June 03, 2008

My Teen Magazine Years

I first discovered teen magazines when I was around 14 years old. (Yes I've always been a bit slow.) Back then, my main choices available were TeenMag, Seventeen and Cosmogirl, plus Australian 'zines, Dolly and Girlfriend. A lot of them seemed to be about cute boy bands, boy problems, embarassing stories (remember those?) and simple quizes. Seventeen was slightly better as it seemed to acknowledge their girls had some brains. (On a kind-of-related note, my love for saving money meant that I would only buy one each month or even none.) Later on, ElleGirl came along. I liked ElleGirl much more than the others -it was fun, colourful and had a casual style. But the truth was, I've never loved any of them. Sure, I would take ElleGirl over the rest, but still, none of the magazines had the style (fashion and layout-wise) that I was looking for.
That is until Teen Vogue came along. Teen Vogue was the closest to my ideal teen magazine that I have ever seen. It had seriously stylish clothes and the editorials were styled well. The covers were pretty and the cover girls were usually girls whom I liked the style of. I mean, you know those editorials where there is the 'celebrity's way of wearing it' and 'our way of wearing it'? I've always thought Teen Vogue's copying of said celebrity's ways of dressing was classier than other magazines' ways and actually looked quite similar to the celebrity's outfits. And yes, its small size made it cute, and convenient to buy and carry around.

Even the topics that the editorials talked about were somewhat interesting and relevant, (although they were seriously short and kind of superficial). One of the few things I didn't like about Teen Vogue were the annual 'Hollywood issue' and 'Music issue', but I still liked the fashion in these issues more than what I see elsewhere. Oops, I think I've been blabbering too much about how much I loved Teen Vogue. While I think Teen Vogue is certainly not perfect, it really is my favourite teen magazine out there.

What was your teen magazine years like? Which magazines did you like and buy?

40 Comments:

Anonymous Anonymous said...

I love Teen Vogue - it's so different from all the other crappy Dollies and Girlfriends out there. I never thought there was a magazine I could get into until, thank God, I found Teen Vogue one day. And that magazine was the very reason I got into fashion in the first place! (Australia had our own called VogueGirl but it was cancelled. :()

6/04/2008 6:44 AM  
Blogger awongwong said...

teen vogue is alright, but i rarely buy it because it comes off as pretty superficial and caters mostly to the upper-class girls or those who try to be upper-class. if i want high fashion, i would rather buy the original vogue or elle, more pages and better photo shoots.

as of right now, i love to read seventeen and cosmogirl, even though they're pretty much the same. but they actually have good advice and clothes that everyone can actually afford.

6/04/2008 8:39 AM  
Anonymous Anonymous said...

well, i'm a teen. sixteen actually. and i read FASHION religiously, even though obviously i would never be able to afford anything in it in my position as a student with a low-paying job.
i guess i really should look into getting an actual teen magazine... the displays would probably be more affordable.

6/04/2008 8:47 AM  
Anonymous Anonymous said...

I'm 16, and I read a ridiculous amount of magazines! Every month, I pick up a People Style Watch, Cosmopolitan, CosmoGIRL!, Seventeen, Allure, and on occasion, Teen Vogue. It's slightly excessive... my favorites are CosmoGIRL! and Seventeen. I like Teen Vogue, but the fact is the clothes they feature are NOT in my price range (and I would admit that my price range is pretty high).

6/04/2008 9:18 AM  
Anonymous Anonymous said...

When I was 12, I started reading 'Teen, Seventeen, YM and when Teen Vogue started up - I started reading that. I also read Teen People. I still read Teen Vogue, even though I'm *way* beyond my teen years. I like Teen Vogue because it features high end clothing.

6/04/2008 9:24 AM  
Blogger Ally said...

