teen vogue

Teen Vogue: background reading

Read this Guardian feature from 2017 on Teen Vogue and answer the following questions.

1) What was the article that announced Teen Vogue as a more serious, political website – with 1.3m hits and counting?

"donald trump is gas-lighting America" - Lauren Duca

2) When was the original Teen Vogue magazine launched and what was its original content?

It was launched in 2004, Teen Vogue used to focus on the standard cocktail of fashion must-haves and celebrity worship.

3) How did editor Elaine Welteroth change Teen Vogue’s approach in 2015?

the team, including then beauty editor Welteroth, engineered a shift. That issue featured three unknown black models on the cover, seemingly breaking all the rules (that you should have a famous person; and that having no Caucasian faces on the cover is a commercial risk).

4) How many stories are published on Teen Vogue a day? What topics do they cover?

between 50 and 70 a day, they cover fashion, entertainment and current affairs.

5) What influence did digital director Phillip Picardi have over the editorial direction?

his influence was diversifying the backgrounds of the people in our newsroom.

6) What is Teen Vogue’s audience demographic and what does ‘woke’ refer to?

the demographic is 18-24 and woke means a slang term, as “a byword for social awareness.”

7) What issues are most important to Teen Vogue readers?

“Identity is big. We want to help make them feel better about themselves, whether that’s giving beauty tips, or empowering them with political information to have smarter conversations and feel they can stand up for themselves.” Career advice “is an evergreen topic”; above all, “young people are craving something real, craving authenticity”.

8) What does Tavi Gevinson suggest regarding the internet and ‘accountability culture’ with regards to modern audiences? Can you link this to our work on Clay Shirky?

 She believes the internet has created an “accountability culture”, where the relationship with readers is closer and more transparent, and says brands have had to respond to that. “It is in their best interest to subvert expectations of teen girl magazines,” Gevinson says. “The general response to Teen Vogue’s shift seems to be shock and praise, because they are a Condé publication whose main concern is making money. And being political and feminist are considered risky, PR-wise.”

9) What social and political issues have been covered successfully by Teen Vogue?

Dakota Access pipeline protests ,  Black Lives Matter movement, 

10) What do Teen Vogue readers think of the magazine and website?

teen vogue readers thoroughly enjoy reading the magazine where they see many of the topics they care about being expressed.

Homepage analysis

Go to the Teen Vogue homepage and answer the following:

1) What website key conventions can you find on the Teen Vogue homepage?

• Task/menu bar at the top of the homepage
• Consistent colour scheme throughout the homepage
• Most relevant/popular stories are at the top of the homepage

2) How does the page design encourage audience engagement?

Trending sections and a layout targeting younger audiences.

3) Where does advertising appear on the homepage?

It's clearly labelled as 'Sponsored'

4) What are the items in the top menu bar and what does this tell you about the content of Teen Vogue?

Their content is very widely ranged.

5) How far does the homepage scroll down? How many stories appear on the homepage in total?

Scrolls for a very long time.

Lifestyle section

Now analyse the Lifestyle section of Teen Vogue and answer the following:

1) What are the items in the top menu bar for the Lifestyle section?

The menu bar for the lifestyle section includes tech, campus life, careers, decorating ideas and food.

2) How is the Lifestyle section designed to encouragement audience engagement? Think about page design, images, text and more.

There are a lot of images relating to the text which could intrigue the audience and the style in which the articles are places are very formal and easy to engage with.

3) What do you notice about the way headlines are written in Teen Vogue?

The headlines are more about the reader and more based on the images shown. Furthermore the headlines also include sub headings which could catch the readers attention to read the article.

4) What does the focus on education, university and ‘campus life’ tell you about the Teen Vogue audience demographics and psychographics?

This tells me that the audience demographics are not just teens and are also people who are older studying in university etc. The demographic is widely diverse and it is based more around educated individuals

5) Choose three stories featured in the Lifestyle section – why do they fit the Teen Vogue brand?

