Hello there lovelies,I have a confession to make - I still read teen girls magazines. Namely, Dolly and Girlfriend magazines. You're probably wondering why, and I know most women my age tend to think I'm a little strange. Why on earth would a 20-year-old rather read girl's magazines than the usual selection of Cosmopolitan, Cleo and the like?
There's one main thing that my continuing love for teen magazines is based on, and that is body positivity. Women's magazines just don't have the same positive attitude. Sure, they've started running occasional fashion features where plus-size, or non-caucasian women strut their stuff - but girl's magazines have been doing this since I was about ten, and on a regular basis. Women's magazines also seem to have a strange view of how to be positive about your body. In their pages, body positivity usually seems to equate to a few token articles about healthy eating, warnings about the obscene amounts of calories in seemingly innocent drinks, and a myriad of ways to lost that weight which must be making you feel bad about yourself. Teen girls magazines run features on issues such as self-esteem, body image, eating disorders, positive thinking, psychological health and self-respect, along with articles about healthy eating and exercise on a regular basis. It's not like all these issues go away as we leave our teenage years - and besides, there's way more to life than worrying about what you look like post-workout, or how to snag hot billionaires.
But that's not all there is to it. In general, I just feel better after reading girl's magazines than women's magazines - about myself, my relationships and the world in general. I feel like I'm perfect the way that I am, that I have great friends and family, and that there are good things in the world. After an issue of Cosmo, I usually just feel guilty - about all the exercise I haven't done, about the flavoured milk I drank earlier, about my dislike of makeup, my inability to fit into Size 6 jeans, and the meagre size of my pay packet. I'm also a fan of their real-life reader stories, as they always feature a good mix of people. I've seen stories from people with rare medical conditions, people who have won beauty contests or sporting competitions, people who have battled eating disorders, psychological disorders, or been sexually abused, people who want to change the world, and people who already have changed the world. As a youngster, their stories opened my eyes to the world outside myself. And now, as a young adult, they still manage to educate me about things I've never thought about before. It's rather strange to expand my horizons reading magazines intended for young girls, when women's magazines quite often seem to be running different versions of the same story.
As a final point, the last reason I love girl's magazines is this - they know how to have fun with their fashion. Because the magazines are intended for young'uns, they're prepared to take risks with their fashion shoots. Bright colours, denim on denim, animal prints, colorful tartans, crazy hats, cute accessories and all-around quirky clothing plays a big part. You've seen me dress, so you can probably see why I approve. It's heaven for everyone who has ever considered dressing up as a cartoon character, or Dorothy from The Wizard of Oz at some point in their lives.
So, in conclusion, this is not an apology - rather, it is an expression of mildly embarrassing love. I'm probably going to continue spending my $12 a month on teen girl's magazines until I'm an old lady. Or at least until I have teenage daughters who work weekends, and buy the mags themselves - then I'll just "borrow" their copies.
Until next time, xo.
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