Seventeen is a popular magazine just for teenage girls. It covers the topics that interest teens - fashion, beauty, body, boys, sex and celebrity interviews. The magazine has been speaking to teens for over fifty years. As a young teenager, I enjoyed looking through the large Back-To-School issue filled with fashion pages. The large sized magazine is now smaller and the subject matter has changed a bit. The magazine is now much more open about sexuality, as is our society in general, but the magazine is still Seventeen. Seventeen just received its own make-over in January. I like this magazine better than YM and Teen but still have reservations about it especially for more impressionable younger teens.

Seventeen covers feature young popular celebrities. February's cover features 29-year old Jennifer Garner, star of the ABC's new Alias. There is a nice informal pose of her with her dog kneeling on the beach. Inside is a great interview with Jennifer. Teen readers learn that Jennifer is not as unapproachable as she seems in her role as secret double agent Sydney Bristow. December's issue is of superstar Britney Spears and January has the talented singer/song writer, Alicia Keys on the cover. The inside celebrity interviews all are fun for teens to read. There are seven features listed on covers. February 2002 is the prom issue. All sections of this issue relate to prom night.

The Table of Contents doesn't appear until page 13. There are two more ad pages between the first and second page of the Table of Contents. Issues are divided Fashion, Beauty, Boys, Real Life, All Access and Columns. The biggest section is Fashion. In the current issue there are 13 articles under Fashion. Changing Room is a new Fashion section addition for the magazine and it debuts this month. Each month a trendy designer will dress a famous celebrity. A collage of photos livens up the page. This should be a glamorous fun section that teens will enjoy. This month teens come along with the star of the Fox drama 24, 19-year old Elisha Cuthbert, as she picks out a prom dress. Her choices are great but no prices are listed.

The Buzz section covers the Seventeen boutique in Hollywood, where teens can buy the fashion picks of the magazine as well as the ones worn by the cover celebrity. This month's pick is a wild safari look. The clothes are too expensive for teens - $100 for a bikini and $350 for a dress. The hottest fashion look this month is the mini dress for maximum sexiness. Go short and sweet like Minnie Mouse; less is more the magazine tells teens. The 17 styles range in price from $39 - $440 - with an average cost of $150. I liked the selection and the range in prices but the dresses are really too short, though - more suitable for the tennis court or beach.

Every month, the magazine visits a college campus and highlights the college's hangouts and fashion scene. This month teens visit Vanderbilt College where Crew pea coats and khakis are popular. The magazine also lists some information of each college. It's a fun way to introduce teens to college life on different campuses. I?d like to see more serious content on these colleges.

Other sections under fashion highlight the hottest looks. For pants, this month it's the sporty track pants; also, a model shows off her stylish torn clothes; a new look - using a custom logo to personalize clothes and accessories; and denim from head to toe. Teens also learn how to jazz up their clothes from fashion experts. The magazine is hip to the fashion world and right on top of - even ahead of - new trends. By going around the country, the Style Squad picks up new trend ideas from teens and highlights them in the magazine. The magazine is constantly holding model searches and other events that keep them in touch with the teen fashion scene.

The rest of the Fashion section covers prom dresses since this is the prom issue. Spy's "All Things Prom" offers girls creative ways to jazz up their dresses and make them uniquely theirs. "The 50 Best Prom Dresses," a cover feature, has a wonderful variety of gowns to please most teens. This ultimate guide has lovely dresses ranging from a low of $39 to higher priced dresses for just under $300. The average dress costs $126 which is not unreasonable. All teen girls can find something here to fit their family's budget. The variety in styles will please individual tastes and body shapes. "After Prom" and "The New Preppies" are mainly photographs with more fashion ideas centering on prom activities. The whole fashion section has wonderful photographs that teens love to devour. Teens will scrutinize every model's shoe, bag, jewelry and hairdo in addition to the dress she is wearing. The Fashion section is a very strong section of the magazine. I feel that most of the fashions in the magazine are too mature for younger readers.

