Teen magazine

Teen magazines are magazines aimed at teenage readers usually filled with gossip, news, posters, fashion tips and interviews of the month's most popular teens.

A concept started in the United States and England during the 1950's, teen magazines are now produced in many countries worldwide, and in many different languages. In Latin America, Europe and Asia in particular, teen magazines depicting their idols are very popular among their teens.

Teen magazines have always been a popular way for managers to market their young stars. Having someone appear in such a magazine usually means bigger exposure, higher cd or movie ticket sales, and therefore more money into the manager's pockets. In the star's case, it means all of the above plus it's a way of building into their personal fame.

Usually boys or boy bands are depicted in them, but more than a few girls and girl bands have been able to get their exposure that way too.

Some teen magazines have slightly different emphases. Whilst some concentrate almost exclusively on music, television, and film, others (usually aimed at ever-so-slightly older readers) feature more extensive coverage of lifestyle issues and are virtually junior versions of magazines like Cosmopolitan or Cleo.

Teen magazines are aimed almost exclusively at teenage girls. Teenage boys, like adult men, usually buy magazines related to specific activities that they are interested in, such as motor vehicles, sports, music, and suchlike (the fact that the closest equivalents of women's general interest magazines for men feature pornography and are thus unlikely to be approved purchases for a teenage boy is also probably a major factor).

In the USA teen magazines have been around since 1953, the most famous ones being Tiger Beat, 16 magazine, Teen Beat, Seventeen and Blast.

Since 1972, black people in the USA have been producing their own teen magazines too. Right On, an interesting magazine that is a publication sister of Tiger Beat (they are both produced by Sterling-McFadden), was the first one to hit the market, but now it has been joined by others, such as Word Up.

Just like any other mainstream magazine, teen magazines can be regularly found each month at supermarkets, pharmacies, stores and news-stands.