Seventeen (1-year)

Seventeen is a general service magazine for young women emphasizing fashion, beauty and lifestyle information, including health, food, careers, relationships, sports and entertainment.

The perky authority on all things girl since 1944, Seventeen magazine still provides advice and encouragement to masses of young misses. Although the primary focus is fashion and famous folk, this teen zine is not mere eye candy. Mixed among the cutting-edge styles (and multitudinous ads) you'll find short but plentiful articles. Topics range in import: fluff stuff like "What Will You Wear Back to School?" and "The Ultimate Ponytail Guide" is balanced by heavier fodder, such as "No One Believes I Was Raped" and pieces on having a gay sibling and the dangers of binge drinking. Skewed largely toward a Caucasian teen audience, the magazine's coverage of beauty and relationship conundrums does offer nods to young women of color. The tone is resolutely positive, and amid all the talk of must-have hairdos and hottie alerts, the message is girl power in its most nonthreatening guise. --Brangien Davis