Contradiction in Terms

I.hate.teen.magazines.
My daughters love them. Well, not all of them. They like Teen Vogue in particular. I have found a lot of healthy and positive articles in its pages. Healthy eating. Healthy exercise. Make-up tips. Hairdo ideas. Neat stuff - and things that teen girls like. There are some ideas about dating that we don't ascribe to, but all in all it hasn't been so bad.
My younger daughter loves fashion, color, perfume, jewelry etc. and has been very excited to look through magazine pages for a new dress for the upcoming formal dance we will be attending in WV in late spring. Today we bought a "prom" magazine sponsored by another teen magazine which contained an prom planning insert. I was thumbing through it and it really
got
my
goat!
The whole thing is a total contradiction. On one page they tell these young women that true beauty comes from the inside, and then peddle makeup, jewelry, clothes on all the rest of the pages. The insert to help plan for the prom is packed full of pages with "prom exercises" and a "prom diet" - complete with pictures of carrot sticks and a cherry tomato or two.
These mixed messages are broadcast continuously to young women, breeding the next generation of good consumers who will buy their "stuff" and participate in the "diet" industry. What clever, wicked marketers.
I am re-evaluating whether or not we will buy any more of these magazines. I want my daughters to be more concerned with the beauty of their hearts. I am thankful that they got subscriptions from my brother and sister-in-law at Christmas for Brio and Brio & Beyond magazines - which have a far better agenda!