'CosmoGirl's' Pot Calls The Kettle Black

Just a little something for those of you who have teenage daughters. You might want ot look more closely into what your girls are reading in the magazines that you purchased subscriptions for.

From Colleen Raezler over at NewsBusters:

Editors at CosmoGirl would do well to remember that when they point at somebody else, three fingers are pointing back at them. The popular teen magazine tackled the question "What is Sexy?" in the March 2008 issue, bemoaning the increased amount of sexual imagery being thrown at young girls but failing to acknowledge its own contribution to the problem. Writer Marina Khidekel pointed out that girls are exposed to sexual imagery at younger ages than ever before, citing the popular Bratz dolls and the fact that "stores such as Limited Too sell lingerie like push-up bras and skimpy low-rise underwear for pre-teens." Khidekel also rightly lamented that TV shows "with smart female lead characters (like "Gilmore Girls" and "Veronica Mars") are being cancelled, while shows that survive (like "America's Top Model" and "The Hills") focus mainly on girls' appearance and hookups."

But what is CosmoGirl selling in terms of personal image philosophy?

Colleen continues:

One-third of the March issue of CosmoGirl focuses on either fashion or beauty. Twenty-six percent focuses on celebrities. This means more than half of the content of the magazine (not including advertisements) is devoted to looks and celebrity worship, both of which sell the idea that to be attractive is to be accomplished. While editors only devoted 26 percent of CosmoGirl's content to personality development or career goals, they still managed to make room for a column that corrects myths about masturbation (under the guise of "sex health, of course). Khidekel ultimately defined "sexy" as "much more than just your looks or your sexuality - it's your confidence in what you have to offer the world." If Khidekel is correct in her definition of "sexy," shouldn't these teen magazines place more emphasis on encouraging girls to develop other areas of life - school, sports, art, music, theater - and less on the right beauty techniques and the latest fashions?

Just something to think about as you watch your daughter go out on her dates.

You can access the complete article on-line here:

'CosmoGirl's' Pot Calls The Kettle Black
Colleen Raezler
NewsBusters.org
February 7, 2008