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Well, the first issue of ELLEgirl has hit the stands. Not only is it handicapped in the design department, but also in the content and even ad departments. First off, the headlines on the cover are at a slant, making it look like a ninth-grade girl's first attempt at mocking up a magazine. The logo blatantly plays off the COSMOgirl title, put out by rival Hearst (ELLEgirl is from Conde Nast). Inside, the text and layout looks like the convoluted pages of the Vogue notebook section, cramming in as much information as possible into the 150-plus pages in this premiere issue. Secondly, the content tries to put a sophisticated slant on the old teen formula. Instead of a most-embarassing-moment section, it has a kooky multiple choice section listing weird situations and having readers choose the "real" one. Umm... boring. Then, there are section "drive-bys" that showcase some hunk and have about three lines of text about him. Not quite the in-depth look that such teen fare as Teen People and Seventeen give to their beefcakes. Perhaps the most unnerving part of this magazine is that, a few pages in, there is a two-page ad depicting barely legal models looking gaunt and standing around in underwear (which are sagging in quite suggestive places). Of course, this ad is for Calvin Klein, who knows how to push the moral envelope. However, this envelope should never have been opened in the pages of a teen magazine. How will ELLEgirl fare compared to its plethora of competitors, all clamoring for market share and teen dollars? Time will tell. Hopefully, teens will also tell ELLEgirl not to try so hard because its hunger for teen readership is pathetically apparent. Go To Page: 1
The copyright of the article ELLEgirl is OFFmark in Women in the Media is owned by . Permission to republish ELLEgirl is OFFmark in print or online must be granted by the author in writing.
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