1. Emily Morone
literature review
Introduction:
When a gender identity is shaped, it is crucial to identify the influences that assist in the process,
particularly the influence of the media’s reinforced conventional values in regard to masculinity and
femininity. The following is an overview of numerous sources seeking to identify the significant role the
meanings within teenage magazines play during the development of young girls’ social heterosexual
gendered identities. Also, to explore how girls use and understand these meanings to ultimately become
gendered adult women. Girls are the focus of this paper because, “currently trends indicate that girls are
becoming more avid media consumers than boys […] because girls are more negatively impacted by
cultural attitudes about sex than boys” (Durham, 2007, p. 30). In the examined information, there was a
recurring definition of feminine attractiveness and the sources collectively stressed the level of
importance feminine external beauty is to the young girl reader regarding male-female relationships.
Examining the overall content of teen magazines:
First and foremost, because “teen magazines may play an important role in teaching young girls
in our society the rules of femininity” the content of the magazines is most important to evaluate (Labre &
Walsh-Childers, 2003, p. 381). What messages are being repeated, how are these messages being repeated
and what meanings are being internalized by the readers. In the article Friendly Advice? Beauty Messages
in Websites of Teenage Magazines, Labre and Walsh-Childers’ seek to answer the same questions.
Several websites created by popular teenage girl magazines were reviewed. Using a qualitative
media analysis method, the goal was to revile patterns, emphasis, and common themes to understand the
organization of information and how it is presented on the websites’ page. Labre & Walsh-Childers
considered the gender polarized society that the girl readers are a part of; suggesting our entire social life
is structured around the social distinction between men and women: boys play with boys, girls play with
girls. “This internalized lens helps children become conventionally gendered and sex typed because

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children learn to evaluate different ways of behaving in terms of their cultural appropriateness and to
reject any way of behaving that does not match their sex” (Labre & Walsh-Childers, 2003, p. 381). This
observation can be compared to the Social Learning theory developed by Bandura and Walters; the claim
that individuals “learn to be masculine and feminine primarily by imitating others and getting responses
from others to their behaviors” (Wood, p.48). One of the major messages teenage magazines are
reinforcing on it’s readers are the suitable behaviors that are socially expected according to biological sex;
which helps explain how the girls are creating their own understanding of the magazine’s messages.
It is important to note that sex and gender are two separate concepts. Sex is “a designation based
on biology” and that aspect alone; whereas gender is “socially constructed and expressed,” like in a
magazine (Wood, p. 20). Gender is what we create. “It [gender] is defined by society and expressed by
individuals as they interact with others and media in their society” (Wood, p.23). However, in society sex
and gender are considered to be synonyms. Without a clear distinction between what we are born with
and what we can create, there will be no recognition of the differences in the media; which creates a
hierarchy for the heterosexual messages.
Underlying meanings:
The meaning of a message is created by an encoding process. From When in Doubt Choose “B”,
Pattee’s overall goal was to use Hall’s model of communication to examine the encoding and decoding of
the messages found in the quizzes that are published teen magazines; because quizzes are found at the end
of almost every teen magazine and promotes a high value on heterosexual relationships this topic could
not be over looked. Pattee’s objective is to examine the “femininity encoded in the texts, to examine the
meanings readers make from the texts” (Pattee, p. 194). I consider the underlying feminine messages in
magazines to be somewhat hidden and to play a huge role in girls’ overall understanding of gender
scripts.

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Pattee begins by personally categorizing each quiz and then comparing their structures to
psychological assessment tests. Next, a group of college students recorded raw thematic descriptions of
the quizzes that Pattee then used to generate single statements that portrayed the reoccurring themes
found within the quizzes. The themes are the interest points for the topic of gender identity influences:
“(1) appearance and beauty, (2) behavior and guidance for those in romantic relationships, (3) behavior
and guidance for those contemplating romantic relationships, and (4) general discussions of personality”
(Pattee, p. 200). The quizzes all insisted it was possible to define the readers as a type of a person;
implying that every reader could accurately fit into four or five gender based categories and would benefit
by taking the quizzes’ advice. The underlying message understood from these quizzes was simply “you’re
not ok as you are” and that there will always be room for improvement (p. 201). The four categories were
created from seven quizzes, analyzing more quizzes may offer more categories to study and a better
understanding of the quizzes overall purposes. However, her research supplied the influence of
heterosexual dominance displayed in teen magazines based on the four themes that were generated.
Sexual limitations:
I wish to acknowledge the profound sexual paradoxes found in teenage girl magazines. Not only
are these messages contradicting, but they’re also confusing. Durham argues, “Sexual double standards
still exist by which girls face condemnation and punishment for sexual activity while boys are being
celebrated for the same behaviors” (Durham, 2007, p. 3). Obviously, this is known knowledge for anyone
who is even vaguely familiar with this topic, but can sexual identity be influenced by the media’s double
standard messages? It cannot be ignored that “pop culture and mass communication are significant
sources of their [girls’] sexual information and cultural codes;” because the media is such a strong model
of conventional social scripts, the media plays the biggest role in a teenage girl’s sexual life and
experiences (Durham, 2007, p. 3).