After Fashion comes the beauty section. There are nine short articles. Teens find 17 glitter ideas to add sparkle to their appearance on prom night - each costs under $17. I hope the teens don't overdo the sparkle. Then there is the lime makeup. Use restraint with this stuff, teens, or you will look ghoulish. The magazine also offers some inexpensive natural looking foundation suggestions. I hope the teens use these. All are under $20 although that is still pretty steep for teens. There is more makeup advice geared to different hair colorings. Prices range from a reasonable $6.75 to an unreasonable $35 for face powder. I doubt many teens can afford that. Personally I think there is too much emphasis on selling beauty products.

I didn't care for Guru's "Mally Rally" piece on celebrity make-up artist Mally Roncal. The makeup she uses on the models is over done. Her make-up looks like it belongs on the runway not on teens. Teens will look clownish if they try to imitate the looks. But I do like the prices on the makeup. Everything costs under $10. Using a little less, teens, will make you look more natural. The Q & A section that answers teens' beauty questions, this month has answers about prom night. The questions are the typical ones teens ask and the answers are as helpful as they usually are. There is also a celebrity piece on Shakira who needs 90 minutes to blow out her hair. The photos are fun and the makeup items used on the singer each costs between $3.99 - $40.

I think the "Real Deal" make-over came out well. The teen, a ballet dancer, has her ash blonde dyed hair restored to its natural brown color with highlights added to brighten the look. The teen looks vibrant and more natural in the after photos. Each make-up product is more reasonably priced at under $15. There is also a fun article on a teen who experiments with straightening her long naturally curly hair. Sure, she admitted, she attracted lots of attention from guys. In the end, though, after burning her hand on a flat iron, she decides the time (2 hours) and effort just isn't worth it. She goes back to her curly locks. I think the hair make-overs are good. There is nothing too outlandish here but the looks aren't too conservative either. Some teens like to experiment and stand out from the crowd; others like to blend in. The Hot Date section shows 8 "natural" looks - one even has streaks of purple that some teens will like. The streaks are fairly subtle. I don't care for the look but then I'm not a teen. The make-up is understated.

The Boys section has several articles on the opposite sex. "Would You Date This Guy?" is a regular feature. A good-looking guy answers various questions about his interests and his lifestyle and girls decide if they want to date him. The very first question asks "Boxers or Briefs?" In this issue the 22-year old guy is an Olympic snowboarder. The five 19-year old girls all like his looks. Three say they'd date him because they like his sexy sporty look and commitment; two say no because he is too involved in sports. I really don't think too many 19+-year olds read this magazine but I think the magazine wants readers to think that they do. I'm not too happy about putting guys up for this kind of scrutiny. There is too much emphasis on looks. Naturally the guys are all good-looking

17 Dare tells about the story of a high school freshman who answers the magazine requests for stories about readers' dream guys. Out of 600 girls, she alone agrees to accept Seventeen's challenge to ask her dream guy for a date. They go to dinner and then ice-skating. The magazine comes along to record and photograph the fun date. The boy said he had no idea this girl liked him. It is a cute piece that may encourage some other teen to have the courage to ask her dream guy for a date. I wonder how the guy felt with the camera recording the date? It must have seemed weird.

This month Romance talks about the problems of a long distance relationship through the eyes of a 19-year old teen. I think she covers the subject well. I had a long distance relationship for four years with my future husband and it worked. So-it is not impossible.

I like the Answer Boy & Girl who answer behavior questions about the opposite sex. Readers aren't told who they are. Are they one person or two? Are they teens? Readers don't know but the answers are helpful and right on the mark. I'm not sure how they get boys to ask questions since I doubt any guy of any age would buy this magazine.

"Can you Believe This Guy?" is a section where readers send in stories about guy behavior that is either sweet or slimy. Two writers (?) - only initials are given - give their take on the stories and put the events into perspective. Teens will enjoy this stuff.

