GL Magazine is a MUST!

In my quest to find reading material for my 7th grade classroom, I’ve run across many teen targeted magazines that fall really short of providing appropriate and entertaining content. I’ve also found a few that hit the target group and don’t obsess on the frivolous. GL (short for Girls’ Life) is one of the really good magazines for young teen girls. The magazine offers a club inside its magazines that is supported by the Girl Scouts. It is called Studio2B and while it’s an advertisement, it gives you a clue to the kind of healthy content that the magazine promotes.

THE COVERS: The covers are always bright and often showcase an up and coming young starlet. The magazine I’m using as an example, has Michelle Trachtenberg on it. They call her Hollywood’s New Princess. She is dressed in clothing teens would wear and her hair is long and healthy looking and her makeup is minimal. The cover headlines are often much more provocative then the actual content and articles they supposedly represent. Most likely this is to grab attention and pique interest. For example on this cover are the headlines, “I had plastic surgery at 14” why more and more young teen girls are going under the knife; “Boys are Stupid” plans for a crush who doesn’t know you’re the one; and “Jesse McCartney” He’s waiting for you on page 44. Nothing that titillates but all targeted to get your attention. All of the photographs and covers are professional and in color. It’s a really nice looking magazine.

THE CONTENTS:

REGULAR ARTICLES:
Some of the regular features include LETTERS which are letters that readers send in giving their comments about articles that have appeared in previous issues. SHORT STUFF contains short reviews of fashion trends, rock bands, and a Cool Girl short which talks about a young teen that is in the movies. DEAR CAROL includes advice letters from teen readers. Sometimes the letters ask questions about guys, friends and parents. What I like about this section is that it is not set up to be sexual in content and the answers are given by an adult that interacts well with the teens’ questions and gives them solid advice. This section is usually three or four pages long and very worthwhile.
There is a monthly section from BFF (Best Friends Forever). This month was about having a wonderful Valentine’s Day without guys (and with your good girlfriends) if you don’t have a boyfriend. There is also monthly GL FASHION, GL FRIENDS FEATURE, GL BEAUTY LOOK OF THE MOMENT, GL BODY Q&A, and a monthly highlight of a guy called, GL GUYS FEATURE.

KIND OF ARTICLES FOUND MONTHLY:

Spotlight articles about real teens and about movie and television actresses that are teens.

Articles about things like following through on what you say you’ll do. These aren’t boring at all but give great examples using the language of the young. This month “Talk it like you Walk it” starts, for example, “You’re psyched to join your buds for some mallin’ and then talks about being back when your parents tell you to.

The article “About Face” which deals with teens getting plastic surgery is an excellent article with all of the facts. Not just how great it makes a young person feel but the risks involved. By the end of the article, the reader has all of the facts and they aren’t glamorized.

There are lovely fashion layouts that show attractive teens in clothing that is trendy but not revealing cheap. Teens this age have a hard time realizing that fashions for themselves don’t have to be the kind that look like “club clothes.” Everyday in a middle school leaves me fashion-amazed. The girls in this magazine are sometimes standing next to guys and sometimes alone. I mention this because young teens like to think that if they dress a certain way, they’ll be popular. This magazine shows healthy ways of dressing that show the girl got a guy dressed like that too.

There is an in-depth article about a teen movie star. This month it was Michelle Trachtenberg. There are pictures along with the interview.

HER ACHIEVEMENT has an article about a girl who succeeds at something. This month was about Shelley Hennig, the 17 year old Miss Teen USA. It had a lot of interesting information about herself and about pageants.

There is also the STAR SIGNS astrology, fashion accessories, hair and hair care, and exercise and healthy eating articles and reviews. This month they had Pick Your Potion which talked about all the new perfumes on the market.

ADVERTISEMENTS:

What also adds to the wholesomeness of this magazine are the advertisements. Yes, there are more than you want to see. But, they advertise the kinds of things young teens will be interested in purchasing. Most aren’t the pricey things which is helpful, too (like lip gloss ads or clothing that is affordable). The advertisement show appropriately aged girls in appropriate attire for the age group.

While I tend to shop frugally for inexpensive subscriptions for my classroom Free Reading Time rack of magazines, this one is never less than $14.95 a year. On the newsstands it costs $3.50 which is affordable for most teens. While not expensive, for me who is subscribing to many different magazines, it’s a stretch. But, I do stretch because I feel that this is an important addition to the classroom resources. If I wanted to find an excellent magazine for my daughter, granddaughter, or niece, I wouldn’t hesitate to buy them a subscription to this magazine. It’s worth it!

I decided to talk to the girls in class and find out from them what they like and dislike about this magazine.

THINGS LIKED BEST IN THE MAGAZINES: The first thing the girls stated that they liked were the articles on fashion and accessories. They love looking at the assortment of fun things that are also affordable for their allowances. Some of the things named was lip glosses, nail polishes, purses, jewelry and makeup. I pointed out in my review that the advertisements and products are target audience friendly.

They liked the Dear Carol monthly column. Although I stated in my review that the answers to the teens questions sound like adult advice, the girls said that they liked the kind of topics covered. Some of the things they mentioned were topics about boy friends, tampons, and making friends. They said the answers weren't fun answers but answers that made you think. Personally, I was surprised by their choice and find that I wished "Carol" would lighten up a bit.

They "loved" the "And How Was Your Day?" letters from readers. This is one of those "most embarrassing moments" kind of article that is a monthly feature. Here's the beginning of one such letter so you can judge for yourself, " My crush and I were flirting during my friend's birthday party, when my 3-year-old sister interrupted with, "Big sisy make a poo every morning!" Now the girl's boyfriend constantly kids the girl about "Big sissy making a poo!" Why kids like conversation about making pooh, burping loudly in public, farting when making out with a boyfriend, etc. is beyond me but definitely part of the early teen culture.

The girls also said that they usually found one or two articles that interested them in every issue. The articles are somewhat in depth (even if about celebrities) but the girls say they don't mind reading a long article.

And the clothes and fashions. Did I mention they really like the clothes and fashions? Well, they really like the clothes and fashions.

DISLIKES ABOUT THIS MAGAZINE:
Almost every girl I talked to about the magazine said they wished there were more pictures of young male heart throbs. Most said they showed a lot of girl stars (and sometimes they said they weren't stars they particularly liked) but that they didn't showcase handsome young men celebrities. They also wish that there were lots of posters that they could use.

Most said that anything to do with Girl Scouts turned them off (even though 4 of the teens I talked to, belongs to Girl Scouts. But, they don't want to be associated with the group because they feel it is uncool. So, the BFF section is not read by any of the group I talked to.

The last negative given was that the girls wished there were more articles on boys and dating. They mentioned a couple of "really awesome articles" from another teen magazine that talked about how to kiss and what guys liked from a date. These girls (not all the girls I talked to) said they'd rather read about dating than getting along with your BF (best friend).

I asked if they thought I should keep subscribing to it for the classroom and they said, "Yes." When asked why, they said the fashions and accessories are really cool.