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OSP: Teen Vogue - background and textual analysis

Read this Guardian feature from 2017 on Teen Vogue and answer the following questions.

1) What was the article that announced Teen Vogue as a more serious, political website – with 1.3m hits and counting?

Donald Trump gaslighting America - an article by Lauren Duca.

2) When was the original Teen Vogue magazine launched and what was its original content?

Launched in 2004 as a little sister to US Vogue, Teen Vogue used to focus on the standard cocktail of fashion must-haves and celebrity worship. (A classic coverline from a 2005 edition was How To Get Perfect Party Hair.)

3) How did editor Elaine Welteroth change Teen Vogue’s approach in 2015?

Beginning with the August 2015 issue, the team, including then beauty editor Welteroth, engineered a shift. That issue featured three unknown black models on the cover, seemingly breaking all the rules (that you should have a famous person; and that having no Caucasian faces on the cover is a commercial risk).

4) How many stories are published on Teen Vogue a day? What topics do they cover?

The team publishes between 50 and 70 a day.

5) What influence did digital director Phillip Picardi have over the editorial direction?

The Teen Vogue website grew substantially even as their print version declined.

6) What is Teen Vogue’s audience demographic and what does ‘woke’ refer to?

Our sweet spot is 18-24. The Merriam-Webster dictionary describes the word “woke”, a slang term, as “a byword for social awareness.”

7) What issues are most important to Teen Vogue readers?

“young people are craving something real, craving authenticity”.

8) What does Tavi Gevinson suggest regarding the internet and ‘accountability culture’ with regards to modern audiences? Can you link this to our work on Clay Shirky?

She said that TV and it's audience is becoming stronger and more transparent. This refers perfevtly to Clay Shirky's end of audience where the the line between the audoence and the deliverer is slowly dissapearing. 

9) What social and political issues have been covered successfully by Teen Vogue?

Regulation of guns in the states, the increase in popularity of transgender women in fashion, racial attacks and police action, articles on homecoming, graduation and careers

10) What do Teen Vogue readers think of the magazine and website?

They think that it's a authentic magazine that offers them being a part of community as well as it's reliable for them.

Teen Vogue textual analysis and example articles

Work through the following tasks to complete your textual analysis of the Teen Vogue website and read notable Teen Vogue articles to refer to in exam answers. 

Homepage analysis

Go to the Teen Vogue homepage and answer the following:

1) What website key conventions can you find on the Teen Vogue homepage?

we can see the headings 

as well as articles and images. Everything is very minimalist.

2) How does the page design encourage audience engagement?

The design is extremely simplistic and aesthetic as well as it uses a trending articles first.

3) Where does advertising appear on the homepage?

Beauty, fashion, travelling, Netflix

4) What are the items in the top menu bar and what does this tell you about the content of Teen Vogue?

It's definitely aimed at educated, young audience that desires to be trendy and up to date with the world events.

5) How far does the homepage scroll down? How many stories appear on the homepage in total?

It's scrolls down to see the less trending articles, and there're about 18-20 articles + trending section.


Lifestyle section

Now analyse the Lifestyle section of Teen Vogue (in the Identity section) and answer the following:

1) What are the items in the top menu bar for the Lifestyle section?

2) How is the Lifestyle section designed to encouragement audience engagement? Think about page design, images, text and more.

It shows how the TV is celebrating ethnic minorities and staying with the simple design and clear headlines.

3) What do you notice about the way headlines are written in Teen Vogue?

There are very short and to the point to keep up with the aesthetics. 

4) What does the focus on education, university and ‘campus life’ tell you about the Teen Vogue audience demographics and psychographics?

It's definitely the aspirers, explorers, achievers. For the Demographics it's ABC.

5) Choose three stories featured in the Lifestyle section – why do they fit the Teen Vogue brand?

Simone Biles Officially Won the Most World Championship Medals of All Time

There's Now an Actual Handbook on How to Come Out as LGBTQ



Sinéad Burke Has Always Had to Educate People on Her Own Existence

Those articles talk about the minorities and their struggles and lifestyle.

Five key articles

Read the following five notable Teen Vogue features then answer the questions below for EACH feature.



1) Who is the writer and what is the article about?

by Lauren Duca that talk about the distruction of America under their president's lead.

2) How does the article use narrative to engage the reader? Try and apply narrative theory here if possible.

You can use gratification theory and apply personal identity and the way that all Americans can relate to the writers opinion. 

3) Why is this article significant?

It was this article that started off the massive change in the Teen Vogue magazine. 

4) How does this article reflect the values and ideologies of the modern Teen Vogue?

It talk about politics and criticising the middle age, white male.

The new face of teen activism 


1) Who is the writer and what is the article about?

by Alexis Manrodt that talks about the effects on digital media as well as activism. 

2) How does the article use narrative to engage the reader? Try and apply narrative theory here if possible.

Personal relationships where the audience can read about the activists

3) Why is this article significant?

It talks about XXI century's most important aspect. 



4) How does this article reflect the values and ideologies of the modern Teen Vogue?

It shows how Teen Vogue are a woke brand, and also it reflects the target audience of reformers.


1) Who is the writer and what is the article about?

by Lincoln Anthony Blades talks about struggles of young Americans and how it is necessary 


2) How does the article use narrative to engage the reader? Try and apply narrative theory here if possible.

It motivates the teens to stand up for the better future and safer streets in their country.

3) Why is this article significant?

It's important because of the bigger need of gun control in America considering the amount of attacks. 

4) How does this article reflect the values and ideologies of the modern Teen Vogue?

It engage the reader to do good and fight for what is right. 



1) Who is the writer and what is the article about?

by De Elizabeth that talks about the females being the 'active ones' in the film industry. 

2) How does the article use narrative to engage the reader? Try and apply narrative theory here if possible

Propp theory can be applied, women on TV (also not sexualised) being the helpers for the heroes (the female audience) to be active in their lives. 

3) Why is this article significant?

It highlights the success of women throughout those years and how great it is. 

4) How does this article reflect the values and ideologies of the modern Teen Vogue?

Teen Vogue is definitely aimed for compressed females so an article like that shows the audience how significant standing up for yourself is.  



1) Who is the writer and what is the article about?

by Samantha Riedel that talked about the gender roles and how to get rid of them as well as accepting the other unique minorities.


2) How does the article use narrative to engage the reader? Try and apply narrative theory here if possible

We can use Propps theory and say that the article is a helper for the reader to make them understand what gender binary is and how to see through the myths about gender.

3) Why is this article significant?

It represent the LGBTQ+ community in TV and informs people about minorities. 

4) How does this article reflect the values and ideologies of the modern Teen Vogue?

Teen Vogue focuses on minorities and people that are different so to give the readers an article about gender identity is great to explore this side of culture and identity.  


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