Clean Up Your Beauty Routine In 4 Easy Steps

9 Holiday Decor Items Under $50 to Spruce Up Your Dorm for the Season

Priyanka Chopra and Nick Jonas's Wedding Weekend Welcomed Guests With an Elaborate Gift

Five key articles

Read the following five notable Teen Vogue features then answer the questions below for EACH feature.

Donald Trump Is Gaslighting America

The new face of teen activism 

Black Teens Have Been Fighting for Gun Reform for Years

Netflix and strong female leads 

How to Break Away From the Gender Binary

For each article:

Donald trump Is Gaslighting America.

1) Who is the writer and what is the article about?

The Writer is Lauren Duca and the article is about the impact of Donald Trump becoming the president and how he has impacted America as a country

2) How does the article use narrative to engage the reader? Try and apply narrative theory here if possible.

The article uses narrative to enhance Donald Trumps views and his manipulation and lies

3) Why is this article significant?

The article is significant as it is about politics and about Americas society right now presenting the truth and the consequences of Donald Trumps presidency

4) How does this article reflect the values and ideologies of the modern Teen Vogue?

The article appeals to all demographics of Teen Vogue readers as it focuses on politics which is seen as something that the readers need to be more awake and 'woke' about

How to break away from the gender binary.

1) Who is the writer and what is the article about?

Writer: Samantha Riedel

This article is about how gender should not be stated at birth as sex characteristics should not be associated with gender expression. Things like body shaming and using pronouns to describe gender should be subverted as a result as it is found that one in every hundred babies are said to be different from being classed as male or female.

2) How does the article use narrative to engage the reader? Try and apply narrative theory here if possible.

The article uses narrative through Todorov's theory as there is a disequilibrium set up about gender and the way people see this which disrupts the equilibrium.

3) Why is this article significant?

ng issues to do with gender and creating a new outlook towards it.

4) How does this article reflect the values and ideologies of the modern Teen Vogue?

This reflects the ideologies of modern teen vogue as it takes a new approach to gender which means that it is creating a voice for the 'z' generation and creating this movement so that it can be made easier. This is what teen vogue aim to create a platform as the editor describes for everyone so they feel part of society.

The New Face Of Teen Activism

1) Who is the writer and what is the article about?

The writer is Alexis Manrodt and the article is about social activism and the role of the internet and the media on the issue.

2) How does the article use narrative to engage the reader? Try and apply narrative theory here if possible.

It helps us understand that the goal of Teen Vogue is to create a better world for our generation.

3) Why is this article significant?

The significance of this article is that it is based on the future of the readership and how the internet can influence a lot of things.

4) How does this article reflect the values and ideologies of the modern Teen Vogue?

It reinforces how Teen Vogue is a 'woke' brand and influences change.

Black Teens Have Been Fighting For Gun Reforms For Years

1) Who is the writer and what is the article about?

The writer is Lincoln Anthony Blades and the article is about gun control and how teens have been fighting an ongoing battle for gun reform.

2) How does the article use narrative to engage the reader? Try and apply narrative theory here if possible.

The article talks about how students have would out of class, rallys and how they have been trying to fix this issue for a very long time. This can engage the reader as they can link it to the amount of mass shootings there have been in America.

3) Why is this article significant?

This is significant as there has been a lot of stories in the news about gun violence for example school shootings and how teenage voices can impact a change on this.

4) How does this article reflect the values and ideologies of the modern Teen Vogue?

Talks about how teenagers can stand up to this and create change. It also highlights issues and how people may be affected.

Netflix and Strong Female Leads

1) Who is the writer and what is the article about?

The writer is De Elizabeth and the article is about how Netflix has changed gender stereotypes and the way we view women.

2) How does the article use narrative to engage the reader? Try and apply narrative theory here if possible.

The article talks about general stereotypes of women and how media has changed this linking to the idea of feminism and the feminist movement.

3) Why is this article significant?

