Urban Outfitters? Oh, the irony. Perhaps Ms. Welteroth is not as "woke" as she thinks.
2
Perhaps I missed it but I don't believe this story mentions the how-to guide for anal sex published by Teen Vogue. The editor reportedly had redo the piece to work in a mention of condoms. Then there was the totally inappropriate "what to get a friend after an abortion" piece. Teen Vogue, like Cosmo and other women's magazines, has been co-opted by the pro-abortion, population control lobby.
8
"pro-abortion, population control lobby" = code words for the alt right.
Here's the reality - young women are choosing to engage in anal sex and/or are being pressured to do so by their male partners, all most likely in response to the ubiquitous presence of porn. I prefer that those young women get some frank information about how and how not to do it in order to be safe and make their own smart choices. I venture that you prefer that those women get a lecture about abstinence and saving one's self for marriage. Very helpful indeed.
Here's the reality - young women are choosing to engage in anal sex and/or are being pressured to do so by their male partners, all most likely in response to the ubiquitous presence of porn. I prefer that those young women get some frank information about how and how not to do it in order to be safe and make their own smart choices. I venture that you prefer that those women get a lecture about abstinence and saving one's self for marriage. Very helpful indeed.
5
Thank goodness. It's so much better than being co-opted by the pro-state-sponsored religion lobby.
3
Bad sign: when your culture is so empathy-deficient that even a normal, healthy, kind amount of empathy is called "hyperempathetic."
16
Loved your article! As a black female journalist in the current political climate I appreciate reading content such as this which highlights the success of female journalists. One thing I noticed is a spelling errror of Ta-Nehisi Coates' name in your article. Other than that, beautifully written!
4
I signed up for the daily email and will make my own decision.
Teen Vogue is so good, so woke, it hurts. In my late thirties, I have my first ever subscription. Buy one, read one, leave it where young people will get a chance to see it.
3
One of my son's high school classmates friended me on Facebook. She often likes Teen Vogue stories and that is how I was reintroduced to the magazine this past year - I have been blown away - so needed, so relevant, a breath of fresh air.
Thank you Elaine Welterhoth for your vision and your persistence. You are doing a fantastic job and I can't wait to see what is next.
Thank you Elaine Welterhoth for your vision and your persistence. You are doing a fantastic job and I can't wait to see what is next.
8
Empathy is a very rare thing. The author credits the hypersensitive for a virtue they do not possess. The narcissistic selfie generation is only interested in one thing--it ain't the feelings of others.
8
As someone who only now in her 20s subscribes to the NYT and other publications just to keep up with the news, I wish there was an introduction to politics and culture like this when I was younger. I remember when articles like 'How to Get Your Boyfirend to Like You' and others got so frustrating that I turned to magazines geared towards older women, and eventually stopped reading them at all. Kudos to Welteroth for encouraging a breadth of opinion in girls and young women, we'll sorely need their activism in the future!
7
I think the effort in Teen Vogue to engage young women in politics is terrific and would like to see more of it. Watch Lauren Duca's interview by Tucker Carlson. I was very impressed by Ms. Duca, who I hope will not stick with just stories about boots, and I hope Teen Vogue will continue with the effort.
4
Whatever for the haters. Teen Vogue is a revelation!! I am thrilled my daughter will have it to grow on. Go go go, Elaine Welteroth!
11
A contrived cultural product with no real meaning.
13
Big mistake. All the fashion magazines are now getting into news and pithy subjects, of which we hear ad nauseam everywhere. That is why I cancelled my subscriptions.
5
Teen Vogue, a couple of months ago, published a "how to" for teens instructing them on anal intercourse. I read it, and was properly horrified. Many people, including me, are appalled at the sexualization of young girls. This magazine encourages it, and relayed how to have anal intercourse without describing any of the potential downsides of it.
I'm sure many parents of teens reading this magazine are entirely unaware of what is in it. Parents and grandparents should read the magazine before giving it to young people to read.
The NYT should have reported on the controversy surrounding this magazine, as well as its highlights.
I'm sure many parents of teens reading this magazine are entirely unaware of what is in it. Parents and grandparents should read the magazine before giving it to young people to read.