I started out reading just about any teen magazine I could get my hands on; I even read the prom issues of magazines way before I was actually at an age where prom was anywhere near the immediate future (and now that I can go to prom, I don't read prom magazines; go figure). I fell in love with ElleGirl, but I also liked Seventeen, and read Cosmogirl less enthusiastically. Now, I still read Seventeen and Cosmogirl (still not enthusiastically), but also really love Teen Vogue, and I know they're not really teen magazines, but Elle and Nylon are new favorite magazines. I'm 17, by the way.

6/04/2008 10:29 AM  
Blogger Unknown said...

Lucky & Shape.

6/04/2008 10:49 AM  
Anonymous Anonymous said...

I guess I like Teen Vogue. While its small size is "cute" it always makes me feel like it's not really worth it, cause it's so tiny. I LOOOOOVED Ellegirl. SO MUCH. It seemed a lot wittier than all of the other teen magazines. Like, it talked about some of the same really stupid stuff, but it at least had a sense of humor. And I liked all the music the editors listened to. I miss it :( Now I read Elle but it's not the same.. I'm 16, btw, and began reading the magazines when I was 13 or 14.

6/04/2008 10:57 AM  
Anonymous Anonymous said...

I subscribe to Teen Vogue, COSMOgirl!, and Seventeen. While Teen Vogue has awesome layouts and fashion sense, the clothing articles that they display is just way too expensive. Still fun to look at though and pick up tips. The clothing and accessories that Seventeen and Cosmogirl are already way to expensive for me. 30 dollars for a t-shirt? Hell no! 50 dollars for a jacket, no way! I might just be poor and cheap though. The thing about magazines like Seventeen and Cosmogirl is that it is catered to us teen girls who know nothing about boys, style , fashion.

6/04/2008 11:06 AM  
Anonymous Anonymous said...

when i was 16, i read seventeen magazine for a while until i discovered vanity fair magazine. back then, during the '90's--the magazine was fantastic. it was informative with amazing articles. the photo spreads were magnificent and creative.

now, the entire publication is in a dismal state and desperate for attention. the cover is always poorly done and the articles have no luster or any direction at all.

love,

danny

http://dannydaily.typepad.com

6/04/2008 12:01 PM  
Blogger Fashion Tidbits said...

We've got VogueGirl and ElleGirl over here in Korea. It's so awesome. Very bright, awesomely styled with great editorials

6/04/2008 5:00 PM  
Blogger STYLE AND THE CITY . COM - PARIS said...

hi hi from Paris

so stylish and so sweet when you are shy...
come to Paris ! i will photograph you ! lol

i noticed that you like stylish people.
may be you'll like my street style photo romances in Paris
if not, i kill myself ! lol

and by the way, i met Sarah jessica Parker in Paris and... yes yes, the photos are online, as if you were there !

have a wonderful day !

ps : i hop i won't have to kill myself, because my mother love me. lol

2 questions :
-People say in my blog that parisian girls are the best dressed ever. what do you think ?
-do you prefer to win clothe of week ends/weeks in Paris ?

let's keep in touch !

Kamel
street style romancer in Paris

http://www.styleandthecity.com

6/04/2008 7:58 PM  
Blogger Amanda said...

I'm 16, and TeenVogue fails to impress me. The fashion is decent, but I always find the articles/interviews hopelessly vapid and bland.

I do, however, read Vogue and Elle. For me, the writing is just as important as the clothes.

6/04/2008 9:20 PM  
Blogger Pretty For Destiny said...

It doesn't exist any more, but I loved loved loved Jane Magazine. It was really well written, witty, and had the best spreads. Their music section was amazing, and they always recommended the most amazing books.

http://prettyfordestiny.blogspot.com

6/04/2008 10:07 PM  
Anonymous Anonymous said...

I always found most of those magazines to be too shallow and corny for me, even in my youth (well, post 14 years old). I loved Jane magazine because it was much more witty and the articles were both hilarious and interesting. I was so sad when I found out it was no longer being published recently. I didn't read it for the fashion though, which I thought was good, but perhaps not comparable with other teen fashion magazines.

6/04/2008 10:07 PM  
Anonymous Anonymous said...

