To What Extent Should Magazines Be Held Responsible For The Social Ramifications Of The Representations They Offer?
This 'Cosmo Girl' magazine is aimed at young teenagers. This is proved because of the main article advertised is about 'Hottest back to school looks.' This gives a representation that going to school is about looking good, and that girls should strive hard to look 'hot' going back to school. Also Vanessa Hudgens is shown on the cover, giving a flawless image. Through young teens, presumably going through puberty, this could cause stress because of the strive to look as attractive and appealing as Vanessa Hudgens is portrayed as on the cover. Also, the media has been criticised to use photo shopping to edit out flaws, giving young teens an unachievable target on how to look, also adding pressure. The articles shown on this cover gives tips on how to be a 'great kisser', and there is also a quiz 'Are you too easy' which is not appropriate for younger audiences.
This 'Cosmo Girl' magazine includes Megan Fox on the cover, who is considered a 'sex symbol'. This also could be considered to make girls strive to be like her, which is almost unachievable for young girls, adding further stress. Also, the magazine gives tips on ow to have 'Moves for a bikini body' and a 'Swimsuit for your shape' This could be considered to be 'sexualising' young teens because of the strive to look good in a swimsuit. Also, there is an article 'I caught him cheating, what would YOU do?' This article appears to present young teens with adult relationship problems. This could also put girls under pressure to have a relationship, even if they are at a young age.
The 'More' magazine is aimed at slightly older audiences than young teens, this is shown because of the 'How to have supersex' article, also, the budget for the holiday outfits article is £30 which shows it is aimed at people with a higher income than young teens, even if it is not a lot. As this magazine is also read by teens, it could encourage and pressurise them to become more sexually active at a younger age which could lead them to make decisions that could potentially be regretted. Also the outfits and people advertised in the magazine are very revealing and dressed up. This encourages people to dress more provocatively. It also gives girls high expectations of what they feel they should look and dress like, most of which are not practical or achievable. This could lead to depression or anxiety for not looking like the models on the cover.
The bliss magazine is similar to the 'Cosmo Girl' which is aimed at young teenage girls. One of the featured stories is 'Vodka made her a nightmare' which suggests that young teens are going out drinking and getting drunk at a young age, the way that the magazine presents it is about what boys think about drunk girls. The magazine cover shows it as a normal thing. There is also a story about a young girl taking drugs, which may not be an appropriate article for young teens to read even if it is encouraging them away from drugs. Also there is a story about someone being 'Paid to be a stalker' which is not usual for someone and if the article is read by someone of a young age it could potentially cause them distress. Also there are articles of celebrities talking about their love lives, which is something that would not interest traditional young girls, but now magazines have introduced the idea of a love life to girls, it has encouraged them to have an interest in these affairs, which leads to girls wanting a 'love life' of their own, even if they are at a young age. This could cause stress and upset for young girls, and young girls will have difficulty with boys the same age as them because at a young age boys have generally not matured. This therefore means the magazine have given them a different view on reality, and as the articles are written by adults, they may not be able to relate as well.
In conclusion, teen magazines appear to be encouraging girls to grow up too fast, and the articles and photos in the magazines are unrealistic and girls will not know what to expect later in life because their views have been manipulated by their response to the magazines. I think magazines, especially ones aimed for young girls, should be less 'sexualised' in general. This could involve having the models on the cover more natural looking, and posing less provocatively. Also, the outfits advertised for young girls should be always suitable, a good way to ensure this would be advertising clothing from shops dedicated to teens, or teenage sections in shops. Also the stories should be kept appropriate, and less about 'how to get boys' in younger aged magazines, because it puts on pressure for trying to get a relationship that is not necessarily needed or would work well at a young age.
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