The NYT should have reported on the controversy surrounding this magazine, as well as its highlights.
17
I recently had one of these sent to me, I am assuming because I have a teen and subscribe to other magazines. I was so impressed by the layout and the content that raised awareness on numerous topics. I am 39 years old but shoot I would devour this magazine. Gone are the days of just filler and makeup tips. I like the consciousness of it all and when I was done with it I had no problem passing it on to my daughter.
11
Seriously? a fawning article about Teen Vogue...written by an associate editor...at Teen Vogue?
This is shameless self-promotion and advertising, not journalism.
This is shameless self-promotion and advertising, not journalism.
15
The writer is an associate editor at the New York Times magazine.
7
No, Ms Hughes is an associate editor at the New York Times Magazine, not Teen Vogue. Perfectly appropriate for her to author this piece. When the credits refer to 'the magazine', they are talking about the Times.
18
If you're referring to the statement at the end that the article's author, Jazmine Hughes, "is an associate editor at the magazine", it means the author is writing for The New York Times Magazine, not for Teen Vogue.
16
Reading this article, I couldn't help but think of that disastrous Pepsi ad starring Kendall Jenner as a cola-wielding activist. The argument here is not so much that folks can be interested in both fashion and politics, but that politics can be commodified, packaged and sold as just another fashion accessory meant to signal how "cool" the wearer is. So, Teen Vogue’s "manifesto" cites a talent agent who urges that "it’s in a starlet’s best interest to have ‘a passion or point of view.’" - as if political issues were no different than the latest footwear.
Of course, the superficial rebranding of politics works best if the issue being co-opted is cool: e.g., gender politics, body positivity, sexual identity, BLM. Do the pages of Teen Vogue pay as much attention to labor politics (particularly relating to garment workers), class inequalities or poverty (who can afford "seasonable" fashion?)?
If this marriage of fashion and politics is to be a loving one, the industry must do more and better than imagine and sell politics as the latest trend.
Of course, the superficial rebranding of politics works best if the issue being co-opted is cool: e.g., gender politics, body positivity, sexual identity, BLM. Do the pages of Teen Vogue pay as much attention to labor politics (particularly relating to garment workers), class inequalities or poverty (who can afford "seasonable" fashion?)?
If this marriage of fashion and politics is to be a loving one, the industry must do more and better than imagine and sell politics as the latest trend.
27
Exactly.
I am in my forties but this is one of the few magazines I follow on social media. Slipped in between articles on makeup and pop culture are a consistently clear, mature analysis and voice concerning difficult issues many "grown up" magazines waffle on. So yay to Teen Vogue. They give me hope for the future.
8
Hyper-empathetic? Huh? Where? How can people be empathetic when they are buried in a device that removes them their surroundings and as such the people right there, next to them. Sitting there also burrowed-in, suffering and fighting thru their existence.
Or those right next to them living large and not feeling the need to vomit up their every move. Who dont need followers, and hits and positive swipes to feel good about themselves.
Empathetic is the last thing I'd call these new gens. Overly sensitive, too easily offended and lacking in a deep and rich sense of humor, yes! Fixated by fantasy TV, dragons and video games, and not reality based endeavors, yes!
And whats Vogue going to be selling to help these kids? Fashion! Again! Fashion is the emotional fix for far too many Americans. Go buy something expensive, or put on labels and be "other" then who you dont yet know who you are. Go get a personality off a rack and shelf.
In other words put on a uniform to gain identity. Let what you wear decide who you are, not the other way around. And god forbid you don't care about clothes for anything but their utilitarian uses. If so you're not getting it! You are now an other.
If the mag aint breaking down the Norms that keep girls down, its not changing at all. If its not telling them that they are immediately undervalued, talked over, etc. Its a fail.
If it might mention the need to speak up, getting more space will be to make sure your'e wearing the right outfit!
Or those right next to them living large and not feeling the need to vomit up their every move. Who dont need followers, and hits and positive swipes to feel good about themselves.
Empathetic is the last thing I'd call these new gens. Overly sensitive, too easily offended and lacking in a deep and rich sense of humor, yes! Fixated by fantasy TV, dragons and video games, and not reality based endeavors, yes!