I love Teen Vogue but I do find it lacking in many departments. My dream is to start a magazine for older teen/college girls in the future that would encompass fashion, health, beauty, literature, politics and love.

6/05/2008 1:39 AM  
Blogger Kira Aderne said...

so great mags!

a kiss dear!
you are in my links of the day!
see you!
Kira

6/05/2008 1:44 AM  
Anonymous Anonymous said...

I started with Teen, though it never had a lot of content. I read YM for a spell, but stopped once they had this bizarre list of "Hot vs not" and science was on the not list. AND brunettes. I'm still angry about it even now, as a hot brunette scientist :P

I think I read Seventeen and CosmoGirl the most and enjoyed them quite a bit. But my favvvvvvvvorite by far was Jane. I miss that magazine so much!! It was witty and diverse but interesting and not smug. The issues were getting better and better before it was terminated. So sad :( Still haven't found a replacement.

6/05/2008 1:53 AM  
Anonymous Anonymous said...

I really love Teen Vogue. Sometimes I wish for better articles but the fashion shoots still amaze me. They're beautifully put together and although I wish they would feature more affordable clothing, that's why we have magazines like Seventeen.

Also, I heard Ellegirl would be coming back to the US. Someone please confirm because I adored that magazine. It had witty articles, great music choices and some of the clothes they showcased didn't exceed the $200 price range. I'm 15 by the way :)

6/05/2008 2:55 AM  
Anonymous Anonymous said...

I'm in my early 20's now and teen magazines now are nothing like they were back in the day.

My first encounter with teen magazines was with "TEEN" magazine. They had your usual embarassing stories, LOADS of quizzes, stuff about what to do about your school crush, celebrities, etc. and not much about fashion.

I loved TEEN, YM and Teen People back then (all of which are long gone by the way!) but they were mostly celebrity oriented. My first encounter with an actual fashion oriented magazine was Teen Vogue and I have to say, upon first glance it was not my cup of tea back then because the clothes were WAY too expensive! Probably even for me now!

It's pretty weird to see this teen magazine transition. Especially with shoes like Gossip Girl, it really pushes the importance of fashion into younger and younger age groups. I remember when I was 15, I wore faded flare jeans and a t-shirt without caring (or knowing) Marc Jacobs or Balenciaga were!

6/05/2008 4:12 AM  
Anonymous Anonymous said...

OMG, I feel the same way. I do think it's time to graduate from teen vogue to just "Vogue." After 20...It's time to let go. Even if you secretly buy teen mags once in a while...shhh!

6/05/2008 2:17 PM  
Anonymous Anonymous said...

Have you ever realized that when you buy readymade suits you get a choice of only a few colors & styles, also finding the perfect fit are quite difficult? Wouldn’t it be better to choose from over 2000 different British & Italian fabrics and get a tailor made suit at a similar price that you pay for readymade suits?

We are a company based in Hong Kong and have been providing custom made suits & shirts since 1997. With representatives in major cities around the globe we can arrange to show you the fabric samples and take your measurements, or you can also place your orders online with the help of our measuring guide. There are over 2000 fabrics to choose from along with all the latest styles.

All our suits and shirts are produced by highly skilled Shanghainese tailors in Hong Kong and delivered in about 4 weeks, express delivery can be made in 2 weeks at a minor extra cost. In case you are not able to find what you are looking for then please let us know your requirement may it be in words or by a photograph and we could arrange it for you.

We also have an outlet at the Hotel Intercontinental Budapest where you are most welcome to visit us. Though we are not located in streets like Savile Row (London), we have still been able to offer made to measure suits to many VIP’s from around the world.

Experience an easier way of shopping for bespoke suits & shirts at Euro Tailors

Kenny Surtani

6/05/2008 6:22 PM  
Anonymous Anonymous said...

I am a huge fan of teenVogue, I go on the site almost everyday. I like some of the articles, I don't have a problem with the clothes price tags at all. I think TeenVogue is the only teenie mag that I like. I can't stand any of the others. I don't like Seventeen,and Cosmogirl.

