TEEN MAGAZINES

To what extent should magazines be held responsible for the social ramification of the representations they offer?

 

Magazines have a very strong influence on their readers, in terms of persuading them to have a particular opinion or influencing to buy a pair of shoes they would've never thought off. This is because the media are a part of our daily routine and surround us constantly, therefore, it's only natural that the public will consume information that it is fed. One of the most influential magazines is teen magazines. Many young people aspire to be stunning and successful singers or actresses, therefore, magazines know they can use this vulnerability to influence young readers into anything. A controversial topic which has been brought up is whether or not magazines are sexualising young people these days. From looking at the magazine on the right hand side, you can clearly see there is not an obvious sexy theme to the magazine but rather, beauty and innocence. The colours of the magazine are soft, girly and fresh to show off a sense of youthfulness which shows how the magazine is trying to appeal to young people.

However, if you take a closer look at the typography, phrases such as "hot pants" and "short dresses" are written which in a way contradict the image that we are first presented with. This is what mainly causes a debate between people as the idea of magazines luring young people then negatively influencing them seems to be done a lot. Other arguments raised are that teen magazines expose young people to topics that are not appropriate for young ages. An example of this is April's Sugar magazine, with readers aged 14 on average, featured a spread entitled "Is it a crush or are you gay?" And this month's Top of the Pops Magazine, with readers aged 11 to 15, is sold with a set of "Kiss Me!" stickers. Most people believe that this is information that children, let alone teens, should not be exposed to as they are not mature enough to understand or talk about them. Additionally, Celebrities play a huge part in how young people conceive things. Iconic people such as Lady Gaga appear on magazines constantly as they know that she has a huge fan base who admire

her and the things she has achieved. Therefore by using her on front covers of magazines, specifically teens, they are more likely to be responsive to the information featured on it. However on the other hand, others suggest that these types of magazines are educational and teach the younger generation topics that most teachers and parents shy away from. They are not completely negative as they do deal with everyday issues that some people may not be comfortable enough to ask someone such as their parent. It also teaches young people to be familiar with things which take place rather than isolating them from reality. 
Now taking a closer look at the design of magazines, there seems to be similarity between their designs and how a 'spread' is presented. The first thing is colours; a colour scheme is not only important in terms of the magazine flowing and coming as one, but it sets the mood and in most cases determines its audience. For example with the Mary-Kate and Ashley Cosmo Girl magazine, the colour pink is used a lot to emphasise 

femininity and how the magazine is trying to appeal to women. It is also plays with stereotypes in terms of the blond 'bombshell' being associated with the colour pink which is a very common image conceived by society. Many magazines play on stereotypes and in some way use it to their advantage as certain stereotypes are more appealing than others. The next thing is typography, this how the actual context of the text and how it is written in order to grasp the attention of its readers. Typography such as "irresistible" and "shocking" all contribute into making a magazine interesting. Looking at the front cover of a magazine is what gives the public their first impressions, therefore, its very important to capture them as much as possible in a short time. The next thing is things such as the mast head and main image. This tends to be similar throughout magazines in terms of the mast head being in front of the main image or in some cases behind. The masthead also tends to change colour depending on the colour scheme of the magazine. The main image however has to be one the most important aspects as it the first things the public are likely to look at. This means featuring someone who is popular in the public eye and styling them in the most captivating way. This is what brings the magazine together and gives it its edge.
The last argument is who should take the blame for how magazines are being portrayed by society. Should it be the responsibility of the publishers or is it down to the public who chose to read the magazines in the first place. Many people have suggested that magazines are to blame as they use the powerful influence they have on readers to convey a certain image, however, I personally believe it's a individuals decision to pick and choose the types of magazines they read. If I had to change anything about them, it would be their content in terms of how they create stereotypes and manipulate people into believing certain things are 'ok' in society and others are not. They don't emphasise originality enough but rather make people desire to be something their not. No one in the world is perfect and young people grow up thinking there is such a thing as 'perfection' which is what kills their minds and self esteem. Personally, I would show real life people and real life situations in my magazine to prove to young audiences that they are just as good as someone like a celebrity.