TeenVogue

Bibliographic Information:

 Astley, A. (Editor). (2013). Teen Vogue. USA: Condé Nast Publications.  URL: teenvogue.com

Plot Summary:  Teen Vogue offers young women a look into the world of fashion, beauty, stardom, while at the same time including articles about other teen issues, like sex.  Every issue contains a letter from the editor, and a section titled “Your Space,” where readers review previous articles.  Issues also contain articles on various people in the fashion, beauty, and entertainment industries.  Teen Vogue bloggers publish articles on music, fashion, and culture.  The fashion portions of the magazine display trending styles with information for price and brand.  Beauty advice includes reader-voted top products, hairstyle ideas, and the hottest goodies for the season.   Celebrity interviews are sprinkled throughout the issues, and ads marketing perfume, clothing, and health and beauty products are aplenty. 

Critical Evaluation:  Teen Vogue stands out as a more sophisticated “teen junk” magazine.  The name alone—Teen Vogue—pays homage to its adult version Vogue.  The majority of the material is superficial in nature, covering the hottest new beauty and fashion trends, and the articles are for the most part light-heated.  Some articles aim to motivate readers to better their lives, whether through exercise or putting off sex.  The celebrities featured in Teen Vogue are musically and cinematically relevant, which attracts young readers.  This may be to symbolize its “mini-me” status of Vogue.  The magazine is full of bright colors, and it is printed in a format smaller than typical magazines. Teen Vogue is helpful to teen girls who want to keep up on fashion and beauty trends.  Not much material in the magazine is geared towards teen boys, if any.  While the articles do provide some informative material, they aren’t the focus of the magazine; they play more of a supporting role.  Teen Vogue is a great magazine to browse through poolside, on a car ride, or at a sleepover.

Reader’s Annotation:  Tomorrow’s fashions are today’s news.  Pick up your copy of Teen Vogue to learn about the up-and-coming fashion and beauty trends of the season.

Information about the author: Teen Vogue is published by Condé Nast Publications, who publishes eighteen consumer magazines, four business-to-business magazines, twenty-seven websites, and 50+ apps for mobile and tablet devices (Wikipedia.org)

Genre: Teen Magazine

Curriculum Ties: N/A

Booktalking ideas (one or two): N/A

Reading level/Interest age: 14+

Challenge Issues: Includes potentially controversial topics like sex, pregnancy etc. The magazine can be challenged for promoting self-image issues.

To defend challenged material I would:

1.    Read/watch/listen to the material to become familiar with the content.

2.    Familiarize myself with the Arizona Common Core curriculum standards http://www.azed.gov/azcommoncore/teacher/ to defend how the material can support the learning of these standards.

3.    Refer to the Library Bill of Rights: http://www.ala.org/advocacy/intfreedom/librarybill

4.    Refer to the collection policy of my library.

5.    Collect reviews from staff/students/patrons who have used the material

Why I included this magazine: TeenVogue is essential to any magazine collection for young adults.  It appeals to readers who love fashion and want to be on trend for any season.  Over 5.7 million readers subscribe to the magazine, and they have a huge social media following (over 3 million) (Condé Nast, n.d.). 

References:
Condé Nast. (n.d.). Teen Vogue. Retrieved from http://www.condenast.com/brands/teen-vogue.

Wikipedia (2013) TeenVogue. Retrieved 15 Mar 2013 from

           http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Teen_Vogue