6/05/2008 10:21 PM  
Anonymous Anonymous said...

I was about 12 when I started reading teen magazines, and I loved loved loved a British magazine called J-17, do you remember it? It was just so far ahead of Sugar and Bliss in terms of styling and wit, though I still read all the others along with it.

I've been reading Vogue and InStyle along with Teen Vogue and ElleGirl since I was about 15 and I'm 21 now. Read them for as long as you would prefer to spend the money on the magazine than put it towards something grown up, like say a cocktail, or perhaps your pension ;)

6/05/2008 11:55 PM  
Anonymous Anonymous said...

Elle Girl was like the best magazine ever! It was my favoritee, I used to buy it every month but then it suddenly desappeared :(
I'm 18 and I'm still buying teen magazines LOL, I love Seventeen, Teen Vogue and Cosmo Girl, I also buy In Style, Lucky and Vogue sometimes but you know it's not the same ;)

6/06/2008 4:40 AM  
Blogger bloggirl said...

OMG I MISS JANE

6/07/2008 2:14 AM  
Blogger becca said...

I never read teen magazines until Teen Vogue came along. I think it's one of the best teen magazines out there.

6/07/2008 6:17 AM  
Anonymous Anonymous said...

awear, australian vogue girl was a mishmash of articles and photos from many different teen vogues. hardly any of it was original content!

6/07/2008 2:18 PM  
Blogger Rachel Cumiskey said...

i love all those mags, and i love your blog!

6/08/2008 2:06 PM  
Blogger Kaitlyn said...

I used to love ElleGirl! It was so much more interesting than the other teen magazines, and it actually had decent editorials. I loved the editors wishlists, I think that was my favorite part.

6/09/2008 6:20 AM  
Anonymous Anonymous said...

loving it all the wayz.

6/13/2008 12:37 AM  
Anonymous Anonymous said...

I like picking up teenvogue each month at the library, but I think in the last few years it's not as good as it was. Vogue is going downhill for me too.

I've been reading teen magazines since I was about.. 6 or 7 maybe?

6/14/2008 3:38 PM  
Anonymous Anonymous said...

My hugs and kisses to all beautiful and fair-complexioned girls in U.K,France and India.Earth27

6/15/2008 10:36 PM  
Anonymous Anonymous said...

i love elle girl and i was really sad when it went out of print

i so agree with you on the briefness of everything in teen vogue
i like when magazines arent tedious, fashion magazines mainly, but TV usually leaves out info.

um about the music and hollywood issues? excuse me, but some of us out there like ALL the cultural arts, not JUST fashion. like come on seriously?!

6/16/2008 10:06 AM  
Anonymous Anonymous said...

DOLLY and Girlfriend mag - Australia.. wasn't into fashion in my early teens.. was too busy being a kid

Julie, VIPGirlStyle

7/17/2008 1:07 PM  
Anonymous Anonymous said...

i used to LOVE ellegirl. if it ever does come back i would subscribe right away! (started reading fashion mags when i was 13)

right now i usually read cosmogirl&teenvouge. i don't really like seventeen. the clothes in cosmogirl are affordable but their's not a lot of advice or articles. the clothes that are featured in teenvouge is way too expensive but it has more articles in it then cosmogirl.
i still miss ellegirl, i hope it comes back before i turn 20! lol

8/30/2008 5:41 AM  
Anonymous Anonymous said...

Armageddon Thru To You

If you've been wondering why it seems like the world around us is unraveling, it's because the last days as foretold in the bible are now upon us. Just as it was 2000 years ago, many were unable to discern the signs of Jesus Christ's first coming (Mat 16:3), as will many concerning his second coming, which will occur very soon. Yes many have proclaimed a similar sentiment many times in the past, but their errors have no bearing on today other than to lull you into spiritual apathy, and that too was prophesied to occur in the last days.


