Seventeen (Magazine)

Seventeen

Seventeen, Hearst Corporation, New York. ISSN: 0037-301X.

Summary

Seventeen magazine is a fashion, shopping, and lifestyle magazine for teenage girls. Published monthly, the magazine features cover articles on young singers and actresses such as Ariana Grande, Lucy Hale, and One Direction.  Regular magazine features include fashion tips, shopping guides, beauty and hair tutorials, fitness routines, and advice on guys and dating.  Beauty product giveaways, beauty reviews, and horoscopes are also included as departments.  One unique department of the magazine is “Your Awesome Life,” which has articles on serious topics such as getting a job, anti-bullying movements, and suicide.

Similar to Teen Vogue, Seventeen also has themed seasonal issues such as Prom, Back to School, and Summer Vacation. There are also mini magazines included, with topics such as prom dresses and manicures.  Teens can also connect with Seventeen magazine through online platforms like Facebook, Twitter, and Tumblr. The Seventeen website includes more articles and features and has an entire feature to preparing for college, and choosing a school.

Critical Evaluation

Seventeen magazine publishes almost every type of article a teen girl would be interested in: fashion, beauty, and guys.  Most of the beauty and fashion products featured are in a reasonable price range for teens, and the articles on guys never get too serious or talk about ‘true love.’ I was also pleased with the more serious articles that Seventeen publishes. A recent article called “Alpha Girl Suicides” talked about the growing rate of suicides in seemingly happy young women.  While articles like these may be hard to read for some teens, it is still important that the magazine publishes these types of articles so their audience can be aware of what’s going on in the world.

Seventeen has  more ads then Teen Vogue, but all of the ads are age- appropriate for teen girls. Seventeen also has about fifty more pages of articles and ads compared to Teen Vogue.   With the online platforms and companion website, Seventeen  is a good fit for older teen girls looking for a fun magazine to read.

Reader’s Annotation

With horoscopes, beauty giveaways, and articles on preparing for college, Seventeen magazine gives readers both fun and serious topics.

About the Author

N/A

Genres

Magazine

Curriculum Ties

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Booktalking Ideas

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Reading Level/Interest Age

14+

Grades 8+

Challenge Issues

N/A

Why Included?

I included Seventeen magazine, as it’s a favorite with our older teen girls. I also liked the giveaways and serious articles featured.