This Article Full Text (PDF) References Alert me when this article is cited Alert me if a correction is posted Services Email this article to a friend Similar articles in this journal Alert me to new issues of the journal Add to Saved Citations Download to citation manager Request Permissions Request Reprints Add to My Marked Citations Citing Articles Citing Articles via Google Scholar Google Scholar Articles by Firminger, K. B. Search for Related Content Social Bookmarking                   What's this?

Is He Boyfriend Material?

Representation of Males in Teenage Girls' Magazines

City University of New York

Teenage girls'magazines play an important role in shaping the norms of the millions of girls who read them. In this article, I examine, through the discursive analysis of two issues each of five different popular teenage girls' magazines (ten issues total), how males and male behavior are represented. Guided by the magazines, girls are " empowered" to be informed consumers of boys, who are written about as shallow, highly sexual, emotionally inexpressive, and insecure, but also as potential boyfriends, providing romance, intimacy, and love. Framed by fashion and beauty products in both the advertisement and magazine content, success in attracting the "right" boy and finding love is presented as a result of girls' self-regulation, personal responsibility, and good choices, with only their own lack of self-esteem and effort holding them back.

Key Words: adolescents • gender norms • consumption • magazines • content analysis

CiteULike    Connotea    Del.icio.us    Digg    Reddit    Technorati    What's this?