If you're not a believer in Jesus Christ because you're an atheist, consider that the underlying impetus for your disbelief is most likely borne of pride and here's why:

When we die, if you as an atheist were right, then there is no upside or downside for anyone regarding the afterlife. We will all simply cease to exist

However if we Christians were right about our belief in the afterlife, then we will be given eternal life and you as an atheist will receive eternal damnation

Given the choices, the position held by an atheist is a fools bet any way you look at it because the atheist has everything to lose and nothing to gain. It is tantamount to accepting a “heads I win, tails you lose” coin toss proposition from someone. And that someone by the way is Satan (see Ephesians 6:12).

The only way to explain the attitude held by an atheist is pride, pure and simple. The intellectually dishonest and/or tortured reasoning used by atheists to try and disprove the existence of God is nothing more than attempts to posture themselves as superior (a symptom of pride). And as anyone who has read their bible knows, this is precisely the character flaw that befell Lucifer, God's formerly most high angel. (Isaiah 14:12-15). Is it any wonder then why the bible is so replete with references to pride as the cause of mankind's downfall?

Pride permeates our lives and burdens us in ways that most of us seldom recognize. Ironically, pride is the one thing that can blind someone to things even the unsighted can see. And sadly pride will blind many with an otherwise good heart, to accepting the offer of eternal salvation that Christ bought and paid for with his life.


In any event, if you're an atheist, I wish you only the best for every day of the rest of your life because for you, this life is as close to heaven as you'll ever get, but for believers in Christ, this life is as close to hell as we'll ever get.





If you're not a believer and follower of Jesus Christ because you are of another faith, please take the time to very carefully compare your faith to Christianity and ask yourself, why is the bible the only religious book with both hundreds of proven prophecies already fulfilled as well as those being fulfilled today? No other religion can claim anything remotely close to this fact. Many Christians who are serious students of bible prophecy are already aware of the role and significance of bible prophecy in foretelling end time events. God gave us prophecy as evidence of his divine holiness to know the begining from the end (Isa 46:10). God also believed prophecy to be so important that to those willing to read the most prophetic book in the bible, the Book of Revelation, he promised a special blessing (see Rev 1:3), and this is the only book in the bible that God gives its reader a special blessing for reading. Something to think about.


Don't risk losing Christ's offer of eternal life by not accepting him as your savior and by thinking that the bible is nothing more than a compilation of unrelated and scattered stories about people who lived 2,000 plus years ago. If you take the time to study (not just read) the bible, you will literally be shocked to learn things you would have never imagined would be revealed in it. Did you know that like parables, God also uses particular months and days in the Jewish calendar, Jewish Feasts and customs, solar and lunar phases, celestial alignments, gematria (Hebrew numerology) early bible events and more as patterns and models to foretell future events?


Consider the following interesting facts about the bible that testify to its God-inspired authorship:

Did you know that in Gen 12:2, God said he would bless Israel?. How else can you explain the grossly disproportionate level of success achieved by Jewish people as a tiny minority in the world, especially after all they have gone through? And how can you explain the success achieved by the tiny nation of Israel, surrounded by enemies outnumbering them 100 to 1 and yet still they remain victorious in all their wars?


Did you know that as evidence to indicate that Israel is the epicenter of the world from God's point of view is the fact that languages to the west of Israel are written and read from left to right as if pointing to Israel, and languages from countries to the east of Israel are written and read from right to left, again as though pointing to Israel. Just a coincidence, you say? I think not.


Did you know that the six days of creation and seventh day of rest in Genesis is a model for the six thousand years of this age (ending very soon), that is to be followed by a 1,000 year millennial reign by Christ (see 2 Peter 3:8)? Adam was born sometime prior to 4000 B.C., therefore our 6000 years are almost up.


Did you kow that the Gospel of Jesus Christ is hidden in the meaning of the Hebrew names listed in the genealogy of the book of Genesis (Research it online)? To deny this was God-inspired, one has to instead believe that a group of Jewish rabbis conspired to hide the Christian Gospel right inside a genealogy of their venerated Torah, which is not a very plausible explanation.