This article is significant as it could help raise awareness on how people view women as stereotypes could have a huge impact on someone and a community. Furthermore, stereotypes are usually invalid now as things are now changing due to society and changes in the world.

4) How does this article reflect the values and ideologies of the modern Teen Vogue?

It helps make young females feel strong and independent in their own skin empowering the to become something great.

Clay Shirky: End of audience blog tasks

Clay Shirky: End of audience blog tasks

Media Magazine reading

Media Magazine 55 has an overview of technology journalist Bill Thompson’s conference presentation on ‘What has the internet ever done for me?’ It’s an excellent summary of the internet’s brief history and its impact on society. Go to our Media Magazine archive, click on MM55 and scroll to page 13 to read the article ‘What has the internet ever done for me?’ Answer the following questions:

1) Looking over the article as a whole, what are some of the positive developments due to the internet highlighted by Bill Thompson?

"we could email and exchange files with people at other universities."

"I realised that we had access to a way to talk to hundreds of thousands of other computer users around the world."

"The network connects us to other people,it provides a great source of information, it can be used for campaigning and political action, to draw attention to abuses and fight for human rights."

"It’s a great place for gaming and education, which can also be used to make a lot of money (for a few people) as well as a place where you can meet your friends."

2) What are the negatives or dangers linked to the development of the internet?


"The network doesn’t care what the data means or how it is used"

"also makes it next to impossible to stop spam, abuse or the trading of images of child abuse."

"fraud, scams, ripoffs and malicious software are everywhere. Then there’s the dark web"

3) What does ‘open technology’ refer to? Do you agree with the idea of ‘open technology’?


The idea of ‘openness’ lies at the center of this debate: I believe that if we want an
open society based around principles of equality of opportunity, social justice and free
expression, we need to build it on technologies which are themselves ‘open’, and that this is the only way to encourage a diverse online culture that allows all voices to be heard.

I somewhat agree with open technology because of the freedom and flexibility it gives us, however I also believe it comes with its downsides such as; exchanging of data between two when the network itself is unaware, which can be used for the wrong reasons.

4) Bill Thompson outlines some of the challenges and questions for the future of the internet. What are they?


"The idea of ‘openness’ lies at the centre of this debate: I believe that if we want an
open society based around principles of equality of opportunity, social justice and free
expression, we need to build it on technologies which are themselves ‘open’, and that this is the only way to encourage a diverse online culture that allows all voices to be heard."


5) Where do you stand on the use and regulation of the internet? Should there be more control or more openness? Why?

I believe that the internet is open enough right now and believe no changes should be made to the internet, no more regulation is needed and no less is needed. In my eyes, I see it as the perfect balance between regulation and non-regulation. I think this because if the internet had complete openness then people would have access to things like child pornography or access to buy armed weapons like on the dark web. And I would not make it more regulated as it would severely restrict freedom online.

Clay Shirky: Here Comes Everybody

Clay Shirky’s book Here Comes Everybody charts the way social media and connectivity is changing the world. Read Chapter 3 of his book, ‘Everyone is a media outlet’, and answer the following questions:

1) How does Shirky define a ‘profession’ and why does it apply to the traditional newspaper industry?


A profession exists to solve a hard problem, one that re-
quires some sort of specialization. Driving a race car requires
special training-race car drivers are professionals. Journalists are specifically trained/educated to write newspapers and report etc.

2) What is the question facing the newspaper industry now the internet has created a “new ecosystem”?


The future presented by the internet is the mass amateurization of publishing and a switch from "Why publish this ?" to "Why not?"

3) Why did Trent Lott’s speech in 2002 become news?

Because Trent Lott is a politician in America who had some controversial views.4) What is ‘mass amateurisation’?

A big increase in self-published content on the internet.5) Shirky suggests that: “The same idea, published in dozens or hundreds of places, can have an amplifying effect that outweighs the verdict from the smaller number of professional outlets.” How can this be linked to the current media landscape and particularly ‘fake news’?

