Masculinities in Teen Magazines: The Good, The Bad, and The Ugly

Prusank (2007) conducted a study on the way males are portrayed in magazines geared toward adolescent females. This study used a qualitative analysis to examine content pertaining to relationships and males from Seventeen, Teen, and YM magazines from 1965 through 2000. Prusank divided the themes into three categories—“the good,” “the bad,” and “the ugly.” The good theme proved that the magazines were dominated by images of “the new man.” He has characteristics that are more nurturing and vulnerable. He is more likely to open up and express his feelings. The bad theme proved that boys are also portrayed as incapable of functioning appropriately in relationships, which is shown in contrast to females’ natural competence.  Their inability seemingly excuses males’ bad behavior. The ugly theme is the magazines’ portrayal of men as wanting nothing more than sex, to break girls’ hearts, and to cheat on their girlfriends. Prusank explains these findings as implying that “the ultimate message to teen girls about boys is that she should desire them while she fears them, engage them while she protects herself from them, and be close to them while she waits for them to abandon her,” (2007, p. 175).

And they seemed so happy....

(Chris Brown Sends Gifts to Rihanna on Her Birthday, 2009)

Of course, a prime example of why girls should be leery of guys was brought to mainstream media’s attention by Rihanna’s alleged abuse by Chris Brown.  The couple seemed so happy and Chris Brown appeared to be one of the boys that this study defined as one of “the good” ones, but it appears that Mr. Brown may actually have a bad and ugly side.  While it was a very unfortunate situation for Rihanna, it has helped encourage people to speak openly about teen abuse.

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.