Did you know that solar eclipses, which the bible describes as the sun being black as sackcloth, and lunar eclipses, which the bible refers to as blood red moons, have prophetic meaning? Research it online. God showed Adam (and us) his plan for man's redemption through the use of celestial alignments. (research Mazzaroth online)

Did you know that much of the symbolism in the book of revelation refers to planetary alignments that will occur when certain events occur as prophesied? These planetary alignments also explained the birth of Christ, just search out The Bethlehem Star movie on the Internet.

Did you know that the references in Eze 39:4-17 and Rev 19:17-21 in the battle of Gog/Magog and Armageddon respectively, in which birds of prey will eat the flesh of the dead in battle from two enormous wars is based on fact? The largest bird migration in the world consisting of bilions of birds (34 species of raptors and various carrion birds) from several continents converge and fly over Israel every spring and fall. Coincidence? I think not.

Did you know that Hebrew numerology, also known as Gematria, and the numbers with biblical and prophetic significance are hidden in the Star of David? Google the video called "Seal of Jesus Christ"

Did you know that the seven Churches mentioned at the beginning of the Book of Revelation describe the seven stages the Church will go through?

There are literally hundreds of hidden messages in the bible like these that testify to the fact that the bible was God inspired. You can find them yourselves if you only take the time to look into it. Remember Proverbs 25:2 "It is the glory of God to conceal a matter; to search out a matter is the glory of kings".


And finally, if you are Catholic, or one who subscribes to the emergent Church or seeker-friendly Church movement, please compare the doctrine taught, advocated or accepted by your Church, with the actual bible, notwithstanding some new-age version of the bible. And remember that although the bible is often referred to as the living bible, the word "living" was never intended to imply in any way that the bible "evolves" over time to meet, or be consistent with, the standards of man. It's just the opposite.


Well, am I getting through to you? If not, the answer might be explained in the response given by Jesus Christ in his Olivet discourse when he was asked by his disciples why he spoke the way he did (in parables, etc.) in the book of Matthew 13:10-16. What Jesus said could have easily been paraphrased more clearly as "so that the damned won't get it". Why did Christ respond the way he did when asked why he spoke this way? Is there something about pride (the bible says there is) that closes one's heart to seeing or hearing the messages supernaturally hidden in bible parables, models, typologies, and similes, etc.? That should give you something to think about, but don't take too long. Time is now very short.


If it sometimes seems like there are powers at work behind the powers we know, remember what it says in Ephesians 6:12 "For our struggle is not against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the powers of this dark world and against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly realms." If you study the bible, it will become clearer.


And by the way, if you are a scoffer, this too was prophesied to occur in the last days. See 2 Peter 3:3.


Thank you and God Bless you!
Armageddon.thru.to.you@gmail.com

2/03/2009 12:57 PM  
Anonymous Anonymous said...

ohh mmm Gee no offense to ashley lovers cuz im a big fan but ashley luks kinda ugly=)

3/10/2009 7:40 AM  
Anonymous Anonymous said...

Great article!


When I was a teenager, there were 4 magazines: Seventeen, Sassy, 'TEEN, and YM. I regularly read 'TEEN and YM, and I faithfully subscribed to Seventeen. I only bought one issue of Sassy throughout all my teen years and I thought it could have been better.

What I remember most about teen magazines were that they were more like REAL fashion magazines that also covered a variety of topics that were relevant to the 90s. I really loved the fact that they seemed to cover pretty much everything. Unfortunately I don't think teen magazines are as good as they used to be. My sister(who is six years younger than me) only bought a few magazines when she was a teen, and its easy to see why! These mags are nothing but glad rags! Every month they have a celeb on the cover and the artwork looks terrible! Back in my day, we ocassionally had a celeb on the cover but it was mostly models.

9/08/2010 3:58 AM  
Anonymous Jeremiah said...

Thank you for this article, quite effective data.
free games | download new games | gametop | play games inc | full veriosn games free download for pc

11/28/2011 5:12 AM  

Post a Comment

<< Home