Seventeen must be a popular magazine. There have been over 250 people that have reviewed the magazine since Epinions’ conception over four years ago. It’s too bad for me that I didn’t read the reviews before I subscribed to this magazine for my classroom. Most magazines today use sex to sell but I didn’t think it would filter into such a well-known publication that has for years been read and loved by teens; but it has. In fact, this magazine has so many sex related articles that I have yanked it from my rack and toss it away monthly. I do not believe in censorship but when you have thirteen and fourteen year old kids reading how to give blow jobs (as was issued in one of the issues) then it’s time to make some responsible decisions on my part. That’s too bad too, because some of the material in the magazine is just what it should be, fashion and light articles that teen girls like to read. When the boys in class seemed to be the first to grab and read it I should have been clued in but it wasn’t until one of my more responsible students brought up the copy about blow jobs (not even called felatio) and said they didn’t think this magazine was a very good one for them to be able to read, that I began checking it out and decided that it probably wasn’t a good magazine for them to be reading or for me to be subscribing to. Since its title is, “Seventeen,” I assumed that it would be appropriate for girls in the teen range. It used to be one of the publications that the school library carried. I have since checked with my librarian and she said she stopped subscriptions to it last year.
This month’s edition (which I saved from the trash) is less objectionable than others I’ve read. The format is classic and for the right age group probably enjoyable. I’m just not sure what the “right” age group is.
The Magazine
The cover is of Brittany Spears (a young teen favorite) and one that older teens don’t care much about. It expresses my confusion exactly.
One category each month is Fun Stuff.
This month has Traumarama or How Embarrassing! Readers write in with their most embarrassing moments. While one is a recounting of buying an embarrassing gift for a girlfriend, another letter is about going to a boyfriend’s house and his mom letting her wait for her boyfriend to get home in his bedroom and her laying nude in bed with a rose in her mouth and then his dad walking into the room with the boy’s laundry. She says that, “Now we hang out at my house.” Yeah, right. There’s another excerpt about watching porn with friends and getting caught; and someone’s boyfriend yelling, “For God’s sake, my tongue’s been down your throat before so let me stick my finger in your drink.”
Fashion this month is about young people that attend a certain college. Each person interviewed seems to be, on the average, 23 years old.
The fashion from this school is somewhat grunge in style and typical of college life. They also have Bargain Hunter fashions and they have a great selection of inexpensive clothing. BEAUTY too, has some great products, for all ages, highlighted. Teeth whitening is the main article in this section and has some good advice.
In Health, there are articles on Meditation and Emergency Contraceptives (the day after pill). The contraceptive one has two girls talking about it and their ages are 17 and 19. The 17 year old says, “The one time I used the morning after pill was because my boyfriend asked me to. He was really nervous I’d get pregnant because we hadn’t used protection.” What a caring and responsible guy (and girl)!
REAL LIFE this month is about a girl that is overweight and the disease she had that caused it. There is also some “shorts” about flirting strategies. Another section of REAL LIFE is called, “Guys Talk” and this month was, “Mind Games Guys Play.” Guys write in and tell about their view of things. One said, “I need to lie. I really wanted to hang out with this girl.” So he’d call her everyday and tell her about things he was doing when, in fact, he’d really stay home and lay on the couch all day.” That was from an eighteen year old guy. No comment. In REAL LIFE there was a good article (which was way too short to do it justice) about “Slavery Still Exists.” It is about a teen in North Korea where girls are being sold and brutalized. There wasn’t enough depth to the article because my opinion is that it was more to titillate than to inform. All articles are very short with just brief information given. Some are better than others. “What it’s like to live in Denmark” is one example and “Use your Power for the Election” is another. Internet bullying is also covered this month by someone writing about how she was trashed by friends on the Internet.
The cover article on Brittany is an interview that she gave. If you like her, you’ll like the interview.
Another in-depth article this month is “Should you date your best friend?” This is interesting and discusses “Can a mental connection override a weak physical attraction?” Another article covers a high school who has had 10 deaths during the last year and is in the DRAMA section. This article is at least done in depth.
The magazine ends with a slew of spring fashions, hairstyles, and makeup and of course horoscopes.
The fashions, hairstyles, and makeup are great. They are young and wholesome. The people that advertise in this magazine are the ones that add the sleaze fashions and the ads are often very sexual looking.
As I stated above, the magazine has some good points and every magazine isn’t as bad as the “Things to do to satisfy your boyfriend” article that talked about oral sex. But, in all, I can’t justify it as a magazine for those under 16 and I can’t recommend it for those over 18 because the fashions, etc. are for the younger teens.
Should you buy this magazine? Only if you can figure out what the target interest audience is. I couldn’t figure it out because I’m hoping that all teens aren’t having sex, and I feel that the rest of the content wouldn’t be too interesting to the twenty-year-old crowd.
Seventeen Magazine is the world's most popular magazine for today's teenage girls! In every issue you'll get the latest scoop on style, friends, guys,...More at Magazineline
Seventeen magazine is the world's most popular magazine for today's teenage girls. Find the latest scoop on style and beauty, relationships, college a...More at Magazines.com
Seventeen Magazine is the only magazine for the modern teenage girl. In each issue you'll read about the latest fashions trends for teens beauty and s...More at www.valuemags.com
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