Teen Magazines and Their
Influence on Adolescent Girls
Debi Naigle
Deanna Fast
Teen and beauty magazines are a pervasive
feature of adolescent girls’ lives:
Teen and women’s beauty, fashion and health
magazines make up over 30% of the magazines sold
yearly (Magazine Publishers of America, 2003).
10 million teen and beauty magazines are circulated
each year and 6.5 million are in adolescent girl’s
homes (Norton, 2002).
At least 50% of adolescent girls are frequent readers
of health, beauty and fashion magazines (Nichter,
2000).
Reasons for this:
The magazines make adolescent girls feel older and
more mature.
The magazines offer tips and advice on hair, fashion
and makeup.
There is an entertainment value.
Reading the magazines builds a sense of community
and ties to other adolescent girls.
Gives girls a window on the world.
This window on the world is defined as:
the “cultural dictation of the norm.”
(O’Hara & Nanox, 1999)
Problems occur in the areas of:
Appearance
Social Values
Hyper-sexuality
Accelerated
Appearance:
Magazines place a high value, either overtly or
covertly, on outer appearance rather than inner self
The average model in the 1950s was 5’4”, 140 lbs;
the average model today is 5’10”, 110 lbs.
This results in adolescent girls going to extreme
lengths to meet these unattainable standards.
2/3 of females are either on a diet or plan to start
one (Garner & Kearney-Cooke, 1996).
Appearance:
Studies have found a positive correlation between the
frequency high school girls read beauty and fashion
magazines and their use of appetite suppressants,
skipping two meals a day, and intentional vomiting
(Thomsen, Webber & Brown, 2002).
83% of those who often or sometimes vomit are
frequent readers and 73% of those who use
suppressants or weight control pills are frequent
readers.
Failure to meet these “standards” results in lowered
self-esteem, depression, learned helplessness and
distorted body view.
Social Values
Females are taught that they are supposed to be
male-pleasers and that it is acceptable to compete
with other woman to earn male’s acceptance.
Females are shown that abusive and controlled
behavior is acceptable.
All relationships are heterosexual.
Deception and mixed messages in relationships is
acceptable.
Females are taught to crisis search.
Hyper-sexuality
Adolescent females are given the message that they
need to get acceptance from males.
There are contrasting messages: they should use
their sexuality, but never give into it.
Some magazines go as far as giving tips on how to
“do it.”
500% increase (from 1970 to 1990) in the number of
15 year old girls who are sexually active (O’Hara &
Lanoux, 1999)
Accelerated Maturity
Magazines promote sexually suggestive and age
inappropriate dress and actions.
Models in the magazines are older than the intended
target audience.
This forces adolescent girls to feel the need to grow
up socially and sexually.
Ways to help teens
Look for alternative magazines such as Teen Voice
that contain no advertising and include peer editing
and submission.
Engage in media literature studies with teens.