Now that I’m a mom, I cringe knowing my daughter is going to spend her allowance on cheesy teen magazines that ultimately offer nothing about how to be a functioning, successful adult. The fact is, cheesy teen magazines do exist, and after a long hard day at school — once she’s finished her homework — who cares if my daughter wants to kick back and read up on fall fashion trends? I occasionally give a sh*t about fashion trends, too. Why can’t she?
For all the people who wish a photoshopped edition like that existed, well it does. Maybe such magazines are not as easily accessible as their salacious, teen-bop cousins, but they do exist. Google them. I found BYou magazine, with articles about getting over stereotypes and embracing your “weird”, and Discovery Girls (which, okay, has made some questionable decisions but overall is an awesome and thought provoking magazine).
More power to empowerment, and if people are going to get all irate about there not being enough girls empowerment magazines — which is infuriating — then maybe it’s time we stepped up to the plate and created more of them. Or at least worked to make the ones that do exist more available. Our daughters may gravitate toward the boyfriend quizzes and the fall hair dares, but there are a range of choices out there, and girls today deserve a little bit of everything.
Photo: Katherine Young