The William Watch is a new addition. I think its silly but then I do know that Prince William is a teenage heartthrob. The column covers his whereabouts and what he is doing. The magazine's spy has yet to spot him at St. Andrews University in Scotland so Seventeen just prints his photo and that of a look alike. This will be a regular column. I think the magazine should just leave William alone and let him try to have a normal life. Quiz is a column that helps teens with boy relationships through a quiz format. This month it is on deciding whether you ex is still interested in you. Teens answer typical scenarios with either a yes or no answer and then read what their scores mean. The column is cute and colorful and may (?) help some girls put their past relationships into proper perspective. I hope the teens don't take too seriously the simplistic explanations. It doesn't take much brains to figure out what answers mean so I don't think the quizzes are too helpful.

Real Life is the serious side of the magazine. This month the topic is a tough one on parental fighting. The teen is encouraged to write her parents a letter describing how she feels about the fighting and asking the parents if this is how they want her to learn about marriage and handling conflicts. She is also urged to encourage them to return to counseling. The one-page piece is really too short to handle this topic. Perhaps the writer should have also encouraged the teen to talk to a school counselor or favorite teacher for support. I'd like to see this section made longer - more space is devoted to the photo than the text. This can be a scary situation for any kid. Another serious topic on handling stress is discussed in a fun quiz format. After answering 10 questions, teens can read what their score means. A psychologist interprets the different scores. I think the analysis is thoughtful and interesting but what does it really mean? The magazine seems big on quizzes. Every issue has them.

In the Real Life section the magazine also tells one student's unique story under My Story. This month a teen tells how she attempts to start a school club for anarchists. The student is against the war and violence. Her school suspends her for making up flyers and wearing unacceptable clothing proclaiming her views. She later speaks before the school board. She is so harassed at school that she finally leaves for home schooling. Her rocky relationship with her mom improves though and now the American Civil Liberties Union is taking up her case. This case is similar to one where teens wore black armbands in school to protest the Vietnam War. After being suspended one family sued and the Supreme Court declared that the armbands were protected by the First Amendment. It will be interesting to see how this case gets settled. The story is told in the teen's own words.

"Post-Prom Sex" is discussed in the column Torie Talks. Torie, a teen herself & a virgin, assures teens that post-prom sex happens less than it is talked about and that it is not all that it is cracked up to be. I wish the teen had taken a harder line on this topic. Torie tells readers that she'll skip post-prom sex. She blames the boys for pressuring the girls and blames the girls for wearing low cut sexy dresses. Interestingly, most of the prom dresses in the magazine are low cut. The magazine pays lip service to abstinence leaving it up to readers to decide when they are read for pre-marital sex.

The Q & A section handles intimate personal questions teens have about their sexuality and body. Topics this month include masturbation, birth control pills, condoms and menstruation. These are topics many teens may be reluctant to talk about with their parents. I'll bet all teen readers check out this section for answers to questions they have about the same topics. Parents may want to read a few issues to see if they approve of the advice given here before giving their teen a subscription. The column is very open about sex and treats it in a very matter-of-fact way. I wish the magazine revealed the credentials of the person writing the column.

"Can We Still be Friends?" is a wonderful 5-page article about racial barriers to teen friendships. It helps teen understand that what is happening to them is not unique. The four-page feature is filled with tender photos of two friends of different races. I'd like more articles like this one. Who Knew? completes this section with interesting shorts on new thinking by schools about cell phones after 9/11, cleaning the American Flag and women in the armed forces. Girls Speak Out has a sensitive short letter from a 23-year old Pakistani girl who describes her life in Pakistan. This is a good piece for American teens to read. I think Real Life is the most meaningful part of Seventeen magazine.

The less serious two-page Trama Rama rates teens' most embarrassing moments. This month they are on Prom Night horrors. Girls age 13-15 send in their stories. They are very humorous to read and help teens to put their own mishaps into perspective. Nosh is another lighthearted section. This month it advises teens to skip the fancy pre-prom restaurant and eat more casually. The section also covers breath mints and the results of the survey on favorite pizza- Pizza Hut's The Big New Yorker won, by the way.

