Reviews For Seventeen Magazine

"Babalicious." No, I didn't make that up, that's a word I saw in Seventeen magazine describing a cute guy. That's when I first started thinking that, hey, maybe this does insult my intelligence a bit! I am a teenager myself, and have been reading Seventeen for about 7 years. When I began reading the magazine in 6th grade, I devoured the articles, memorized the celebrity stats, and went shopping for all the cool clothes. Now that I'm older, I go to look at the clothes and find myself gagging at the way-too-skinny models, and the forceful "wear this" message that Seventeen loves to deliver. It attempts at forcing you to become a certain person, and it puts barriers on your emotions. Quizzes such as "Does he like you?" put a mold on guys who express their interest in a specific way. It's unreasonable and unfair, and could seriously hurt meek little girls who decide that, because Seventeen said so, their crush hates them! The stories in Seventeen used to be good, but they have been disappearing, and I see stories less and less nowadays. Although I disagree with the concept of Seventeen, I must admit, there are a few good things about it. There is a sex and body column, in which girls who are too scared to ask questions to friends or family can read about health issues. The only thing with that is, there are usually only about 3 questions addressed per issue, and while you can write in and ask, the questions of your question being answered, out of the thousands of people who write in, are astronomical. The "embarassing" moments column can prove for laughter, sometimes. Some of the "embarassing" moments are really dumb though, and it just, once again, insults the readers' intelligence. Anyhow, if you're confident about yourself and the people around you, I wouldn't suggest buying this magazine. If you have doubts, don't buy it. If you think you suck in the first place, you might as well support the industries that pay mega bucks to place ads in Seventeen, and buy the wretched magazine.


Recommended:
No

Like all teenage girls, I started reading Seventeen at a young age. It's sort of a rite of passage in this day and age. When I got older, I acquired a subscription. Soon I became thoroughly disgusted.
This magazine is supposed to be geared toward girls in their later teens. It's supposed to be for every kind of girl. I have found, however, that not every girl is represented. The models shown are often extremely thin, not realistic portrayals of an average girl. It can be depressing at times to read through a magazine that is supposed to be fun and about YOU, when you can't find a single person to relate to. The images staring back often don't even come close to being like the girls one goes to school with or interacts with. It can be really sad.
Another bad thing is that there is virtually no practical information in the magazine. The clothes are often outrageously expensive, and seldom does one see girls out in the real world wearing the clothes that are shown as "hot" and trendy in articles. They don't have nearly enough articles on what really matters--college, jobs, and real life. Seventeen should look beyond the glamour and glitz and get down to what life really is. It should show every aspect, and not some candy-coated vision of what life should be.
But hey, maybe I'm just too old and cynical at the age of 19. All I know is that Seventeen is no longer for me.


Recommended:
No

Well there is not much to say about this magazine except for that it is nothing but bad news for the teen-age ego.

I have flipped through some of my daughters issues and there is nothing but 100 pound models in size 3 clothing advertising for all the very expensive clothing out there.This is a magazine that almost every teen in America reads so naturally I would expect more from it.

There are a couple of pages with answers to problems that teens have but other than that they are telling you how to act and what to wear.

If this is the only thing to read around you,I suggest that you just hum to yourself.


Recommended:
No

It's no wonder teenage girls and boys are obsessed with looks and sex. It's all we feed them. As a college student, in my past I've done my fair share of reading teen magazines. If a story looked good or was about a movie I wanted to see or an actor/musician I liked, I bought the magazine.

Seventeen is the magazine I'd buy the least. Besides being more stuffed with ads than articles, I grew sick of the stick thin models, especially in Calvin Klien's seductive ads. I also was tired of them doing a story about an anorexic or bulimic on one page and then turning the page to find ads saying "lose 10 pounds in 10 days" or some other stuff like that.

At times, Seventeen had a few good articles. Their interview with Jessica Simpson was nice. It didn't criticize her for her stand for virginity, which was nice. But that's not enough to make me want to subscribe to it.

I don't believe that movies can make kids kill, but I do believe that the media can influence people about how they look or how they're supposed to look. Seventeen always has these drop dead gorgeous girls who don't really exist outside of Hollywood or New York City, and many of them don't look that good without all the make-up and air brushing. Seventeen needs, just like so many other magazines, to try to get some normal looking people -- or at least ones who won't blow away when the wind blows.


Recommended:
No

I don't really read Seventeen that much, I read a couple issues here and there but never really paid attention. So, I was bored one day picked up Seventeen Magazine and decided to read the magazine from front to back.
Considering the millions of ads that were basically from Tampax or cover Girl...the articles were not very stimulating at all.
I never considered myself to be "In" with the trends...so to say...when pedal pushers were featured in the magazine I had to throw down the magazine and wash my hands clean of this pure crime.
What I don't really understand about Seventeen is how they categorize what girls should like in the table of contents Fashion, Beauty, Guys, Hair, and Pop Music. I'm not offended by this stereotype...I know I'm WAYYY off base from the typical teenage girl stereotype...I was once like the stereotype, but then I matured.
I found it humorous in some way on how teenage girls turn to this magazine as if it were THEIR BIBLE! I mean...when one article is called "How to get your crush"...or "Are you and Justin Timberlake Compatible"...we are not looking toward Pulitzer Prize here.
I hate this magazine because it truely defines what is considered "cool"...okay...now thank you for deciding for me what is considered "cool"...but I think I could decide for myself on what I like.
The gossip of the magazine is basically ...dumb...I think the National ENquirer could come up with better cr*p than what was stated in this magazine.
ALL-N-ALL Seventeen is good for anyone who is into Fashion, Beauty, Guys, Hair and Pop Music but as far as stimulating reading experiences go....Stay away from this magazine


