disclaimer

This Blog is an individual site, which is published and maintained by its author, as a component of an academic course. This Blog is controlled by its student-author, who assumes responsibility for material published at this address. Material on this page is not controlled or maintained by the course's professor or by The College of New Jersey and should not be considered official content of TCNJ. Authors of these pages are responsible for obeying all relevant laws and college policies, including those delineated in TCNJ's Computing Access Agreement and Web Page Policy.

Friday, August 6, 2010

teen magazines and how they truly portray what the media wants young girls to look like and act like!!.



Throughout a teenage girl’s life, many influences will come and go, while some will stay and make imprints in a girl’s life. While shopping for Sarah, age 13, I knew how devoted a magazine reader she was, she loves to reads teen magazines all the time, her favorites include Seventeen, Teen Vogue, and J-14 magazine. Every month Sarah purchases the newest copy, so I thought it would be a nice gesture to buy her copy before she does. While looking at the magazines I was shock at reading all the covers , what messages is the media sending to Sarah and other young teenage girls? Why must a magazine be surrounded in the idea that the purpose of a woman is to obtain a man and to look beautiful. Why do these teen magazines allow young women to learn this cultural belief, that to obtain a man she must be skinny, which would inevitably mean she is attractive. Teen magazines are a problem and discretely having a negative impact on what it means to be a female.
What is scary about these teen magazine are that teenagers look up to these models and how skinny and how pretty they are, and then try to emulate them. In reality to obtain the perfect body and to look like these models are quite near impossible and even unhealthy in some cases. Many teenage girls believe that men only want a beautiful girl, and if they are not up to the medias portrayal of beauty, they are worth nothing. Higginbotham writes in her article “ Ugliness is next to nothingness,” (94). Basically stated what many young girls believe; if she is ugly she is nothing. For a teenage to feel important she must obtain the beauty that is so hard to actualize. These teen magazines have such a powerful role in today’s culture. Teen magazine are sending the wrong image with words and phrases like “ways to look beautiful””amazing makeover’s””pretty””flat abs””how to get the man of your dreams” etc. These magazines control what teenage girls’ beliefs of femininity and what that means. What’s most shocking is that this belief is starting to manifest in woman at such a young age, and when bad habits start at such a young age, they’re even harder to break further on in life. Since these influences of media are starting at such a young age young woman are more concern about their weight, how they look and how to actually get a man than school and friends, etc.
Anastasia Higginbotham states “in each of the magazines, cover lines offer the girls “model hair: how to get it,” “Boy-magnet beauty,” “your looks: what they say about you,” and “Mega makeovers: go from so-so to super-sexy.” Their image of the ideal girl is evidenced be the cover models: white, usually blonde, and invariably skinny”(94). This quote only reinforces the ideology that woman are only concerned about their appearances and the way they look since they actually believe that it will help them get the man of their dreams. Does being a female mean that she must have this “ mega makeover” or achieve this cultural beauty because she thinks that it will get her a man? The answer is no, a woman should not be worried about what a man wants or how a man wants her to look like, its what she wants not the other way around. Teenage girls must start to understand and realize that the media and what the media believes and portrays is the wrong image of what a female should be or strive to be. Teen girls are who the media are targeting because they know that they are the main consumer. Since today’s teenage girls are concerned about how they look and how to obtain this “dream guy”, the media knows it, and uses it to sell their product. But I believe that teen magazines must make a step to go against the norm and go against this ongoing ideology that woman are obsessed about how they look, and obsessed on getting her man. The only way for change is to start aiming at the young woman of America and to let them know that what it means to be a woman is to be independent and self-loving, rather than dependent and man loving. Young girls like Sarah are being negatively impacted by these magazines ad have the wrong mentality of what is reality and what it means to be a female in today’s society.


“beyonce-april-2009-vogue-magazine.jpg”. online images. Upscaleswagger.com. April, 2009 <http://www.upscaleswagger.com/tag/vogue/>

Higginbotham, Anastasia “ Teen mags: How to get a guy, drop 20 pounds, and lose your self-esteem”. Becoming a woman in our society, A Multicultural Anthology. MA: McGraw-Hill, 2008 93-96. Print.

“j14.jpg”. online images. Vp-distribution.us. 2005 <http://www.vp-distribution.us/teens-c-50.html?osCsid=pzatdhkgknx>


 “miley-cover-of-teen-vogue.jpg”. online images. Twilightbookaddicts.wordpress.com. 2009 <http://twilightbookaddicts.wordpress.com/2009/04/page/4/>

“seventeen magazine.jpg”. online images. Piercemattie.com.  September,2004 <http://www.piercemattie.com/beauty_editors/beauty_Editors.html>

“seventeen-magazine.png”. online images. Momsneedtoknow.com. may, 2007 <http://www.momsneedtoknow.com/2009/03/25/seventeen-magazine-6-free-issues/


“Vanessa Hudgens J-14 magazine”. Online images. Whosdatedwho.com. March, 2008 <http://www.whosdatedwho.com/topic/7967/vanessa-anne-hudgens-j-14-magazine-1-march-2008.htm>


“61obPEWuSAL._SL500_AA300_.jpg”. online images. Fashion-answers.com. 2009 <http://www.fashion-answers.com/what-fashion-magazines-are-best-for-teens

28 comments:

  1. Stewart-
    You chose good quotes for your argument and your collage turned out well. A couple of issues struck me:
    The length of the paragraphs was a tad more than the 4-6 sentence length that clearly phrased paragraphs tend to average.
    The paragraph issue seemed to be related to the fact that your thesis could needed more of a narrow focus and could have been conveyed a bit clearer. Considering the fact that, in three paragraphs and a collage, you'd need to specify more than the problematic nature of teen magazines. It would have helped if you had narrowed that topic down further (an example would be, for these magazines, the way that being thin is equated with an ideal sexual physicality and the heteronormative message that you need to be thin to "get a guy" encodes both in each of the covers in your collage).
    Overall nice collage!
    See socs for my feedback/grade :o)
    Jessie

    ReplyDelete
  2. Excellent site you have got here.. It's hard to find good quality writing like yours these days. I seriously appreciate people like you! Take care!!