All access section is the celebrity section. There are 9 articles about various celebrities. Read about Anson Mount, Beyonce's sister, Solange and Chris Klein, the Rollerball star. Lauren Graham of the Gilmore Girl shares her memories of being 17 and other celebrities share their prom memories. Scrap Book is a new section that introduces readers to the hottest new stars using lots of candid photographs. This month it is on 25-year old Eddie Cahill, son of Goldie Hawn. There is another celebrity interview with Oliver Hudson as well as the cover interview with Jennifer Garner. For teenage girls who are celebrity watchers this is a fun section with exclusive photos of some of their favorite stars.

The magazine also has three departments Girl Talk, I.M. and Horoscope. Girl Talk is the letter from the editor who introduces the issue to readers. Five small photos accompany the short letter. I.M. department is the letters from readers. This month they reply with their vote on their favorite cover celebrity - Britney Spears or Alicia Keys. Out of 2,500 votes, Alicia wins 65% of the vote. Readers like her wholesomeness.

I object to all the ads in the magazine. More than half the magazine is ads. They are mostly for designer fashions and expensive beauty products. One ad, at least, is against drugs and there are no cigarette ads. There are even two coupons for gowns-one from Sears ($10 off) and the other from David's Bridal ($15 off) - both are lower priced stores. These will really help teens and their parents pay for prom gowns.

Seventeen has too many modeling contests. There are contests to win cosmetics, sexy clothes, a night out at the movies and even a chance to win a date with a hunk. Win a sequined tube top - "you won't be a wallflower in this" one contest tells teens. Is this what we want our teens to learn - that they need to wear skimpy outfits to be popular with boys?

Although from its title, Seventeen magazine would seem to be for girls around 15 - 21 years of age, actually the readership is much younger than that. In my area, at least, girls age 11 up to 16 read the magazine. Some girls even younger than 9 are reading it. I think the articles are geared to 13+ year olds. By seventeen, most girls have moved on to other magazines. But, the magazine makes sure that the celebrities and models in the magazine are all much older than 17. Who are they kidding? Ads look like they are aimed at more mature readers. Even though most teen readers have a problem with acne, none of the models or celebrities ever does. Yet, they are portrayed to readers as just like them. I'd also like to see more minority models in ads. The magazine seems aimed at mostly White America.

If the subject matter in the magazine fits in with your family's viewpoint on life, then go ahead and get a subscription. I think Seventeen is one of the better teen magazines. But, I don't recommend Seventeen because of its over - emphasis on materialism - shopping for designer clothes and pushing expensive beauty products. There is too much importance placed on looks to get and keep a guy. Instead of building up the self-esteem of girls the magazine seems to say unless you wear this expensive item, you won't feel good about yourself. The magazine shows girls how to take their clothes and make them unique yet it also pushes designer brands on them. You won't be cool, the magazine says, unless you are wearing the hottest new sexy fashions or make-up that we have picked out for you and that will cost your parents a ton of money. The clothes are also very provocative - especialoly for pre-teens. I do like the Real Life and Fashion sections for older teens. I really don't feel that there is enough in the magazine to recommend it. But, check out an issue or two and decide for yourself. All girls are different.

The publisher of Seventeen magazine is Primedia. Visit Seventeen's Website at www.seventeen.com for an inexpensive subscription deal. Subscribe for 12 issues for $12. That's a saving of 73% off the newsstand price of $44.88. It is the same deal offered in issues. Or, there is also another offer in the magazine - 12 issue with a "free" make-up case for $19.95. How free is the cosmetic case? Items in the bag vary. Subscribe from a link on Epinions.com and save even more money.

I wish the Website offered more help for teens with college information. But no, just find more of the beauty, fashion, shopping and boy topics from the magazine. There is too much fluff here as in the magazine- too much materialism. I don't like the message that the Website and the magazine is sending teens which is wear cool designer fashions and expensive make-up and you'll feel good about yourself. An occasional issue of this magazine will not harm any teen but I wouldn't recommend a subscription because of the constant bombardment of beauty and fashion selling. I also urge parents to check out the sex information being handed out by Seventeen. Conservatively minded parents may object.








Recommended: No