When the same idea is published over and over again it becomes a lot harder to spot fake news as the lines become blurred.6) What does Shirky suggest about the social effects of technological change? Does this mean we are currently in the midst of the internet “revolution” or “chaos” Shirky mentions?

Shirky suggests "social effects lag behind technological ones by decades"

"go through long periods of chaos in order for us to reach a revolution" suggests that we go through revolution.

7) Shirky says that “anyone can be a publisher… [and] anyone can be a journalist”. What does this mean and why is it important?

This means that anyone with access to the internet can publish their thoughts and opinions and can talk about their experiences.

8) What does Shirky suggest regarding the hundred years following the printing press revolution? Is there any evidence of this “intellectual and political chaos” in recent global events following the internet revolution?

Shirky says that after the printing press, some traditional jobs that became popular before the printing press became outdated, so anxiety came from individuals who worked in those employment because they feared their future, the same can be said about how newspapers and magazines responded to the web, e.g. over-exaggeration and web demonization.

9) Why is photography a good example of ‘mass amateurisation’?

Because anyone is able to take a picture and post it somewhere as cameras are virtually everywhere. Everyone has a phone.

10) What do you think of Shirky’s ideas on the ‘End of audience’? Is this era of ‘mass amateurisation’ a positive thing? Or are we in a period of “intellectual and political chaos” where things are more broken than fixed? 

I agree with shirky as everyone seems to want to produce and become creators. However I do not view this as a bad thing as we can get different artistic interpretations and I myself am one of these creators.

Mens Health Magazine

1) How does the magazine introduce itself?

The magazine presents itself and it's image by initially informing the potential advertisers concerning how Men's Health is the greatest, selling men's way of life magazine in the UK and around the world, which right away picks up the enthusiasm of sponsors possibly needing to work with Men's Health. 

By picking up this underlying consideration it at that point dives into what the magazine highlights with notice of what the promoters might need to publicize with "design, watches and travel".

2) What does the introduction suggest about the representation of masculinity in Men's Health?

The introduction of the magazine provides readers an impression that masculinity is about "visually engaging health," which is what individuals in contemporary times aspire to as it has become a man's perfect picture, while at the same time appealing to the female gaze. The introduction also mentions how the magazine features "dietary characteristics" that continue to attract demographic aspirants.

3) How do the print statistics for Men's Health compare to GQ and Esquire?

The media pack relates to how the magazine is the best in the company by comparing itself with its nearest rivals, both GQ and EQ, well-respected Men's lifestyle magazines. We see that the Men's Health magazine circulates around 180 K, while its nearest competitor was GQ with 117 K, which makes Men's Health attractive to prospective advertisers as they want to advance. The Media pack also mentions the number of men who read Men's health compared to GQ and EQ while also referring to the social class of these readers with most being of the high class of ABC1 with most being AB men. This is a major influencer for the potential advertisers as they will be able to recognise that the readership Men's Health possesses will be more likely to purchase products from a magazine for a high price due to having a disposable income. 

4) What is the difference between circulation and readership?

circulation is how many copies are sent out to be distributed, and readership is the amount of readers a publication has.

5) What is the circulation of Men's Health in thousands? What about the readership for ABC1 men? AB men?
Men's Health readership of the ABC1-Men class is 64 percent, while the AB-Men are 32 percent, showing potential advertisers the potential money they can make by appealing to the audience that could buy advertised products.6) How do readers generally interact with the digital version of the magazine?

The magazine reader who doesn't read the print magazine reads the digital magazine via digital devices like their smartphones, tablets and desktops. People read the magazine primarily from their smartphones because, owing to its accessibility and portability, it is the most affordable tool.

7) How many people do Men's Health reach across social media platforms?

Men's Health reaches individuals across many social media platforms such as Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram, while the most accessible media platform is Facebook, which provides advertisers with a manner to use the platform to encourage other businesses to operate that will assist more individuals view advertisements and make advertisers want to advertise with Men's  health.

