellows? In
20 years, we shall see.
Questions
1. Discuss the title of the article. What is the significance of this title? Why do
you think it was chosen? (3 marks)
The title, “Skin Deep”, refers to something on the surface, partially meaningless
and superficial. I think the title was chosen because the author is insinuating
how superficial the articles that had been published were.
2. According to the author, how do the newer Seventeen Magazine articles
compare with the older ones (from the 1970s and 1980s)? (3 marks)
The newer Seventeen Magazine focuses on beauty and boys, as opposed to
the older ones, which focused on insightful stories, college details, and other
useful topics.
3. What seems to bother the author most about the current Seventeen
Magazine? (3 marks)
The speaker seems to be annoyed by Seventeen Magazine's focus on beauty
and boys rather than significant subjects.
4. “Girl’s Life” is a magazine for “tweens” (age 8-13). Discuss your thoughts
regarding girls in this age group writing letters asking about padded bras
and finding the “boys of their dreams.” (4 marks)
I assume that padded bras and boys should not be a subject for "tweens,". The
influence from the media plays a huge role in this. Asking for padded bras as a
tween just means that their insecurities are being exploited.
5. What do you think the author means when she says, “The magazine acts
more as a vehicle for marketing than insight into what girls today are
thinking.” (3 marks)
I assume the author suggests that magazines act as a forum for
advertising, offering, or promoting goods or services rather than focusing
on topics from the viewpoint of women.
6. Why do you think magazines have evolved from publishing articles that
empower young women ("How is Women's Liberation Doing in the High
Schools?" or "How to Survive College Rejection" or "Volunteer Work Does
Pay Off") to articles that deal with superficial issues ("Sexy Legs Workout!"
or "How to Get a Natural-Looking Spray Tan")? (4 marks)
I believe that this is the case because this is what most teenagers want to hear
because they have been introduced to these superficial issues. These skin-deep
topics have been designed to be regarded as significant because of the beauty
standards. The beauty standards have exerted a strong influence, therefore
these magazines know that the way to reach girls is to publish these kinds of
topics.