"Like, oh my GOD, I LOVE that bag!"

While shelving at work today, I came across an Elle 'Girl' magazine - a teenybopper version of the egocentric adult magazine of the same name. What bothered me about the magazine was not its cover of a scantily clad girl nor its shameless advertisements, but its slogan: "Dare to be different." I think that this is a positive message for girls, and I'm glad that a magazine is finally coming out and promoting one's unique personality. However, one look at the content of the magazine is enough to show that the slogan is nothing more than a hoax. "Check out our new favorite fashionista and rate her every look." (Italics mine)."How to get those old-Hollywood cascading curls." "Quiz: Are YOU a beach goddess?" These are only some of the columns, and definitely not the most damning. Yes... be like us, but remember, you ARE different. Puh-lease. I understand that the magazine isn't telling girls who to be, exactly, but it is displaying a limited number of "acceptable" routes in life, including relationships and especially one's style and looks. There are SO many magazines like this in the world, and I admit that I was once a victim in the Seventeen Magazine craze when I was younger, but girls should not be kidded into thinking that these kinds of magazines are harmless entertainment –it's just one more outlet for media's ever-increasing attempt to diminish the world's remaining shreds of self-confidence and security.

Thank you.

I'm done for now...