One of my first magazine subscriptions as a kid was for Girls’ Life— referred to nowadays by the hip nickname GL— Girls' Life is one of the most popular lifestyle magazines out there for preteens and young teenage girls.
I remember looking forward to each new glossy issue and would thumb through each of them to get to my favorite sections. I loved reading the “Dear Carol” section where girls would write in for advice on a whole range of issues that came up in their lives. I also thoroughly enjoyed reading a section of the magazine where readers would share their most embarrassing moments-- as a rather awkward teenager I definitely felt like I could relate to many of the stories.
I remember the first thing I would usually flip to once I had the magazine in my hands was to the magazine’s quiz page where I would test myself and as many friends and family members as possible, to find out if any of us were too star struck, were there for our friends, or if the boy we had been crushing on could really be deemed as “crush-worthy.”
Although I had fond memories of the magazine, I can’t help but wonder if members of the other gender benefited from a more exciting and/or more educational read in Boys’ Life magazine.
Just by taking a glance at the two websites something a little too stereotypically girly pops out at you with the overwhelmingly pink Girls’ Life site. Boys’ Life's website, on the other hand, features more earthy tones.
And while Girls’ Life features the “Dear Carol” advice section with questions such as learning how to deal with an annoying little sister or addressing one reader’s concern that wearing a sports bra might be stopping her breasts from growing, Boys’ Life has something called “Ask the Gear Guy.” Here one reader asked for advice on how to keep from rolling off his sleeping pad when he goes camping and others ask for advice on how to waterproof a tent and how to safely operate a camping stove.
The Boys’ Life website also features hobbies and projects including the “Experiment of the Week,” while the Girls’ Life site displays a “Beauty School” feature as well as “Star Signs,” so girls can read up on their holiday horoscopes.
While I understand that boys and girls often have different interests, it comes as a disappointment to me that the magazine geared for boys focuses on camping and science experiments, while the girls’ magazine focuses on more superficial topics such as how to do your make-up right and how to get the boy you’ve been crushing on to finally notice you.
Addressing adolescent girls’ concerns about their body image and relationship issues is, undeniably, crucial, but why can’t the Girls’ Life website also feature practical advice on how to set up a tent or a video clip on how to listen for sounds of the ocean in a boot?
2 comments:
Boys Life is published by the Boy Scouts of America, so their focus and interest differs from a mainstream magazine more dependent on advertising and newstand sales.
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