Magazine for Minorities

The alternative news media that I chose to discuss is called Teen Voices. It is a publication created by and for adolescent girls. The magazine and website covers subjects ranging from diversity, careers, education, to body image and much more. The aim of Teen Voices is to provide alternative reading material that focuses on exposing young girls to more than just stereotypes and photoshopped models. "Females are almost four times as likely to be presented in sexy attire and twice as likely to be shown with a diminutive waist." (Now.org, Women In Media Fact Sheet) There is something clearly wrong about the images being perpetuated to young girls in the media today, and Teen Voices is a magazine that combats these ads.
Teen Voices was founded in 1988 by two women in Massachusetts who wanted to give young girls the power to affect social change. Just judging by the magazine’s online home page, its clear that the images are very diverse and openly represent minorities. “Our teen constituents are 14 to 18 years of age; 82% come primarily from low-income families and 93% are girls of color (70% African descent, 18% Latina, 5% Asian), and 7% are Caucasian.” (About Us, TeenVoices.Com) It's rare to see a publication with such a high percentage of readers and writers of a minority background. "At daily newspapers in the U.S., women and people of color remain under-represented. Nearly 90 percent of reporters/writers and newsroom supervisors are white and about two-thirds are male. Hundreds of newspapers in this country employ NO minorities as full-time staff." (Now.org, Women In Media Facts) This project is a great tool to help girls articulate their thoughts, improve their writing skills, and improve their critical thinking. It opens a door for them in the world of journalism, where the numbers of minority female writers is staggering.
One of the things I found most surprising about this magazine, is that it features articles written by girls that are as young as fourteen years old. The topics of the stories are relatable, and translate much better to the demographic since they are taken from firsthand experience. Some of the subjects in the “Featured Articles” sections were more graphic that I thought. The blogs target real issues like inappropriate sexual conduct in schools and even frustration about rejection and failed relationships.
Teen Voices is an important alternative media source because it’s a positive influence on young girls who are usually targeted by advertisements and false reflections of beauty. Another factor that contributes to the magazines success is that it’s free, thus it can be easily circulated through low-income neighborhoods and families. It’s important that this magazine continues because it is one of the few good reads available to young women of a minority.