Welcome to my blog discussing the impact that magazines have on the socialization of teens and young women. It is important to look closer at this topic because magazines can influence culture (Neogy, 1966). Teenagers are still trying to determine who they are, and for this reason, they are especially vulnerable to the information and suggestive images in magazines (Durham, 1998). Much of the research discussed in the following posts focuses on content in magazines like Seventeen, YM, Sassy, Bravo!, and Teen, but studies are also discussed that examine advertisements featuring young girls, which also can influence teens. This blog will briefly summarize the studies that have been conducted on the way magazines influence teenage girls and young women and will provide additional insight and media to help determine its effect. It is divided into seven categories—body image, diversity and racial stereotypes, feminism, occupations, relationships, rite of passage, and sexuality.
May 2, 2009
From Girls to Women: Scripts for Sexuality and Romance in Seventeen Magazine, 1974-1994
Carpenter (1998) conducted a study examining how young women’s subjectivity was depicted in Seventeen magazine. The researcher chose to analyze articles related to sexuality and romance from 1974, 1984, and 1994. Altogether, 244 articles were used in the study. Carpenter used quantitative and qualitative methods to measure the frequency of the media messages and to reveal any thematic shifts. The most significant finding in this study is that women went from being portrayed mainly as sexual objects and victims to being recognized as agents of their own sexual desires. Seventeen also increased positive recognition of homosexuality and masturbation and acknowledged fellatio. Carpenter found that these new themes were still presented less favorably than established themes. She also surmised that articles portraying women as agents of their own sexual desires may help teens to take charge of their sexual lives and scripts that portray readers’ diverse sexual desires may encourage safer sex practices, as young women are more likely to connect with people they feel are legitimate. If teens feel a connection with those mentioned in the articles, they are more likely to apply the practices described in their own lives.
While I agree that teens needs people that they can relate to in the articles that Seventeen promotes, a study conducted by The Heritage Foundation proved that parents are still who teens consider to be the most influential in their decisions about sex. This finding only supports the many public service announcements that promote parents talking to their children about drugs, alcohol, and of course, sex. The subject may be an uncomfortable one for many parents, but it appears that no matter how bad you may think the discussion is going, saying something is better than saying nothing.
Dilemmas of Desire: Representations of Adolescent Sexuality in Two Teen Magazines
Durham (1998) analyzes the gendered ideologies of sexuality in Seventeen and YM magazines. The study examined all written texts and images relating to sex and sexuality in both magazines from January through November 1996. The author found that both magazines consistently offered sexual advice and information (often advising readers to wait and portraying males as the initiators), yet they also encourage girls to present themselves as hot and desirable. They also suggest successful heterosexual relationships can be attained by “socially normative standards of femininity and sexuality” Durham, 1998, p. 380). Durham interprets these findings as stating that girls are encouraged to accept that they are objects of male desire, but they should not succumb to that desire or acknowledge their own. These magazines were also determined to sustain and support the existing system that keeps females subordinate to males.
Just what we're talking about....
(Finch, 2009)
The Dolce & Gabanna ad above represents the content that teens see and must rationalize. What many people shrug of as just another risqué advertisement designed to grab consumers’ attention actually influences our society more than most people like to believe. It is not that a young girl will interpret this ad as reality, but as a young woman, even I have to question, is this really how men see me?
The First Time/Das Erstes Mal: Approaches to Virginity Loss in U.S. and German Teen Magazines
Carpenter (2001) examines 76 stories about virginity and virginity loss in two popular teen magazines—one German (Bravo!) and one American (Seventeen). These two publications are compared because they both are the most popular in their respective countries and both countries are highly developed nations, share similar European traditions, have high life expectancy and low fertility rates, and teens typically engage in vaginal sexual intercourse at 16 to 17 years of age. Carpenter uses the content analysis method to examine the similarities and differences of Bravo! and Seventeen. Similarly, both studies recommended that teens: “develop a close, loving relationship; take their time exploring sexual activities before coitus; and use effective contraception,” (Carpenter, 2001, p.48). However, the experiences in Germany were far more positive than those of American teens. Overall, virginity loss depicted in Bravo! typically showed positive aspects as balanced or outweighed by negative aspects, but it was usually described as a negative experience with few positive aspects in Seventeen. The author concludes that the magazines are consistent with their country’s societal norms about adolescent sexuality. In addition, the study finds that the U.S. would likely benefit from Germany’s more sex-positive strategy that links contraception to increased sexual pleasure. This may help lower the high child-bearing and STD infection rates.
The study really highlights the ineffectiveness of America’s sex education practices. America has an extremely high teen pregnancy and STD rate for a developed country. When compared to other European nations, the U.S. takes the lead or ties in every category. The following charts help convey the severity of the disconnect between teens in the U.S. and proper prevention methods.
