Here is an article I wrote some time ago for the fantastic blog Girl with a Satchel(http://girlwithasatchel.blogspot.com/).
I knew Shopgirl was no ordinary magazine when I read it wants to provide a community service. The Editor’s comment takes the high moral ground – it wants to save the time of busy parents, avoid sexually charged merchandise and help inter generational communication.
Impressed by these altruistic aims and mindful that, as mum to an 8 year old girl, I am their target market, I give the mag a look.
And then a stunned double take.
In summary this magazine apes the formula of “Shop till you Drop” except the merchandise is for “tweenage” girls (I assume between 8 and 12) and there is a dedicated section for these young women.
The presentation is professional and unrelentingly upbeat and cheerful. All you have to do as a parent is to decide if you buy the concept.
In order to assist you, I have compiled a convenient table comparing Barack Obama’s advice to young people at school with the advice of the magazine Shopgirl.
| Subject | Barack Obama | Shopgirl |
| Personal aspirations | “Every single one of you has something that you’re good at. Every single one of you has something to offer. And you have a responsibility to yourself to discover what that is. That’s the opportunity an education can provide. | “Have her memorise this mantra: in the words of Coco Chanel, “A girl should be two things: classy and fabulous”(p71) |
| Success | “You can’t drop out of school and just drop into a good job. You’ve got to work for it and train for it and learn for it.” | “Find her favourite smell in the world, then buy it in spritz form. “A woman’s perfume tells more about her than her handwriting” said Christian Dior.” (p71) |
| Leadership | “I know that sometimes, you get the sense from TV that you can be rich and successful without any hard work…But the truth is, being successful is hard.” | ‘…..with a bright scarf, some denim cut-offs and a bit of personality, you can rule the school.” (p73) |
| Social responsibility | “What’s your contribution going to be? What problems are you going to solve? What discoveries will you make?” | “Hey what’s your fashion tip? We quizzed some cool girls about their great style.”(p112) |
| Fitting in | “I know what it’s like…. There were times when I was lonely and felt like I didn’t fit in…..But I was fortunate.. I got a lot of second chances and had the opportunity to…. follow my dreams.” | The tone of the entire magazine is how to ensure your girl is cool by buying her things. |
| Practical Advice | “Maybe you’ll decide to …volunteer in your community,…(or) stand up for kids who are being teased or bullied….” | “Pimp my desk. Choose stationary that’s as green as green can be… Mother Earth will thank you for it.” (p120) |
So here’s what I think.
Shopgirl, the latest title from ACP, is a problem.
A big one.
Here’s why.
1. It is a catalogue that aims to “soften up” the market for consumers to buy increasingly expensive items for a young age group.
2. It introduces this very young market to items directly (via the section aimed at girls that cannot physically be separated from the magazine and has very similar content to the section aimed at Mums). In doing so it is careful to be inoffensive to watchful parental eyes - it is demonstratively cute- bright, breezy and sunny.
3. It introduces a magazine buying habit to younger people and establishes a link between buying magazines and product to a younger demographic.
4. Furthermore the magazine reinforces that girls are to be primarily assessed on the basis of their appearance and what they own.
Most girls like treats and most parents will buy them the occasional special item. But for me there is something disturbing about defining young girls solely as an emerging market.
The magazine depends upon a tried and true mix of advertising, product placement, fashion insiders and interviews about styling and fashion (with girls from 7 years old.) But these formulas have been developed on (hopefully cynical) adults or teenagers who are notoriously difficult to market to.
Young girls are vulnerable to peer pressure and sensitive to being the odd one out. We should be encouraging them to resolve these issues with ways other than buying things.
My intention was to show my daughter this magazine and gauge her reactions. But I’m not going to. Let her keep her childhood, run around with her friends, concoct her own world with a mixture of hand-me-downs, improvised home made things and occasional treats. Let her develop her own widely varying hobbies and interests.
Let her run free and learn to stand on her own feet. Let her develop her own talents and purposes in life.
Leave her alone, Shopgirl.
The Glossy Report Card :
Name: Shopgirl Issue1 Spring/Summer 2009
Issue status: 172 pages, $7.95, lots of adverts and advertorial, Just Jeans insert/ 20 page insert aimed at girls almost indistinguishable for the rest of the magazine aimed at parents.
Sneaky peek: follows the Shop till you Drop formula- Cute Mother/daughter fashion images, cute fashion images of young girls, lots of cute bright outfits and accessories, book video and MP3 reviews and lots and lots of cute things to buy for your tweenager or to pester your mum to buy.
Quick critique: See above.
Content tone: bright, breezy, superficial.
Caveat emptor: If you want your daughter to turn into Sharpay this is the magazine for you.
Recommendation: buy, borrow, browse or bypass? Run for your life.
Reviewed by: Alison