    Feel free to surf to my blog; www.michaelkorsviphandbagsstore.com

    ReplyDelete
  3. I'm now not certain where you are getting your information, however good topic. I must spend some time learning more or working out more. Thank you for great information I used to be searching for this information for my mission.

    my blog post - orquesta atraccion

    ReplyDelete
  4. I really like your blog.. very nice colors & theme. Did you design
    this website yourself or did you hire someone to do it for you?
    Plz answer back as I'm looking to construct my own blog and would like to know where u got this from. many thanks

    My homepage - pregnancy helper

    ReplyDelete
  5. However, the judge said that half the cases in the legal action should first
    be heard by a secretive tribunal that usually deals with complaints against MI5.


    Also visit my blog; detox diets for weight loss

    ReplyDelete
  6. Call 1-315-512-2220,Birth Control Pill, Abortion pill online,Buy MTP Kit USA at the best price at buymtpkitrx.com with Fast Delivery
    https://www.buymtpkitrx.us

    ReplyDelete
  7. Call to Oder 1-315-512-2220, MTP kit also known as Abortion pill kit. Buy MTP Kit online with overnight delivery to abort unintended pregnancy. This kit

    have Mifepristone & Misoprostol pills.
    https://www.worldpharmacyrx.co.uk/

    ReplyDelete
  8. Buy Tramadol Online,Buy Tramadol Online USA,Tramadol Pills,Tramadol without Prescription,Buy Cheap Tramadol Online,Buy Tramadol Pills Online,Buy Tramadol Overnight Delivery,Buy Ultram Online Overnight,Order Ultram Without Prescription.
    https://tramadolzone.com/

    ReplyDelete
  9. Thanks for sharing this information. I have shared this link with other keep posting such information to provide best in class law assignment help online at very affordable prices.
    Assignment Help
    Assignment Helper
    Essay writing
    Essay writing service
    Dissertation help
    Thesis writing help
    Write My Essay
    Computer Science Assignment Help
    Assignment Help South Africa
    Assignment Writing Service

    ReplyDelete
  10. Many people are depressed about the problems of essay writing. Well, don’t worry about that because we are providing this service at a very reasonable price.
    Tableau Software Help
    Statistics Assignment Help
    Programming Assignment Help
    Programming Homework Help
    Programming Help

    ReplyDelete
  11. Amazing post. I am so impressed. Could never think of such a thing is possible with it...I think you have a great knowledge especially while dealings with such subjects.

    Architecture assignment help
    Biology Assignment Help
    Engineering Assignment help
    Biotechnology Assignment help
    Computer Science Homework Help

    ReplyDelete
  12. Thanks for sharing this Blog with us. You really have a Good Knowledge. I really enjoy your Blog.

    Readers if you want seo company in panchkula


    ppc company in chandigarh
    ppc company in panchkula
    visit Gratissoft Solutions in Panchkula now :- http://gratissoftsolutions.com

    Thank you

    ReplyDelete
  13. Really thank, This's a valueable Post!

    Source: Shipfever.com

    ReplyDelete
  14. That’s what I call an excellent post. This is so comprehensive that I do not have to hop anywhere else for the information. Great work is following your posts! Read more:

    survival techniques taught in STCW

    ReplyDelete
  15. The blog written is extremely impressive, with a great topic. However, a bit more research could have strengthened it even further. You can explore the services as offered by essaycorp.com, a premium academic writing services platform offering the best business ethics assignment with knowledge and experience.
    oracle assignment
    matlab assignment
    corporate finance assignment
    mathematics assignment

    ReplyDelete
  16. great post, keep writing wonderful contents as i will be a regular visitor of your blog so as to read and broaden my knowledge in diverse topics, we offer help on school admission guidelines, scholarship opportunities across the world and lot more ui departmental cut off mark

    ReplyDelete
  17. Very Insightful Post. Keep on posting this wonderful content. It has been a great reading experience to me. Keep up the good work.

    ReplyDelete
  18. are you looking for best restaurant in khanna?
    wowbazzar is right option
    for more information go to link given below:-
    it is best restaurant

    ReplyDelete
  19. At BIZKRO Digital marketing services in Jalandhar. Our Team knows how to produce results along with rapidly evolving the world of digital marketing so that we can offer Top-notch results to our clients through our exceptional services.
    bizkro

    ReplyDelete
  20. At BIZKRO Digital marketing services in mohali. Our Team knows how to produce results along with rapidly evolving the world of digital marketing so that we can offer Top-notch results to our clients through our exceptional services
    Bizkro Mohali

    ReplyDelete
  21. At BIZKRO Digital marketing services in Amritsar. Our Team knows how to produce results along with rapidly evolving the world of digital marketing so that we can offer Top-notch results to our clients through our exceptional services.
    Bizkro Mohali

    ReplyDelete
  22. Great post.
    english assignment help. Students can expect custom-tailored solutions that suit their unique needs. Whether it's developing strong arguments, refining grammar the expertise of these professionals can make a significant difference

    ReplyDelete
  23. Umrah Packages 2024 is often referred to as the "lesser pilgrimage" in Islam, as it holds a special place alongside the Hajj. While the Hajj is mandatory for every able Muslim at least once in their lifetime, Umrah is a recommended act of worship that carries immense spiritual rewards. It is a chance for Muslims to seek forgiveness, purification, and closeness to Allah.

    ReplyDelete