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Durham borrows Roland Barthes’ term “myth” to define the social beliefs that are not proven to
be true but are reinforced at such a high degree that they are internalized and believed; if a popular
teenage girl magazine says all boys like blondes enough, eventually the magazine’s followers will be
believers. “Myths are expressed in a wide variety of ways, through these multifarious ‘speech’ acts,”
speech refers to verbal and visual artifacts” (Durham, 2007, p.5). The myths that are being generated by
the teen magazines are often recoded and changed to reappear again as new messages; even though the
same messages are repeated over and over. Often these messages are being internalized at a very young
age, “because of the media […] all girls live in one big town […] with puberty girls face enormous
pressure to be fake […] thus, it becomes important to examine the ways in which the media
construct and inscribe ideologies of adolescent female sexuality in order to understand the
impacts of such inscriptions and to identify strategies for resistance” (Durham, 2007, p. 5).
Because these messages are becoming “myths” so early in the girls’ lives, it seems almost impossible to
surpass them; when there seems to be no alternative options regarding sexual expression or outward
appearance. Adams, et al. also used the term myth “Enormously popular and highly successful, women’s
magazines represent the largest segment of the U.S. consumer magazine industry […] readers encounter
and then may imitate cultural myths of identity” (p. 59). This statement provides evidence that the cultural
identity myths are a concern to researchers.
Durham’s method is to examine the myths of female sexual behaviors exhibited in the magazine
Seventeen and provide examples of how these socially accepted standards are inaccurate in their portrayal
of real-life girls. Durham examined all issues published in 2006 to identify a few consecutive myths
regarding the representations of female sexuality. Note that the majority of girls that are portrayed in this
magazine are white, and are a part of the upper to middle social class. Even with these diversity
handicaps, the author explains the reoccurring myths and how the myths support traditional views of
sexuality that interfere with the real girl reader’s ability to accurately express her gender identity and
sexuality.

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A significant myth that was listed is the notion of sexuality being a function of body hierarchies.
All of the photographs that were examined conveyed a very similar message, “sexuality [is] visually
yoked to particular body dimensions: that of the slender, long-legged, full-breasted girl” and, “’sexiness’
was the province of the conventionally slim yet voluptuous [girl]” (Durham, 2007, p. 9). Being slim and
voluptuous at the same time is contradicting; this message is another reoccurring paradox that is tossed
around so delicately amongst the pages of teenage magazines.
The next two myths narrow the spectrum of female sexuality, they are: “sexuality as a spectacle”
and the “idea that sexuality is defined by the hetero male gaze” (p. 11). Durham found a correlation
between the headlines of Seventeen magazine and the desirability that was asserted from the pages. Also,
when the magazine did a featured story with interviews of young men describing their ideal girl, the “men
described the ideal girl in terms of sexuality, many of which focused on body display”; which can also be
used to demonstrate the dominant heterosexual messages in Seventeen and how sexuality is defined by the
heterosexual male (Durham, 2007, p. 11).
Sex & sexual relationships:
Adams, Garner and Sterk, examined what messages from teen magazines were given to young
women about social and cultural norms of heterosexual sex and sexual relationships. “For teenage girls, it
could be argued that magazines are one of the most accessible, inexpensive, and readily available media
for information about sexuality” (p.60). For this reason, five different magazine distributors, print dates
ranging from 1970’s-2000’s, were surveyed for sex advice; 175 articles were found and examined.
Adams, et al., first evaluated the messages to create a base by using Bormann’s Symbolic
Convergence theory. The theory implies that “mediated messages symbolically reflect and shape attitudes
and values;” concerning the magazines, “narratives act symbolically to create meaning for those who live,
create or interpret them” (p. 62). The individual meanings of messages that create shared reality were
called Dynamic Narratives. Like Durham (2007), the use of “myth” can also be described as a narrative.

