Mags: Teen Vogue – drop the pressure

Like her youthful, wide-eyed readers, Teen Vogue is fresh, energetic, well meaning and wears cute clothes. Admirably, and unlike some of her glossy contemporaries, her aim in life is not to attract the hottie, perfect the art of pashing, lose her virginity at prom or win American Idol. Her success will come via a creative business idea, plumb film role, great sporting achievement or philanthropic venture. For her, mediocrity is to be avoided at all costs (for that, presumably, see Seventeen or go to your local mall). She doesn't want to know what to wear on a date – she's thinking about the wardrobe choices she'd make if she were Hillary Clinton.

In the controlled, perfect, Stepford-like world of TV, there is no room for normalcy or laziness or a bad hair day, let alone a sugary snack, love handle hips or, gasp, a fashion mishap. And the pressure is getting to me (and I'm clearly not a teen – though am often prone to teen-like behaviour). To be a true Teen Vogue-ette is exhausting and requires you to always be switched on and fabulous – giving 100 per cent to developing your 'self' (studies, sports, outfits, makeup, hair, skin, body, charitable endeavours), even in your sleep. Watch out, superwomen of the world – Teen Vogue is breeding supergirls.

Inside this issue there are high achieving altruists (see 'Giving Back'), former 'perfectionist' anorexic models (see below rant on Ali Michael's story), young female athletes with rigorous training schedules and calorie deficits (see 'Great Expectations' and 'Time Out'), an over-achieving actress (another one with an album release in the pipeline; see 'Super Girl'), a 12-year-old surfing pro who looks like Rachel Zoe, glamorous and svelte celebrities by the dozen (Keira Knightley, Taylor Momsen, Daisy Lowe), several socialites-in-the-making (socialite now being a legitimate career choice), pages of Olympic-inspired sportswear (at least you can look the part – faux athletic), models with crazy-curly hair you'll want, not to mention pricey fashionable pieces from the likes of Blugirl, Chanel, Karen Walker and Paul Smith, the latest covetable beauty products and an ad for Prada eyewear.

Thankfully, there are rare moments of reprieve for the highly sensitive and over-pressured teen reader, where she can just sit back and enjoy the editorial without fear of inadequacy setting in, including: 'Two of hearts', a warming first-person piece by a 17-year-old with an autistic sister; Music Blogger's profile of 'Guitar Hero' Laura Marling ("Her voice is a rich combination of Joni Mitchell, Joan Baez and Regina Spektor", writes Leigh Belz); 'Style Blogger', though full of pretension, reports on how Margherita Missoni (admittedly aspirational but a good role model) comes to the fashion aid of a former foster care girl and NYFC (New Yokers For Children) scholarship recipient (pretty dresses make life better); the 'View' story on MTV VJ and former America's Next Top Model contestant Kim Stolz (like MTV Australia's Ruby Rose, she's openly gay, though Stolz is also openly super-smart, having produced an honors history thesis and citing politics as one of her interests alongside music); the 'People Are Talking About' profile of the very likable Olivia Thirlby (Juno's sidekick); and the usual album and movie reviews (teen escapism express). Plus, the girl-positive Roxy Follow Your Heart Tour promo runs over two pages (it asks: "What's your dream in life?"), with TV kindly giving the brand a complementary one-page story in the 'View' section. The ads for LeSportsac, Nike, Open Road, Rocket Dog, are also girl-powerish, fresh, clever and/or lacking in overt sexuality or a singular body-image focus. And, thankfully, Kate and Laura Mulleavy from designer label Rodarte don't get the Vogue diet treatment, enlisted as they are this issue for a DIY tie-dyeing story.
But back to the pressure chamber...

Feverishly hungry pro-anas and wannabe-anas will devour the feature story on Ali Michael, the runway model who was turned away from the Paris shows for being "too fat". In her 'Letter From The Editor', Amy Astley tells us that prior to returning to her normal, healthy weight (good thing), the model had "maintained an impossibly skinny silhouette through a brutal regimen of virtual starvation, laxatives and vomiting" (bad thing). Hello, too much information already! I was worried the story on Michael would read like a feature on 'How To Be An Anorexic' and, sad to say it, my fears have not been allayed.
In the four-page story devoted to Michael, she tells us that she was pressured by her Texan and New York agencies to lose weight. What followed was a two-year struggle with an intensive weight loss campaign:

"It started out with me just being aware of my caloric intake, and eventually becoming a vegetarian. But before long, I had become obsessed with slimming down... By the time I entered my second season of shows last September, all I was eating was oatmeal with water for breakfast, a banana and a few grapes for lunch, and plain lettuce for dinner, maybe with a piece of fish... I discovered my body was no longer able to produce estrogen due to the lack of fat in my diet... Still, I was determined not to gain any weight. I started taking laxatives, which in turn caused bloating, pain and constipation... If I ate something I felt guilty about, maybe even a few too many grapes, I resorted to throwing up."

