Modeling Work: Occupational Messages in Seventeen Magazine

Massoni (2004) examined how teenage magazines help girls perceive the work world and possible career options.  Using four issues of Seventeen magazine (January, April, July, and November of 1992), the author used quantitative and quantitative strategies to determine how occupations are presented in the publication.  The author identified four work-related themes:  “All the World’s a Stage,” “Where the Boys Are,” “Power to the (Male) People,” and “Model Citizens.”  “All the World’s a Stage” speaks to Seventeen’s promotion of entertainment careers as a prestigious option.  “Where the Boys Are” refers to the magazine’s tendency to refer to men as job holders twice as often as women.  “Power to the Male People” refers to the portrayal of men largely holding the power in the work world.  Lastly, “Model Citizens” represents theublication’s promotion of modeling as the superior career option for women.  The overall finding of the study is that women continue to work, but it still is a male dominated world, where women have supporting roles.

Many people don’t quite understand why America is falling behind in science and math; well here is major component. Magazines and other media in our culture promote the “fun” jobs over the careers that take hard work, patience, and a lot of studying. I’ve watched a few modeling shows where the girls complain about how hard it is to learn to walk on a runway, but I still think it hardly compares to staying up all night for a calculus exam! I suppose there is no real shame in wanting to take the easy way out, but Seventeen should acknowledge that not everyone is cut out for modeling and should promote a variety of careers equally to suit the diversity of their readers.

Not everyone is a model….

 

Do’s and Don’t Hit the Beach, n.d.

Socialization of teenage girls through teenage fiction: The making of a new woman or an old lady?

Peirce (1993) conducts a study examining whether fiction stories in magazines for teens are helping to cultivate independent and self-sufficient women or women who are dependent on or subordinate to men. The author gathered fiction stories in Seventeen and Teen magazines between 1987 and1991 and analyzed women’s dependence and occupational status. The study showed that 62% of the characters relied on someone else to solve their problems, 43% of conflicts dealt with boys, women were assigned to stereotypical positions (secretaries, teachers, nurses, and social workers), and men were also listed in positions that are commonly thought of as masculine (doctors, lawyers, judges, bankers). Both magazines proved to perpetuate stereotypical gender roles and occupations in American culture.

(Whitehouse and Company, n.d.)

Teen magazines have the opportunity to shape the way teens view the world. The author explains that children will reject stereotypes if they are shown counter stereotypes. If teen magazines print more stories that portray women in various occupations and roles, young women will be more likely strive for aspirations that are traditionally seen as more masculine. In a society that claims to thrive off of diversity, women balancing male-dominated fields could help bring new insight.

Conclusion

The studies discussed in this blog have covered a variety of ways that magazines influence teenage girls and young women. For some, these publications are a rite of passage—a way to learn what it means to be a young woman and may even help to develop those social skills that are important to womanhood. Learning what it means to be a woman must mean learning about body image, considering it was among the highest segments of teen magazine’s content. Sadly, it did not promote acceptance of various body types; instead, girls were taught to strive for a body type that only makes up only 5% of the population. Encouraging young women to strive for better health and to portray their best face to the world would be more practical than promoting and adapting to the European ideals that fill their pages. Diversity and racial stereotypes are very uncommon in these magazines and do not typically reflect the various races that comprise the countries that they serve. As a result, women of these underrepresented groups are unlikely to find women that look like them modeling a range of products. Feminism, as generally defined by Pierce (1990) as female independence, is too often overlooked in teen magazines. The United States has more women graduating from college than men, yet the teen magazines still commonly portray women as dependent on men. Regardless of the education and careers that so many women have attained, occupations in these magazines geared toward adolescent females still portray males in jobs twice and often as females. Male dominance also carries over into the way relationships are featured. Girls are often portrayed in advertisements and articles in teen magazines as either being submissive to boys or ideally being submissive to boys. The only time girls are usually encouraged to stand up to boys is when it come to their sexuality; however, girls are still taught to expect boys’ sexual advances but are expected to also fight them. These magazines that seem so innocent contain far more harmful message than people often realize. While there are a few magazines that support independent females and a realistic approach to body image, magazines the ones typically discussed are likely hear to stay. Media literacy is the only way that young women and people as a whole can see through the messages that many take for granted. I encourage all people to learn more about media literacy, especially in regard to the media’s values. Consider visiting the Center for Media Literacy’s page for more information.