8) What is the audience profile for Men's Health readers? 

The audience profile of Men's Health consist of:
905K are Abc1, Aged 25-44
700k Have a degree
200K Earn over 50K

9) What is the Men's Health fashion philosophy? How much do Men's Health readers collectively spend on fashion?

Men's Health readers collectively spend £1.1 billion on fashion a year. This is more than 3 times higher than its competitors. 

10) What is the average watch collection value for the Men's Health audience? What do the statistics about watches suggest about the Men's Health audience demographics and psychographics?  

Men'sHealthreaders'averagewatchcollectionhasavalueof£4,123.ThisrepresentsthefactthatmostreadersareinthedemographicABC1asitsuggeststhatthereadersinthisdemographicwouldhavesufficientdisposableincometoindulgeinluxuriessuchaswatches.Italsoindicatesthatthereadersbelongtothepsychographicgroupofthesuccessor.

11) What percentage of Men's Health readers use moisturiser daily? What does this suggest about Men's Health readers' view of masculinity?

73% of Men's Health readers use moisturisers on a daily basis, this suggests that the viewership of Men's Health have a very passive view of masculinity as it revolves around hygiene and luxury which can show that the typical view of a macho man is not the desired target audience for Men's Heath.

12) What does the media pack suggest regarding the Men's Health audience for fitness and technology?

Men's Health readers spend £ 238 m a year on sportswear (including swimwear and trainers) and 72 K has a wearable device that would make fitness businesses like FitBit see Men's Health magazine as a useful advertising magazine.13) Men's Health luxe is a series of magazines distributed with Men's Health targeting a specific aspect of the Men's Health audience. What are these three brand extension magazines called and what do they cover?

Brand extensions include: 
Urban Active - This focuses on the sportswear but from a fashionable point of view. This magazine showcases the sportswear that will improve your performance, as well as look good.
Synchronised - This edition focuses on watches in order to reach out to those who pride themselves on adding to their high-value watch collections

14) What do the Men's Health luxe magazines suggest about the demographics and psychographics of the Men's Health audience?

This would be readers in the ABC1 population high segment as they see themselves to be of a greater standard and class and therefore the luxury brand will assist them feel in this group, assisting them in the population aspirations and enabling high-class advertisers to advertise on the luxury magazine.15) What additional brand extensions do Men's Health offer?

• Survival of the Fittest - an adventure race series that occurs in the UK, with 4 nationwide events and approximately 15,000 people.
• Different product ranges - including premium food products that meet the dietary requirements of those aiming to improve their health and well-being (e.g. low-calorie foods and protein shakes)

16) What are the global statistics for Men's Health?

• International editions: 37
• Countries published: 60
• Global circulation: 4.5 million
• Global readership: 26.7
• Websites: 25
• Uniques: 23.7 million
• Social Media Footprint: 19.3 million

17) What does the 2017 calendar editorial specials suggest about the Men's Health audience?

The 2017 calendar suggests that the target audience for Men's Health are extremely focused and interested in developing and improving their urban lifestyles. It also seems to be planning to focus on working on no-gym lifestyles and them being replaced by 30-day programmes which would increase membership renewal as readers would like to every month's routine.

18) What audience pleasures are offered by the magazine?

• Personal identification - being able to see your interests and personality reflected in the content of the articles.
• Surveillance - learning new things about lifestyle/healthy eating etc
• Self Identification- Readers will see their lifestyle int he magazine as the targeted audience will have stories that may revolve around them. 

19) What lifestyle and job would you expect the average Men's Health reader to have?

ABC1 - typically a high ranked, professional job (e.g. a manager etc).

20) Why do you think Men's Health has managed to remain profitable when many other magazines have struggled due to the rise of digital media?

I think Men's Health has been effective because of its direct advertising and its broad support of celebrity endorsements that make readers want to reach the celebrity body to potentially aspire to their lifestyle. Adding to direct advertising enables a successful advertising campaign to keep businesses interested in advertising with Men's Health.