These are really the most worrisome parts in the story (I have cut and pasted) – when I worked in teen mags, I do recall we chose to edit out a paragraph in a story on body image by a freelancer, as it was far too descriptive in the unhealthy habits department. Tell a teen girl what not to do and chances are she'll do it, right? Nevertheless, the rest of Michael's story is a stark warning to young women battling their own body demons. Here's a little more...

"When I finally went to the doctor, he told me my body had become dependent on [laxatives]. My digestive system was no longer able to function as it should. He said I would have to take medication indefinitely, possibly for the rest of my life... My next wake-up call occurred when I was on a plane home from Paris after the spring '08 shows. I ran my fingers through my hair and when I pulled them out, I had a dry, brittle clump in my hand..."

After being knocked back at the couture shows, Michael had had enough: "I felt like I was living with a big black cloud over my head all the time... I didn't feel as if I could enjoy anything... I began eating balanced meals that included healthy fats. I stopped being afraid of bread. Our bodies need some carbohydrates. I got into an exercise routine, and I started feeling happier and more energetic... I wasn't willing to sacrifice my health to walk in a runway show... I'm no longer consumed by whether my legs look fat in my jeans. Instead of comparing myself to other people, I'm focusing on being the best me I can be. If a negative thought comes into my head, I replace it with a positive one. When I eat, I don't think about how many calories my meal is, but instead about how I'm nourishing my body... I've realised that having the energy to live life to the fullest is much more satisfying."

Adding to the ano/dieting paranoia, we also get 'Slim Shady'. This is a story about 'metabolic syndrome' (associated with cardio risk factors including elevated blood pressure, increased weight circumference, low HDL 'good' cholesterol, and higher blood-glucose and triglycerides – sugar and fat – levels), and the associated dangers of consuming diet soda drinks. It's essentially a piece designed to get teens off the soft drinks, which uses the same scare tactics as the mag's usual health stories (the issue also contains a stark warning about using the correct sunscreen). Only the motive seems to be avoiding fat accumulation (hello, love handles!), not health: "How could something that, in theory, aids weight loss end up damaging your waistline?" asks writer Richa Gulati.

The story and theory stands on shaky ground: "[taste buds are] built to experience a range of flavours... if a person eats more sweet substances – whether natural or artificial – the body gets accustomed to it and begins to crave more sweetness," says Dr Ravi Dhingra. "That, in turn, can lead to increased consumption of unhealthy products, like soda or candy."

It seems, giving your body a taste for sweetness may cause you to also eat more food overall. "For now, most experts advise moderation, stating that there's no clear consensus on whether diet soda itself puts one at risk for metabolic syndrome or whether drinkers of diet soda have some shared behavioural characteristics that caused the studies' results." We're then told to also limit our intake of artificial sweeteners ("which are present not just in diet soda but also in some low-fat yoghurts and other low-calorie products") and, when in doubt, drink water.

So Not Fun.

Covermodel Hayden Panettiere, thankfully, is a girl who hasn't (yet) fallen victim to fashion/Hollywood's super-skinny requirements and is often snapped digging into a meal, though she tells TV: "I have the same body-image issues and insecurities as anyone else". On the 'Cover Look' page, we're told the enviro-girl showed concern for a beach-dwelling sea lion while on TV's location shoot in Malibu, only to be told by the ASPCA that beachside shenanigans are quite normal for sea lion folk. In the 'Super Girl' feature, we learn the young star has the shits with the tabloid press ("Nothing is private and when they write about you, it's almost always completely false"), is recording her debut album with Hollywood Records, will appear alongside Julia Roberts in Fireflies in the Garden and sees the positive flipside of fame: "[Heroes] put me in a place to speak for things I'm passionate about."

It's a tough world out there for girls. If only Teen Vogue would let them know it's okay if you don't come first in class or sport or if you can't organise your way out of a homework assignment let alone a charity fundraiser, or why, sometimes, it's okay to have a sugary treat.

Overall excitement factor: 5/6
Feel-good factor: 1,2,3!
Eye-candy rating: 4, of course, being TV.

The Stats
Issue: June/July 2008
Book size: 176 pages
Inside front cover: Marc by Marc Jacobs starring M.I.A
Back cover: GUESS
FOB ads: Nike, Pacsun, Rogan for Target, Vans, Roxy, Billabong, Clinique, H&M, Prada eyewear, Dillard's, Southpole, Neutrogena, Got Milk?...
Editor in Chief: Amy Astley
Publisher: Conde Nast
Website: www.teenvogue.com

Yours truly,
Girl With a Satchel