And whats Vogue going to be selling to help these kids? Fashion! Again! Fashion is the emotional fix for far too many Americans. Go buy something expensive, or put on labels and be "other" then who you dont yet know who you are. Go get a personality off a rack and shelf.
In other words put on a uniform to gain identity. Let what you wear decide who you are, not the other way around. And god forbid you don't care about clothes for anything but their utilitarian uses. If so you're not getting it! You are now an other.
If the mag aint breaking down the Norms that keep girls down, its not changing at all. If its not telling them that they are immediately undervalued, talked over, etc. Its a fail.
If it might mention the need to speak up, getting more space will be to make sure your'e wearing the right outfit!
9
Though the magazines I loved as a teenager -- Seventeen, Glamor, Mademoiselle (my favorite!) -- did show fashion and make up, they also published FICTION and POETRY. They had yearly contests to pick "college editorial interns" (think Sylvia Plath!).
They encouraged girls to sew their own clothes -- yes, in the 1960s people still SEWED -- and to buy/alter vintage clothing for a unique look. The early 70s had a big push for "natural" or no make-up hippie looks. Most girls then wore their hair loose and free -- however your hair was naturally! if it was straight fine, but you didn't iron it or blow it out -- if it was curly, fine. Black girls wore afros or cut their hair in a very short scull cap.
There was much less of an influence from Hollywood, beyond some movie reviews -- most models were just models. I don't remember ANY actresses on such magazine covers! And frankly, there wasn't much on dieting beyond "eat healthy and exercise".
The truth is, magazines pre-1980 were pretty cool already -- it was in the 80s-90s, they got horribly commercialized, and pandered to advertisers -- the quality of the writers and editors declined horribly -- they got rid of things like fiction or nurturing young editors. The angle of both stories and ads became very fixated on celebrities, rather than ordinary girls or even models.
While a change would be nice...this article does not recognize that so much of this (fashion, makeup, even politics) has moved to the internet.
They encouraged girls to sew their own clothes -- yes, in the 1960s people still SEWED -- and to buy/alter vintage clothing for a unique look. The early 70s had a big push for "natural" or no make-up hippie looks. Most girls then wore their hair loose and free -- however your hair was naturally! if it was straight fine, but you didn't iron it or blow it out -- if it was curly, fine. Black girls wore afros or cut their hair in a very short scull cap.
There was much less of an influence from Hollywood, beyond some movie reviews -- most models were just models. I don't remember ANY actresses on such magazine covers! And frankly, there wasn't much on dieting beyond "eat healthy and exercise".
The truth is, magazines pre-1980 were pretty cool already -- it was in the 80s-90s, they got horribly commercialized, and pandered to advertisers -- the quality of the writers and editors declined horribly -- they got rid of things like fiction or nurturing young editors. The angle of both stories and ads became very fixated on celebrities, rather than ordinary girls or even models.
While a change would be nice...this article does not recognize that so much of this (fashion, makeup, even politics) has moved to the internet.
4
I'm way too old for TEEN VOGUE but I read a recent issue while eating in Whole Foods and was stunned! So smart, intelligent, enlightened.
Most magazines and media treat teenage girls like idiots. What Welteroth is doing with the magazine is revolutionary and a Godsend to young girls. How I wish there had been something like it when I was in junior high & high school - back when teen mags were all about how to be as stupidly conforming as possible because that was the only way to be "okay."
I wish someone would push Anna Wintour out at VOGUE and put someone this revolutionary in the editors chair at VOGUE, which is dull and completely consumerist in comparison to what's going on at TEEN VOGUE. Wintour has overstayed her very long welcome.
Most magazines and media treat teenage girls like idiots. What Welteroth is doing with the magazine is revolutionary and a Godsend to young girls. How I wish there had been something like it when I was in junior high & high school - back when teen mags were all about how to be as stupidly conforming as possible because that was the only way to be "okay."
I wish someone would push Anna Wintour out at VOGUE and put someone this revolutionary in the editors chair at VOGUE, which is dull and completely consumerist in comparison to what's going on at TEEN VOGUE. Wintour has overstayed her very long welcome.
27
Except this isn't new at all. It's very very old. Doesn't anyone but me remember "Sassy"? or "Jane"?