Recommended:
No

As a young woman, in the recovering stages of adolescence, I?m quite bitter about a multitude of things. One major vexation is the image the media presents to be the ?All American Girl.? Blonde/Brunette/Redhead? Green/Blue/Brown eyes? That?s not what I?m getting at. I?m talking about the tiny girls in the magazine! I mean, come on? Yes, there are girls out there that small- I know a handful of them. But I know more girls who are rounder, and more voluptuous then the size 3-8?s that prance across every page of that magazine. Images like this, however pretty they are, are what drives girls to anorexia, bulimia, crash diets, etc. They are what make girls loathe the figure- that is themselves- reflected in the mirror.

In my later years of reading Seventeen, I did notice there were more full-figured girls being used as models. I was glad to see it, but it had a ratio of: for every 5 beanpoles, there was 1 realistically sized girl. Seventeen still has a long way to go when it comes to size-equality.

Another beef I have with Seventeen are those quizzes. ?Is he boyfriend material?? ?Are you a jealous person?? ?Are you nosey?? ?Which movie stars are you most like??

Please.

Asking a list of terribly basic (mindless, clich?d, slang-injected) questions (which most girls only answer after they?ve scanned the answers) in order to determine a side of one?s personality is just sad. You *know* if you?re nosey, or jealous; instead of taking this quiz, just befriend the guy; and those movie star questions are primarily based on style, and the characters these stars play. It?s not at all based on who they really are. A young girl taking this quiz might change herself ? to the best of her ability, to fit this person?.and that?s just a tragedy.

I?m sure there are people out there who love this magazine, and will defend it. And that?s fine; we will just agree to disagree. It has been my experience that this magazine can lower self-esteem, pose unrealistic goals, and in some cases, drive young girls into unhealthy decisions about their body.


Recommended:
No

i dont know where to start. seventeen was the magazine every girl had. If you had it you were special and mature and knew everything you needed to know, at least so we thought. Maybe as i have gotten older i am changing my tastes but i dont think that is the answer. I find the magazine to be full of nothing but ads and corny fake articles. I enjoy reading the embarrassing momets, though most are probably made up and the question and asnwer pages are crucial as well, as for the rest.. its junk. I do not recommend this magazine any longer i am sort of ashamed to have a subscrition to it.


Recommended:
Yes

Seventeen wasn't really "my kind" of magazine. I subscribed to this magazine for 2 years (gift subscription from my mom). Although it was fun to read (sometimes), I really didn't look forward to reading this every month. I think I mainly just didn't like the layout.

The articles were on issues that just didn't seem to apply to people that subscribed to their magazine. I don't know how many run-aways or teenage pregnancy people read this magazine, but nobody I knew like that did. I would say that out of the three magazines I subscribed to as a teenager (Teen & YM were the others), this was the one I least liked.

I really disliked the "fashion" advice in this magazine. It didn't really appeal to me or even anybody I knew. Nobody dressed like the way they dressed up their models (which by the way were NOT average 17 year old girls!). Maybe it just didn't hit it big in my area, but I hated their fashion advice.

Overall, this might have been a fun magazine to buy an issue or two when there was something really interesting to you inside, but it is definitely not something I'd want to subscribe to again.


Recommended:
No

Let's just say this magazine is good for people who sound like this "like oh my god he is soooooo fine! Is my make-up ok??" (as they stick out their chest and give the poor guy a solid stare down)"..... Once upon a time i thought this was an okay magazine but come on! Are these real people they talk about in their articles? This magazine is nothing but degrading on most teens. Granted there really ARE teens that sound like my example... I believe that teenage girls who read this magazine (especially 13-15 year olds)might start thinking that these skinny models and their happy sappy stories etc. are their role models. Sadly enough, many teens turn to this/these magazines for help when it comes to fashion and beauty. What has the world come to?? This magazine has horrible quizzes in it with very very unrealistic topics such as, "How Cool Are You?" "Do you Get on your Friends' nerves?" and many more. All in all I think that this magazine is a waste of your money and brain cells.


Recommended:
Yes

Thank goodness my subscription to this magazine finally ran out. I believe I started reading this magazine when I was about 13, and after much begging, and convincing my parents that I was old enough to have it, I got a subscription. I was so excited and read every issue from cover to cover. My favorite part was of course the section devoted to answering readers questions about sex. My friends and I would sit around reading the questions and answers, giggling at the "dirty" words.

Now when I look at issues of Seventeen I cringe at the articles and advertisements. They always show pictures of, and tell stories of the cute little popular girl with all the boyfriends. And of course she is very happy. So then the young adolescent readers think that this is the norm.

The only credit that I can give Seventeen is that they usually have one story that is less "glamorous" than the rest. Sometimes it will be about Eating Disorders, Depression, or occasionally homosexuality (oh my!). They probably only do this to keep people from saying that the magazine is entirely bad.

Conclusion:

This is not the magazine to be read by the Junior High kiddies. It is intended for people around Seventeen as the magazine name implies. Unfortunately most 17 year olds, have better taste in magazines. I think Seventeen needs to wake up and write more articles that are politically correct and address the real issues that young teens really face. Not how to apply their makeup to make the boys swoon.


Recommended:
No