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“Narrative can shape what people see as possible, even as real, if it is attractive enough and repeated
enough” (p. 62). With using the concept of a narrative, the terms setting, characters, and actions were all
terms used to analyze the articles.
Within the magazine articles, the topics seemed to be recycled year after year; and the “…articles
and columns for younger and older teens rarely addressed the teen’s own sexual needs and concerns” (p.
69). Instead, the dominance of heterosexual male-female relationships were amplified. The magazines
almost always offered relationship advice that fixed the girls if there was a problem within a heterosexual
relationship. The girl representation in the magazine needed to reevaluate herself and after that she could
then coach her male partner in helping him solve his own problems. Like Pattee’s quiz analysis, girls are
never ok the way they are and it can be implied that girls are considered to be the root of any internal
problem that heterosexual couples can face, because “… the advice columns overtly guided young
women to accept men as they were” (p. 68). Overall, men or “guys” were characterized as “users and
controllers within the community [magazine],” whereas “women or “girls” were characterized as
negotiators of their own use” (p. 65). I do not wish to use this information to solely demonstrate the
dominance men have over women. Instead, I hope the information demonstrates the dominant
heterosexual messages that are conveyed in the magazines’ articles, “other than brief mentions […] we
found no representations that homosexuality can be appropriate expression of sexuality […] the absence
can be seen as very limiting or isolating to young women with these interests” (p. 73). With this in mind,
there is no question that girls’ feel the need to be heterosexual and openly desirable to men because the
precise engraved message that is being carried across the media.
Final mentions:
Also, when searching for “ways to attract men”, a quick guideline meant for teenage girls was
discovered. Lussiner explains that when girls wish to speak with their crushes they should “research his
likes and dislikes so you can be knowledgeable in the subjects he is interested in” (2006). This act

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discredited girls’ interests socially and sexuality because of the male heterosexual dominance of our
society. Also, I examined the Seventeen magazine website during the month of October 2010, and studied
the drop down menus with typical titles such as: Beauty, Celebrities, Love life, and Health; I chose to
preview the College Life tab. The menu was as follows: Hairstyles for School, College Match Quiz, Cute
College Boys and Boyfriend Quiz. The Seventeen magazine website insisted that 50% of college concerns
should/will be boys/men and 25% of college concerns should be associated with feminine beauty. These
messages direct the readers to the potential heterosexual relationships.
Also, a brief touch on the heterosexual idols young girls idolize, such as Brittney Spears, “Flaunt
your sexuality, even if you don’t understand it. And that’s the message that matters most; because
Britney’s most loyal fans are teenage girls” (Durham, 2005, p. 5). This quote is important because it
demonstrates the iconic influences that are being printed in the pages of teen magazines alongside the
other pictures and fictional stories.
Conclusion:
Within the pages of teenage magazines, “sexuality [is] conceptualized in terms of attracting male
attention;” this is the same struggle girls’ have with deciphering their sex between their genders (Durham,
2007, p. 12), because the “teen magazines’ columns, stories, and features on sex and heterosexual
relationships present a simple, clear rhetorical vision: The sexual community belongs to men, and women
survive by containing themselves and by adapting and subjugating themselves to male desires” (Adams,
et al. 72-73). These gender struggles are not publicized on the pages of Seventeen; nor are they a headline,
but perhaps they became a hot new topic- what would the reactions be. How would this topic alter current
ideologies and perceptions, what if a quiz was called “what gender are you?” instead of, “what kind of
girl are you”; and what if a study regarding the heterosexual dominance was conducted amongst multiple
races, classes and ages?

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The gaps found in my research were primarily caused by the missing diversity amongst the girls’
races. Also, there were no direct studies of the heterosexual dominance that was found regarding the girls’
thoughts and feelings; only scholarly analysis concerning magazine overall content. For these reasons I
would like to propose the following research questions:
RQ 1: Do teenage non-Caucasian girls identify with traditional heterosexual messages differently from
those who are Caucasian?
RQ 2: Do these girls feel differently about heterosexual messages based on race?
RQ 3: Can teenage girls of all races recognize the heterosexual dominant influence that is presented in
teen magazines?

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References:
Adams, S., Garner, A. & Sterk, H. (2006). Narrative analysis of sexual etiquette in teenage
magazines. Journal of Communication, 48 (4), 59-
Durham, M. (2004). Adolescent girls and the homospectatorial gaze: queering teen pop culture.
Conference Papers (2-15). International Communication Association.
Durham, M. (2007). Sex and spectacle in Seventeen magazine: A feminist myth analysis.
Conference Papers (3-25). International Communication Association.
Labre, M. & Walsh-Childers, K. (2003). Friendly advice? beauty messages in websites of
teenage magazines. Mass Communication & Society, 6 (4), 379-396.
Pattee, A. (2009). When in doubt, choose “b”: encoding teenage girls’ magazine quizzes.
Feminist Media Studies, 9 (2), 193-204.
Lussiner, N. (2006, June 9). Ways to attract a teenage guy. Retrieved from
http://worldvillage.com/ways-to-attract-a-teenage-guy
Wood, J. (2007). Gendered Lives: Communication, Gender, and Culture (8th Ed.), Belmont, CA:
Thomson/Wadsworth.