To what extent should magazines be held responsible for the social ramifications of the representations they offer?
Magazines are popular buys nowadays, almost everyday you are likely to see somebody with a magazine in their hand. It is a norm to buy a magazine once a week, or maybe even twice. Wherever you go you can't ecscape them; whether you are walking down an isle in a shop or sitting in a hairdressers, they are there. Some people feel as if they have to buy a magazine to fit in with the crowd, or maybe because they want to see the new dieting tips or read the new gossip about celebrities. But studies show that teenagers are the ones most likely to buy magazines. '' According to a 2006 report by Magazine Publishers, 78% of teens read magazines.'' I found this research on http://iml.jou.ufl.edu/projects/fall07/Moorhouse/impact.html. This shows that more teenagers than adults buy magazines nowaday
Above I have images of five different magazine fronts aimed at young adults, mainly girls but sometimes boys read them too.
The first one is MORE magazine which I got from http://www.angeleyefashion.com/cms/content-manager/album_images/19_09_2011_10_50_32_13964_7.jpg, the magazine have used a headline story about Kristen Stewart and Robert Pattison which a lot of teens like to read about.
The second one is BLISS magazine which I got from http://gossipteen.com/wp-content/uploads/2010/08/Demi-Lovato-Bliss-cover.jpg, Bliss have used Demi Lovato as their 'Main Image' and a lot of teens see her as a role model.
The third one is SUGAR magazine which I got from https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg8_o8R2DvG1y-UF_ejDjJMhh1Y1_yVeJnyVWEM5-yrhkdlX-jUn8JNp7T1qeudIdfDLRg9E-bHnHf2SK8VxtIbUCD0WBEEFAnU6lJsZ8mmN0Jy9MdCaYd7Yw5ve0mJfECPKw-JpnmAczdk/s1600/Sugar+Magazine+Front+Cover.jpg, Sugar have used a main image of Rihanna and a puff/plug that reads 'Rihanna exclusive, the truth about boys' this is something that a lot of teens would like to read.
The fourth one is MIZZ magazine which I got from http://www.magazinescelebrity.com/images/mizz050407.jpg, and they have promised a 'free mascara' if you buy the magazine, they have used this because they know that young teens are interested in make-up.
And the fifth one which is the last one is TEEN VOGUE which I got from http://cache.gawker.com/assets/images/7/2009/10/teenvogue2.jpg, who have used Miley Cyrus as the main image who is a teen sensation.
After looking at these five magazine covers, do you think they could have a bad affect on young teens? Whether your answer be yes or no, the answer is yes they do have a bad affect on teenagers. All of these magazines are aimed at teenagers aged 11-14 and at that age do they really need to know about dieting, or boys? This is where the Hypodermic needle theory begins to show, these magazines are injecting things into these teens that they shouldn't know about until they are older. The magazines have used rhetorical text which persuades the teenagers to take notice of things like make up and dieting. On my fourth chosen cover MIZZ, they have used a puff/plug that reads 'Decoding boy texts' at the ages of 11-14 girls shouldn't be worried about boys texts, but this magazine is making them believe that they should.
These magazines are making young girls believe that they have to follow certain fashion trends which means they can't be their own person. And they are making them believe that they should look a certain way, when really they should look how they want. All of the images on these magazines are photo-shopped so in reality the celebrities don't actually look perfect everyday, but these teens won't ever know that. ''Women's news'' have done research that shows that these magazines are affecting teens in a bad away, they have said that ''Teen magazines are giving girls all the wrong messages.'' I found this study on http://womensenews.org/story/uncovering-gender/031029/teen-magazines-send-girls-all-the-wrong-messages#.UJZgGMVFWAg. Although these magazines are aimed at girls, and most obviously represent girls, teenage boys are also represented. The magazines have put what a 'perfect boy' should look like and how he should act, when really they should look and act how they want and however they feel comfortable.
In conclusion, teen girls shouldn't have to worry about what they look like or what they wear. They should be enjoying life with their friends and family, they don't need to worry about boys or dieting; it's okay to be curvy and it is okay to be single. Magazines need to get rid of the perfect girls as their main image, and they should add a normal teen who isn't stick thin with perfect skin. The magazines are portraying false images and text of how teens should look. Magazines need to change completely unless they want to keep feeding teens lies.
Well done Sophia. Your essay raises some important issues about the pressure faced by teenagers and the role the magazines play. The rest of your blog is up to date and indicates how hard you are working on completing your cw booklet tasks.
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