Those were both edgy, political and left-wing teen magazines of the 90s, and they both tanked in a short time (though often fondly remembered).
Advertisers are not really looking for edgy left wing politics, but for a good place to hawk makeup, clothes, shoes, etc.
Also, I am 61 and I remember the magazines I read growing up -- Mademoiselle, Glamor and Vogue....Ms. and others -- as being pretty edgy for their time. They published poetry and short stories! They had guest editorships for female college students. It was not all diet articles or "how to conform" at all.
It started going downhill, I think, in the 1980s -- well, that's how it seemed to me when my daughters reached the age of wanting to read such stuff. It was a far cry from the blend of literature and fashion I remembered from 20+ year earlier! The advertisers had taken over, and were driving the editorial work...the quality of the editing had declined alarmingly.
While I'd like to see more intellectual magazines for young women (and men!)....honestly, so much of this (fashion, trends, makeup) has moved onto the internet. My granddaughters get their fashion tips from watching YouTube videos. They are not much for reading, and show no interest in magazines or books.
Those were both edgy, political and left-wing teen magazines of the 90s, and they both tanked in a short time (though often fondly remembered).
Advertisers are not really looking for edgy left wing politics, but for a good place to hawk makeup, clothes, shoes, etc.
Also, I am 61 and I remember the magazines I read growing up -- Mademoiselle, Glamor and Vogue....Ms. and others -- as being pretty edgy for their time. They published poetry and short stories! They had guest editorships for female college students. It was not all diet articles or "how to conform" at all.
It started going downhill, I think, in the 1980s -- well, that's how it seemed to me when my daughters reached the age of wanting to read such stuff. It was a far cry from the blend of literature and fashion I remembered from 20+ year earlier! The advertisers had taken over, and were driving the editorial work...the quality of the editing had declined alarmingly.
While I'd like to see more intellectual magazines for young women (and men!)....honestly, so much of this (fashion, trends, makeup) has moved onto the internet. My granddaughters get their fashion tips from watching YouTube videos. They are not much for reading, and show no interest in magazines or books.
17
Elaine Welteroth is a black women, and finally, women of color (and white women) can read nuanced stories about race, class, and gender in a mainstream magazine. This is new.
6
This version definitely has a new spin - a non-white woman is editing the magazine. That is a big deal in women's magazines.
7
I'm a 71 year old woman and I am sick to death of getting Teen Vogue pushed into my emails daily. I am not interested in fashion let alone teen fashion. I am uninterested in whatever interests teens. That's my prerogative.
I have tried so hard to unsubscribe so many times. So many times! Yet those emails keep on coming.
I do not care for, I hate, I resent Teen Vogue.
Somebody out there tell me how to stop the barrage?
I have tried so hard to unsubscribe so many times. So many times! Yet those emails keep on coming.
I do not care for, I hate, I resent Teen Vogue.
Somebody out there tell me how to stop the barrage?
11
And perhaps you could tell us why we should care about your petty problems?
3
I think perhaps your problem is not Teen Vogue.
4
I am not sure that complaining in the NYT comment section is a good first step to stopping the barrage, if indeed that is your aim.
3
I'm ancient but I'll check it out. If your so old and set in your ways you can't learn from the young then you probably aren't getting the most out of life.
11
Brava! I am 65 years old and how I wish I was younger - I just may buy the magazine! Would that she could have run Seventeen during my youth! Ms. Welteroth you have already impacted the world! I deeply appreciate your vision - do not compromise. Enhancing the bodies we are born with will always be a priority (even for men!) so I think the platform you are working within is absolutely one of the most powerful venues on behalf of the soon-to-be women who hold the hope of our planetary future! Thank you for not taking no for any answer!
21
Victoria Simpson in Seattle! Brava! I was just about to post nearly the exact same response regarding this magazine. All I can say is "what you said". Yay Ms. Welteroth!
4
Thoreau ("Walden", 1854):
"We worship not the Graces… but Fashion. The head monkey at Paris puts on a traveler’s cap, and all the monkeys in America do the same." This taste for ‘new patterns' is childish, Thoreau writes. "The manufacturers have learned that this taste is merely whimsical. Of two patterns which differ only by a few threads more or less of a particular colour, the one will be sold readily, the other lie on the shelf, though it frequently happens that after the lapse of a season the latter becomes the most fashionable....the principal object of the factory system ‘is not that mankind may be well and honestly clad but, unquestionably, that the corporations may be enriched."
