Seventeen Magazine is a huge influence on many girls throughout the United States. Seventeen’s primary target is teenage girls. Girls tend to struggle with their appearance a lot. This magazine shows girls how they should look like – how to get the perfect body, hair, makeup, etc. It stereotypes what a typical girl should look like, especially in their teenage years.
Nowadays, teenage girls always try whatever they can to look “beautiful”, but what does mean? According to Seventeen Magazine, being beautiful is having the perfect body, nice hair and makeup. Seventeen makes girls insecure, and think that they’re not pretty if they don’t look exactly like the girls in the magazines but little do they know that most of the girls in magazines are edited to look a certain way. The magazine always has somebody famous on the front cover that looks flawless. On top of that, they make it seem like it is possible to look as perfect as they do by saying that they’re just typical girls. Seventeen has a section on how to eat right and get the perfect body (whatever that means), how to put on makeup, ways to do your hair, and the style that’s in at the moment. They also give you advice on sex and relationships. Aside from that, they have ads for everything. They have ads for expensive shoes, cigarettes, purses, perfumes, and many more.
I think magazines and other types of media like this target girls to be perfect, which is something that is impossible to do. It makes girls insecure, and self-conscious about themselves. Not only does it put many girls down, but it may be the cause for anorexia, bulimia, and even depression. We are pushed and pushed to be the perfect girl. In many ways, this magazine tells girls that we must be skinny in order to get the guy of our dreams. In my opinion, everyone is different. No matter how hard you try, you cannot and will not be perfect. We are all beautiful in different ways so we shouldn’t beat ourselves up if we don’t look like the girls in the magazines. We shouldn’t have to feel the need to change ourselves for others. For example, on one cover page it says “perfect hair, skin & makeup” and “look pretty without spending any $$$”. I think girls are already pretty the way they are, and they don’t need to change for anyone else. Seventeen Magazine stereotypes the perfect girl to have beautiful hair, a skinny and tan body, a flawless face with no pores, etc. We are all born beautiful and we don’t have to be like the girls in the magazines. We shouldn’t let media bring us down and make us self-conscious or insecure.
Casey, I agree with this. Seventeen magazine does give out the wrong kind of message on the fact that no one should be satisfied of how they look. Having to be skinny in order to be pretty is especially true in the messages these magazines gives out. A friend on facebook recently posted something up talking about how you could be beautiful even when being fat. Along with it was a picture of a fat French lady who was totally happy with the way she looked. That is the message that magazines should send out to teenagers, but unfortunatley it's opposite, and they make us think we need to be like the models.Those dang ads.
ReplyDeleteCasey, I definitely agree with the points you bring up in this post. It's true, that Seventeen magazine targets teenage girls; giving them an image they're supposed to portray. Not only Seventeen magazine, but fashion magazines in general; they aim towards teenagers because the media knows that we're in a stage where our environment mostly affects how we act/dress/etc. But you're totally right! Everyone is beautiful in their own way. People don't need these type of magazines to dictate how they look; to get the perfect hair or perfect face. Everyone is just perfect the way they are.
ReplyDeleteCasey, I think this is really the issue young adults and older adults as well have a problem with their looks now a days. So they turn to magazines like this to help them out. I definitely agree with you when you said, everyone is beautiful in their own way because it's true. Plus, no ones perfect so why try to be something you're not. Society really changes people, that's why I think society is ugly it self. Good job on choosing this as an example for stereotypes and what not.
ReplyDeleteWhen I was a lot younger I used to be an avid reader of this magazine. Growing up I used to worship the girls/models/celebrities on the cover or in ads. Pressure to look "pretty" or "beautiful" has and is a problem amongst young women. That is why so many girls have eating disorders just to stay thin because that's the way our society views as being perfect. However in other countries there are societies that view being "beautiful" is completely the opposite as the way we think. I feel like in this world we should stop knit-picking at how we should look, or what we should wear because we're made the way we are and we should accept that. Good job Casey!
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