The only thing I read growing up with Tiger Beat. I guess that’s not exactly a positive role model.

Interesting post. I spent the ’70’s reading Seventeen mag and definitely came away with image issues. My Mom thought she was doing a great thing by buying it at the grocery store when she bought her mags. I’ve banned fashion mags in my house – only fitness or cooking mags allowed.

Caitlin based on this post I’m curious as to what magazines you read. I read Self, Shape, and Fitness but sometimes even feel that those magazines don’t send the completely right message and can end up making me feel like I need be thinner. Do you have any recommendations? Thanks!

I think that magazines are usually cheesy and ridiculous on the whole, but I also think that magazines like Kiki would just not appeal to teenage girls. Coloring?! Doing math?! When I started reading teen mags it was because I wanted to read something cool and fun that was a little ‘risque’ at the time. I would never have picked up a magazine that encouraged coloring or knitting. I’m not saying it’s not a positive influence, but I think there has to be an element of realism here too. I agree that stuff about flat abs doesn’t belong in a young girls magazine, but I do think that girls are intelligent enough to not take this stuff seriously. If they have positive parental influence and good role models, it doesn’t matter what they read in a magazine. I don’t think there’s anything wrong with wanting to learn about beauty tips or how to flirt with a guy at their locker! It’s up to the people in their lives to teach girls that there’s more to life than beauty, not the magazines.

I don’t think that what I’m about to say applies to your blog, because you often discuss social issues and debate more ‘serious’ topics, but think about the blog world as a whole…here are grown women discussing the best type of peanut butter, the best sports bras, and how to cut out sugar (or whatever) from their diets. There’s no doubt that these women are intelligent and have far more important things in their lives than sugar cleanses and workout gear, but there has to be a space for frivolity somewhere!

Thanks for the magazine recommendation. I am a nanny for a 12 year old who is extremely influenced by the media and her teen magazine that was given as a gift to her has only created emotional problems for her. She is constantly upset about her weight and is always worried about teen problems and isn’t reading what she is truly interested in. I may get a subscription to Kiki for her birthday.

I would read anything that had Blossom on the cover!

I subscribed to American Girl Magazine from it’s first issue when I was 9 until I was 13 or 14, and then we transfered the subscription to my sister’s name for five years or so. It was SO positive and had articles about history, books, fashion, and current events. We loved it.

I’m looking into a Kiki subscription for my 7th grade classroom right now.

growing up I subscribed to Brio, its a Christian girls magazine, and I loved it. It had REAL girls in it and talked about real issues, being strong, being the best you. I miss it!

Have you ever read All You? It is fairly well rounded and has lots of real women in it. They do lots of fashion for flattering your body, which I appreciate. They have lots of coupons and money saving tips, decorating, fitness. I think it is pretty good.

That magazine looks great. It’s a shame, but other teen mags do so much beauty and fashion because that’s where the big bucks are. Even in a recession, there are always more of those advertisers willing to spend than any other. Still, I love the way Kiki’s features are wide-ranging. How to process film? Cool. That’s a magazine I definitely would have read as a tween.

I can’t remember the name of my favorite magazine when I was a teen! All I know is that it was supposed to focus on things other than diets and boys…an alternative Seventeen…and that there was once an article in it about Homer, Alaska…anyone remember this?

I like the looks of that magazine! To be honest, I’m scared to have children the way society is today. Kids are so influenced by schoolmates, the media, etc. Look at the MTV shows they have out now. I wouldn’t want my kid watching Jersey Shore or Skins or something like that. I feel like I sound like an old lady but everything is depicted so sexually. It worries me.

This is great, totally could have used a magazine like this growing up. I always compared myself to the girls in Seventeen… and quite honestly at age 24 I’m still not as cool as them.

If I had a daughter, I’d definitely subscribe her to that magazine. If we could only get the other magazines to follow suit, that would be amazing!

OMG! I used to read Sassy! I love this new Kiki magazine. Even as an adult, I’d be tempted to read it!

