Hearst Magazines

Seventeen, the popular teen girls magazine, covers makeup, clothing, and hair tips, as well as stories about celebrities and real girls overcoming challenges. The majority of the magazine focuses on hair, makeup, and clothing advise, with pages upon pages of looks at different makeups and jewelry combinations. This is fine, except that a lot of the suggested pieces can get a bit pricey. While the magazine did seem to be attempting to keep things at a moderate price, there were still some sections where things were way too pricey for the average teenager. For example, none of the bras in the bra section were under $48.00, while most teenagers this author knows got their bras for between $10-$20 at H&M and JCPenny.

The advice is mostly spot on, but there are a few sections where it is lacking. For one, there is one particularly offensive section in the magazine called "do guys think you're desperate?" Based on the answers, readers will be told that they're either coming on too strong, they're too flirty, or they're overly distant. There's no "You're doing it right, keep it up!" option. A lot of the criteria, too, such as "you friend him on facebook right after meeting him," doesn't really scream desperate so much as socially connected. How many teenagers these days have Facebook apps right on their phones, after all.

Additionally, while Seventeen gives lots of attention to dating boys, there's little to no commentary about dating girls. Considering that there will probably be some readers out there questioning their sexuality, this could be detrimental.

Overall, this edition of Seventeen isn't a bad one, but it could have been improved in a few key areas.… (altro)