Editor-in-Chief: Amy Astley
Publisher: Conde Nast Publications, Inc.
Copyright: 2011
ISSN: 15402215
Description
Teen Vogue is a fashion, beauty, and celebrity magazine founded in 2005. It is aimed at high schoolers and adults. Its younger cover girls, articles on high school-related issues, and much lower page count distinguish it from its big sister, Vogue. It features beauty tips (in this issue, “Five pros debunk the biggest hair myths”), fashion ideas, profiles of people with fashion sense and/or careers, advice for those aspiring to careers in the fashion industry, and celebrity photo shoots. Items in the November 2011 issue include:
- “Dakota Fanning’s Makeup Must-Haves”
- Horoscopes
- “People watching: Fashion’s Night Out”
- A description of a “bargain” fashion trick: an intricate manicure inspired by the prints of the latest designer lines ($60)
- Music and movie reviews (using the term loosely)
- Three different photoshoots of winter wear.
Many of the same ads seen in Seventeen appear. Makeup ads predominate, followed closely by fragrances, skin and hair care products, clothes, and accessories.
Critical EvaluationTeen Vogue is definitely less horrifying than Seventeen. There are no promises of quick fixes that “make you instantly prettier” and no mention of flattering your body type. This magazine is (or is trying to be) serious about fashion. The clothes are not exclusively hideous (though still utterly mysterious to me), and the writing is much less obnoxious (there are many, many fewer exclamation points). There are even two articles that actually merit the term, each several pages long and offering some real information on the topics of a) “It Girl” Alexa Chung and her new show and b) dealing with social exclusion and the role that social networking plays in magnifying its effects.
However, there’s plenty to horrify here, too. Teen Vogue has a slightly higher percentage of ads than Seventeen—27 before the first content appears and a total of 60 out of 150 pages. Like Seventeen, most of the features are essentially ads as well. Furthermore, it’s much less egalitarian than Seventeen. Almost all the products in Teen Vogue are objectively expensive, while Seventeen has a much lower price range and includes many items that are downright cheap. In addition, Teen Vogue’s models and profile subjects are almost all white. And though this isn’t necessarily the magazine’s fault, its cover girl comes off as insufferably conceited.
Why is this title included?
This popular magazine is aimed at older teens.