I used to read Girl’s Life magazine when it first came out in the 90’s. But after looking at the website, (http://www.girlslife.com/), it seems like it’s become just another teen magazine… *sigh*

I read all the typical teen magazines as a teen. seventeen at 12, 13, 14. after that, i remember my friends and i sorta being over teen mags and moving onto things like cosmo. when i read seventeen, i really only liked looking at the clothes. nothing else was really that interesting. i would have much more enjoyed reading something like kiwi that has articles that are actually interesting on a variety of topics. belgium vs. what mascara to choose? belgium please. vintage clothes vs is he crushing on you? vintage clothes. a lot of times people just take in what’s put in front of them, even it’s of lesser quality. my only criticism of kiwi is that its pictures look more juvenile and wont reallymake the grade for a 13 year old thats number #1 priority is trying to fit in with peers. a mag with pictures that dont measure up would automatically get the boot. kiwi actually reminds me of american girl and seems like it might be more appealing to the tween demographic to the teen demographic.

My mom used to buy me American Girl, which I loved. It seems fairly similar to kiki. It always has real girls, art work, DIY, advice, and some fashion but it was lacking in the political and society views. Sadly I moved on to J14 and Seventeen then on to cosmo but now I avoid magazines completely. I’m just not comfortable with the messages they send out.

magazine…here we have chalk–magazine for college students…but now i’d rather read online because it’s cheaper 🙂

it’s nice that US have Kikki magazine. kudos to the people who created this magazine:)

Love the tagline: for girls with style & substance. What a great message!

I totally forgot about Sassy!! I loved it too. I also read a lot of Seventeen and Teen and unfortunately grew up with VERY low self-esteem. It’s hard to live up to the girls on the cover. In our (broken) society, they make you feel like you need to. There are still bits of the insecure me here today, but your blog makes me see that I can’t be a part of that…I want to be part of the society that challenges that.

I LOVE the picture at the top. I work in High School and about 90% of my students are living in the moment and caught up in society’s lies. I spent so much of the year trying to show them that I care and show them they can be what they want…but they are so knee deep with their drugs and babies. I am heartbroken. I’m buying your book and sneaking it in my class library. Hopefully that’ll help SOMEONE!

This is fantastic, although I believe that it wouldn’t appeal to the teenage audience. I had a subscription to American Girl magazine when I was a pre-teen and I loved that magazine because it wasn’t filled with beauty tips, etc. However, once I became a teenager, I actually had a (well, I still do) subscription to Seventeen magazine. (I will not be renewing my subscription when it is up in October. I’m too old for it and quite frankly I don’t like the articles in it as a whole!) I agree with you that the magazine as a whole focuses on the “thin ideal” but yet they “try” to proclaim the message that any body type is beautiful. Yes they do have a few models that are a normal size, but most of them are very skinny.

The only magazine I was allowed to read growing up was Brio-a fundamentalist Baptist magazine for girls ages 11-15ish. It taught you how to clean, dress modestly, and find a husband. Not even joking!

Lol now I typically read Real Simple and Runner’s World. I used to read Cosmo, self, Glamour, etc but they just made me feel terrible about myself!

I LOVE the idea of Kiki! And I remember I used to be all about Seventeen, CosmoGirl, and any magazine about the Backstreet Boys or N’Sync 😉

Thanks for bringing Kiki to light, Caitlin! I’m glad something there like that is finally out there in circulation.

I used to read the teenybopper mags as a teenager, but I wouldn’t always read all of the articles. For instance, I was never super into fashion or the recipes (i know, who was I?!?!) so I’d just skip over ’em. SO maybe not all of teens read all of the articles on in Seventeen? Just a thought!

I wish there was a magazine like Kiki when I was younger!

I completely agree with your “edited to add” Caitlin! I actually started reading Vogue when I was in 7th grade (I believe I was maybe 12/13 at the time- what can I say, I was a precocious studier of fashion).