One-hundred-sixty-year later, NOTHING has changed.
"We worship not the Graces… but Fashion. The head monkey at Paris puts on a traveler’s cap, and all the monkeys in America do the same." This taste for ‘new patterns' is childish, Thoreau writes. "The manufacturers have learned that this taste is merely whimsical. Of two patterns which differ only by a few threads more or less of a particular colour, the one will be sold readily, the other lie on the shelf, though it frequently happens that after the lapse of a season the latter becomes the most fashionable....the principal object of the factory system ‘is not that mankind may be well and honestly clad but, unquestionably, that the corporations may be enriched."
One-hundred-sixty-year later, NOTHING has changed.
24
Here's a small list of recent articles for your young daughter from Teen Vogue, giving state-controlled propaganda machine "Pravda" a run for their money:
"Donald Trump is Gaslighting America" - an article encouraging your darling to hate anything Trump, as the idea of presenting facts and allowing her to make up her own mind, politically speaking, is just "way hard" and unnecessary.
"A Guide to Anal Sex" - don't know what to say about this, though the fictional "Anne of Green Gables" might have said "yuck", certainly practical info for your sexually creative and curious youngster.
"The Israeli-Palestinian Conflict: What You Need to Know" and all your innocent child has to know, according to the article, is that "single state solution" people are "extremists", Palestinians are good; America, Netanyahu and his supporters are bad, and any deviations from this ideology will make you very uncool indeed.
I guess articles about prom dresses, first kisses and pop singers just don't cut it anymore for our children, who Teen Vogue has decided are not sufficiently confused enough.
"Donald Trump is Gaslighting America" - an article encouraging your darling to hate anything Trump, as the idea of presenting facts and allowing her to make up her own mind, politically speaking, is just "way hard" and unnecessary.
"A Guide to Anal Sex" - don't know what to say about this, though the fictional "Anne of Green Gables" might have said "yuck", certainly practical info for your sexually creative and curious youngster.
"The Israeli-Palestinian Conflict: What You Need to Know" and all your innocent child has to know, according to the article, is that "single state solution" people are "extremists", Palestinians are good; America, Netanyahu and his supporters are bad, and any deviations from this ideology will make you very uncool indeed.
I guess articles about prom dresses, first kisses and pop singers just don't cut it anymore for our children, who Teen Vogue has decided are not sufficiently confused enough.
31
Teen Vogue is not meant for Trumpsters.
4
Thanks for mentioning that; it seems the new angle for Teen Vogue is hard left politics. This is less about empowering young women, then proselytizing or lecturing to them. That's not what most girls seek in a magazine!
None of this is even acknowledging how "dead" magazines are anyways. I don't subscribe to a single magazine today -- I read what I want online. The teens I know (my grandkids) get their fashion tips and makeup videos from YouTube. The very idea of "magazines" is kinda alien to them. (If they get politics, it is from Facebook!)
While I have not read recent copies of Teen Vogue, if the articles are simply "anti-Trump" or "pro-Hillary" -- if they are totally politicized -- they will exclude (not convert) millions of girls who live in Red States, as well as those who just don't care or want to read political screeds.
And a lot of parents will not be thrilled to see their 12 and 13 year olds reading articles on "A Guide to Anal Sex". That will end some subscriptions pretty darn fast.
I didn't know about the Israeli-Palestinian article, but that is disturbing. It underscores how biased Teen Vogue apparently is -- a lefty publication wrapped in the cloak of teen fashions? How about all the young Jewish girls who might want to read or subscribe?
Again, if I were a parent -- here, a Jewish parent -- and saw that article -- I'd rip the magazine up and it would never enter my home again.
None of this is even acknowledging how "dead" magazines are anyways. I don't subscribe to a single magazine today -- I read what I want online. The teens I know (my grandkids) get their fashion tips and makeup videos from YouTube. The very idea of "magazines" is kinda alien to them. (If they get politics, it is from Facebook!)