Teen Pregnancy Rate
Chart Obtained from Advocates for Youth Website
Teen Abortion Rate
Chart Obtained from Advocates for Youth Website
HIV Rate in Young Women
- Chart Obtained from Advocates for Youth Website
Educators, policymakers, and others in positions of influence in the U.S. should consider the findings in Carpenter’s (2001) study and should consider reinforcing the positive perceptions and implementing methods that are used in other countries that have significantly more favorable pregnancy and STD rates than the U.S.
Is He Boyfriends Material?: Representation of Males in Teenage Girls’ Magazines
Firminger (2006) conducted a study examining two issues of five popular girls’ magazines. Seventeen, YM, CosmoGirl, ELLEgirl, and Girls’ Life. The author coded issues from December 2002 and July 2003 to account for seasonal differences in content. The study showed that males were typically portrayed as having a high sex drive, emotionally inexpressive, physically superficial, having a fear of rejection, and occasionally having the potential to be a “keeper.” The magazine themselves were on average 19.7% focuses on males. The author concludes that the magazine encourages teenage girls to view boys as previously mentioned, use beauty and fashion products to attract them, and apply the information provided to understand and keep them. The study found that “girls are being socialized by the magazines’ norms and expectations,” (Firminger, 2004, p. 307).
(More Women Graduate. Why?, 2006)
Interestingly, this study did not find any articles that helped females to attract a mate using her mind. Considering more women are now graduating from college than men and many men have come to appreciate what it means to have a two-income family, you would think that teen magazines would inform their readers that being beautiful is cool, but being intelligent is even better.
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.
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….
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.
May 1, 2009
The Making and Unmaking of Body Problems in Seventeen Magazine, 1992-2003
Ballentine and Ogle (2005) conducted a study examining the making and unmaking of body problems in Seventeen magazine. The researchers analyzed 266 articles from issues published between 1992 and 2003 using the constant comparison method. They found that editorial features that focused on making body problems were published more often than those that related to the unmaking of body problems. Seventeen described the desirable body as “smooth, trim, toned, tight, long lean, flat, strong, young, sexy, healthy, clean, and free of odor and certain types of hair (e.g., arm, nipple),” (Ballentine & Ogle, 2005, p. 290). They determined that presenting such a limited view of the ideal body type may suggest to readers that there is a fine line between attractiveness and unattractiveness. The unmaking of body problems was typically presented in two ways: consume body products or services to rectify the issue or use body management techniques (e.g., exercise) and stage an act of resistance (rebel against what society says is ideal). Articles urging girls to rebel peaked in 2000, which the researchers surmised could imply that the magazine is once again encouraging girls to conform.
(3 minutes to insecurity, 2007)
Only 5% of women have the “ideal” body type (Body Image, n.a.), yet so women try to conform to the standards set by the media. It is my assumption, considering how few women belong in this category, that this ideal has been set by marketers in the position to make a profit from women’s insecurities. The more we can find wrong with ourselves, the more profit they stand to make. I suppose purchasing self-improvement products is important considering people have already cut back on spending, given the state of the economy. Newsweek recently printed an article stating that 8 to 12-year olds in the U.S. spend more than $40 million a month on beauty products and teens spending another $100 million (Bennet, 2009). Surely, we could all cut back a little more. It would be very fascinating to see how different our society would be if more women spent the same amount on their education each year as they spent on their beauty.
Female Body Dissatisfaction After Exposure to Overweight and Thin Media Images: The Role of the Body Mass Index and Neuroticism
Dalley, Buunk, and Umit (2009) conducted a study examining the development of body dissatisfaction in females. The study was conducted using a group of female undergraduate students ranging from 18 to 31 years. They were shown 40 images of females in swimsuits from popular fashion magazines. The participants were asked to rank the images on a 7-point Likert scale on how representative the models were of the culturally thin ideal body type. Using the one-way ANOVA method, the researchers found that the thin images were significantly more appealing to respondents than the images of plus-sized models. The researchers wanted to determine whether seeing the images of thin or plus-sized models would affect respondents’ body image dissatisfaction. They found that regardless of body mass index, females typically had a greater level of body image dissatisfaction after viewing the images of the thin models. Respondents who had a high body mass index and neuroticism were more vulnerable to body image dissatisfaction after exposure to the images of overweight models. Overall, their study suggests that some females are actually more likely to feel body image dissatisfaction after viewing images of plus-sized models than thin models.
(ModelsGroup2, n.d.)
VERSUS
(Helm, 2007)
This study goes against the common belief that the media’s dominant coverage of thin people negatively affects the self-esteem of people without the ideal body type. Seeing images of overweight models may also affect these people. However, the study does not mention how flattering the photos the respondents viewed of the plus-sized models. Take for example the photos of models in Dove’s Campaign for Real Women. Plus-sized models appeared happy with their bodies and were free of the stigmatized love handles and cellulite that many overweight women embody. Images that showed what many people consider imperfections would likely have a more negative impact on participants than the ad above. Of course, it wasn’t long before the truth was uncovered that even those models weren’t the “real women” that the campaign portrayed them to be.