I typically don’t read “Woman’s” magazines like Cosmo, Marie Claire, or Elle. I really dislike the messages I’ve read in them in the past. When I was a teen I LOVED JANE! I wish Jane Pratt was still publishing something. She was so great and her magazine was so smart.

I loved American Girl magazine! It had a few fashion tips, but mostly it was short stories (many written by readers my age) crafts, party planning, spotlights on extraordinary girls, life tips, and opinion polls on topics like vegetarianism and ambitions. It’s a great magazine and a great company. I still have my Samantha doll too.

It really is amazing what these magazine consist of. I also couldnt believe that 17 is the age of someone reading cosmo.

The Sassy magazine cover at least wasn’t photoshopped or they would have given her open eyes! 😉

I love the idea of Kiki magazine but wish there were something skewed toward a little older demographic for my 15 year old.

Sassy was the best magazine EVER!

Hi Caitlin,

I noticed on today’s blog that you mentioned some teen magazines that are actually good for teen readers and I thought I would share another. I worked for a Teen Magazine in Boston called Teen Voices. Here’s a little snippet about it: http://www.teenvoices.com/about-us/mission-vision-and-values/

It’s a truly inspirational and amazing place and the results is an even more amazing magazine that is distributed nationally! I’ve even told my former boss about you and the empowerment you bring to such a program! You and Teen Voices should totally connect!

Sorry for the long comment 🙂

Haha, I am Belgian but I’d probably benefit from reading that article on Brussels! I remember reading mostly trashy magazines when I was younger, and I believe they can be a poison to (young) girls’ minds! Kiki seems like an awesome magazine, and there definitely is a need for something like this for older girls too!

OMG, my name is Kiki – sorry I found this so funny 🙂

My favorite magazine is Prevention. (I’m 25 by the way!) My mom has been a subscriber since I was 8 and I’ve been reading it for that long. Yes, its aimed primarily at the 40+ crowd, but thats where the good stuff is! At that age, they’ve moved beyond “How to have a tight butt” to “How to live longer and prevent cancer.”

Most teen magazines direct a girl’s focus only as far as Friday night. They emphasize getting the right hair, getting a date, losing weight, all in the short term. Prevention gets you thinking 20 years down the line. It makes you think about how what you do to/for yourself today, will directly affect your life in the long term. Its a concept many young people NEED to understand.

I wish I had time to read all of the comment! a few things.
OMG. I loved SASSY! and I don’t think there is any way in our Post 9-11 world that a magazing would get away with doing that with an American flag now.
I had subscriptions to Teen and YM!

This reminded me-I wanted to tell you-after 10+ years as a subscriber to Marie Claire-I am not renewing after what happened with your article- just left me with a bad feeling..I’ll have to search out a more honest mag to read..or perhaps I should pick up a book instead! Kiki looks awesome!-can’t wait to read it with my daughter someday!

SASSY!!!! Loved it.

Although YM and Seventeen usually left me feeling fat and wishing I looked like all the models, I LOVED reading the “Embarrassing Moments” page in each issue! Sooooooo funny! Anyone remember those?

Nowadays all I read is Vanity Fair. I guess I’ve come a long way… 😉

Thanks for the head’s up on Kikki, Caitlin! I will recommend it to students.

I read American Girl during my preteen years and loved it! It had a great variety of articles and how-to’s. Plus a great advice section in the back I remember! After that I started reading Teen magazine and Seventeen, but like many others have said, Seventeen was always something I read in private because I was too embarrassed for my family to see all the things it said on the cover!

Girl’s Life is also amazing for something of a good quality you can pick up at a drug store, though I wish they used real girl models like Kiki does! There’s also a Canadian magazine for mid aged teens called Girl Works, and it has a lot of the stuff Kiki does, but for older teens, plus my parents totally approve. Cool!

I loved Sassy! I was so sad when it was cancelled. It was later reincarnated as Jane, which was also pretty good…but then that got cancelled. Boo. I like Body + Soul now (wait, I think they just changed the name to Whole Living), and that seems like something you might like; do you ever read it? It’s part of the Martha Stewart family of products.

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