While I have not read recent copies of Teen Vogue, if the articles are simply "anti-Trump" or "pro-Hillary" -- if they are totally politicized -- they will exclude (not convert) millions of girls who live in Red States, as well as those who just don't care or want to read political screeds.
And a lot of parents will not be thrilled to see their 12 and 13 year olds reading articles on "A Guide to Anal Sex". That will end some subscriptions pretty darn fast.
I didn't know about the Israeli-Palestinian article, but that is disturbing. It underscores how biased Teen Vogue apparently is -- a lefty publication wrapped in the cloak of teen fashions? How about all the young Jewish girls who might want to read or subscribe?
Again, if I were a parent -- here, a Jewish parent -- and saw that article -- I'd rip the magazine up and it would never enter my home again.
10
Please Bronx Refugee, you sound just like my stodgy old Great-Aunt Hattie. Magazines are not obligated to just present dry facts. Magazines are opinion pieces, and provide a point of view. Your choice is not to buy them. I applaud a magazine that shows teens it is not uncool to know something about politics and the rest of the world. First kiss is so over.
4
Vogue is one of the evils of our American culture, The fashion paragon of white supremacy and false body image has only recently changed it's ways to stay a float in a sea that has changed in color.
8
Teen Vogue bears very little resemblance to Vogue. Pick a copy up and see for yourself.
9
I'm an 18 year old girl and I love the new Teen Vogue. I subscribe after reading the Trump Gaslighting article. I really appreciate the fact that the magazine doesn't discount the intelligence of young girls, we can be interested in fashion AND politics.
46
If you are 18....why can't you read Time or The Atlantic? the New York Times or Wall Street Journal? or stuff online?
The teenagers I know read most of what they do read ON THE INTERNET...not in fashion magazines.
You are surely old enough at 18 to be reading Vogue itself, and not a "teen spinoff".
The teenagers I know read most of what they do read ON THE INTERNET...not in fashion magazines.
You are surely old enough at 18 to be reading Vogue itself, and not a "teen spinoff".
5
They can read the Atlantic or Walrus or Vogue itself and perhaps they are. But in reading Teen Vogue they are getting a magazine published for their age group that speaks not only to fashion and beauty but art and culture and politics. My kids read on the internet and they also read books and magazines. They like articles about clothing and also about immigration and sexuality. The great message of Teen Vogue is that, as an American poet states, "We contain multitudes." And you can read and enjoy poetry and Teen Vogue and all the periodicals you cite above.
1
Dear Concerned Citizen - Your assumptions in reply to Rid are really quite astounding.
4
Teen Vogue has been a godsend in this political climate.
It is surpassing political magazines and other magazines aimed at adults, giving voice to opinions and topics I hear frequently among friends but rarely covered with any gravitas in other periodicals.
In particular, hearing the voices of young women, and their issues, presented in a straightforward manner, without the condescending tone often taken when articles by young women are presented by those who are not. Hearing the same young women take on topics outside what is typically considered to be YA fare is refreshing and a reminder that they will soon be taking on the responsibilities of full adulthood with their own developed consciousness, hearts, and minds
Brava to Ms Welteroth!! So grateful for this transformation!
You publication has become necessary reading. I am now a subscriber.
It is surpassing political magazines and other magazines aimed at adults, giving voice to opinions and topics I hear frequently among friends but rarely covered with any gravitas in other periodicals.
In particular, hearing the voices of young women, and their issues, presented in a straightforward manner, without the condescending tone often taken when articles by young women are presented by those who are not. Hearing the same young women take on topics outside what is typically considered to be YA fare is refreshing and a reminder that they will soon be taking on the responsibilities of full adulthood with their own developed consciousness, hearts, and minds
Brava to Ms Welteroth!! So grateful for this transformation!
You publication has become necessary reading. I am now a subscriber.
34
OK, then where are the magazines and outlets for young men -- boys ages 11-19?
Is there a "Teen Male Vogue"? Boy's Life? seriously, I can't think of ANY magazine for teenage boys -- can you? how about "Teen Maxim"?
Is there a "Teen Male Vogue"? Boy's Life? seriously, I can't think of ANY magazine for teenage boys -- can you? how about "Teen Maxim"?
3