Original Material
"Journals for Young Women
by Ol'ga Terent'eva (trans. V. Sperling)
Publications for young women appeared on the Russian market recently -- about ten years ago. At present, this part of the market hasn't been saturated yet, although the assortment of publications is relatively diverse. The existing journals -- "YES!", "Shtuchka," "Cool Girl," "Marusia," "Mezhdu Nami, Devochkami [Between us girls]," and others -- are aimed at different readers, based on age, social status, and educational level.
New projects in the sphere of publications for young women are relatively rare. One of the main reasons for this is the necessity of taking into account the specific audience for this type of journal, and putting together a plan for a new journal, based on its potential audience. Indeed, under Russia's current economic conditions, one could say that publishers are careful not to count on the young women's press: it takes a lot of work to put out a journal, but still there's no certainty that the target group will adopt the new item, regularly subscribe to it or buy it. It's therefore necessary to take into account the economic dependence of the majority of teenagers, the relatively high level of demand, and even complaints about content.
Inasmuch as publications for young women combine the signs and functions of the women's press, and the press for young people, such publications must be informative, educational, and entertaining, all at the same time. But do they fulfill their destinies in the exact same ways? In order to answer this question, let's take a look through several popular journals.
The new monthly journal for young women, "YES!" was successful very quickly, despite the fact that its first issues came out at the height of the economic crisis that began in August of 1998. The chances for the journal's survival were few, but the new arrival held its own, and by the start of 1999, it continued its victory march in the newspaper-journal kiosks.
A reader (chitatel'nitsa) of "YES!" belongs to the stratum of fashionable youth, who follows the trends in all spheres of interests, and strives for independence. The expression used in journal lexicon labels such a reader "progressive."
Such a reader does not appreciate it if the journal's material carries the tone of a teacher or older comrade; young women want to see in a journal a modern, fashionable friend or girlfriend that they can relate to as an equal. In order to meet that demand, journals include young authors in their editorial staff, who can talk to the audience in their own language.
It is interesting that "YES!" was the first "thick journal" for young women in Russia, created on the model of glossy women's journals that have long had their own audience here (such as "Cosmopolitan," "Marie Claire," and others).
"YES!" provides its readers with the traditional subjects: entertainment news; fashionable things to do; relationships to parents, teachers, friends, and members of the opposite sex; sex; fashion news and cosmetics; recommendations on being in shape, new music, movies, and books. The journal also publishes material on serious issues.
Journals for young women talk with the reader in her own language, and this language often calls attention to itself. This is true of "YES!" in particular -- it uses youth slang. This is the way that the journal strives to be on an equal basis with its readers. A good example would be the phrase, "Pyl'nye predki inogda ochen' dazhe rubiat fishku," the sense of which can be essentially captured by "parents do understand some things about life." Many young people simply don't understand the language the first time around.
Another peculiarity of the language in "YES!" is its use of authorial neologisms that make their way into youth jargon, such as "cakes" and "peppers" (boys); "carrots" and "pastries" (girls). However, it's not easy to come up with a "new" word -- it has to fit into the language, but these terms didn't make it into the ranks of slang overall. Nonetheless, the journal "YES!" was a success, and occupied an empty niche in the Russian market for young women' publications. The journal feels a sense of confidence, and could well remain the only "thick journal" of its type in Russia, thanks mainly to the company, "Independent Media," which owns it.
The monthly journal "Shtuchka" -- is a publication of a completely different type. It is not an independent project, but rather a supplement to the journal "Rovesnik." It appeared somewhat earlier than "YES!" -- in 1996, when there was not yet any competition in the market for young women's press. It is possible that the ease of winning over reader interest at that time is the reason for a certain vagueness in the audience for "Shtuchka."
Who usually selects "Shtuchka" over all the other publications? Usually this is a girl of 14-19 years, a high school or college student, from a family with average or below average income, not particularly interested in the most recent fashion trends, music and so on. It's also possible that she pays more attention to problems of daily life, and is more concerned with seeking out her individuality than is the average reader of "YES!"
Specific to "Shtuchka" is its interest in the individuality of the reader. The journal uses practical advice to help young women express themselves. To that end, it has regular columns like "Literary competition," "Competition for independent clothing designers," "Competition for experts on Russian Literature," and also, "The Young Woman on the Cover [Cover Girl]." In order to get on the cover of the journal, it's not necessary to look like a model -- one has to be an interesting person. And that -- one could agree -- is more difficult! "Shtuchka" prints not only the photographs but also letters by their cover "heroines." All the "cover girls" are varied and far from being classically beautiful. But they're nice, they are unique individuals, and they live an interesting life, whether in Moscow, or in a village in the Altai region. It's worth noting that "Shtuchka" remains the most "traditional" publication for young women, devoting the most space to the subject of housework, and painting women in the image of housewife. As a rule, each issue publishes one or two recipes, advice on making the home comfortable, recommendations on handicrafts, and articles about pets or indoor plants. It is interesting that in "YES!" this theme does not come up at all; it clearly doesn't enter into the interests of fashionable youth.
As for the language of "Shtuchka," it is simpler and more comprehensible than that of "YES!" The journal talks to its audience in their own language. It is possible that the readers of "Shtuchki," not being part of the stratum of fashionable, "bohemian" youth, do not use most of that group's slang, therefore, in their journal, you won't find such terms. The lack of such slang makes the language of the journal more precise and understandable, which is a plus.
One can say that, although "Shtuchka" is not the leader among popular publications for young women, it nonetheless has maintained its audience over the last few years, and this tendency will likely remain in the near future.
The journal "COOL-GIRL" is aimed at the youngest audience -- 11 to 16 years old. Its typical reader is a high school girl from a family with average or below average income, with interests that correspond to that age and social position.
It must be said that "COOL-GIRL" is the only weekly journal for young women. This is reflected in its contents -- the attempt to grasp the maximum of interest leads to a reduction in the volume of materials, and to only a superficial coverage of the issues. Unfortunately, although there are some parts of the journal that shine, it is much easier to identify its negative aspects.
One of the most serious "minuses" of "COOL-GIRL" is its accent on entertainment. Thus, there is regularly a column on "The Magic of Love," about the occult side of relationships with the opposite sex -- predictions based on Taro cards, names, coffee, etc.; aromatherapy and its application to love; the influence of one's looks on one's character; the correspondence between representatives of different signs of the Zodiac, and suchlike. This information is presented in a serious tone, with a stress on the practical. Honestly, this gives rise to some doubts...
Also on the entertainment side is the column, "This Issue's Affair," which presents semi-literary stories about love with a happy-ending -- a stylized version of "women's romance novels." One can hardly consider the editors' position noble here -- from an early age, girls will grow accustomed to reading pulp fiction instead of serious literature.
This is also true of the column, "Our Readers' Poetry." The poems published there are openly bad. A more strict approach to the selection of work worthy of publication is needed, else it only encourages primitive rhyming, instead of real creativity. In this instance, the journal should recall that it has an educational function, since its audience, being at a young age, is easily influenced, both toward the bad and the good.
As for the language of articles in "COOL-GIRL", it is more neutral -- there is nearly no youth slang, and the ironic tone often found in youth-oriented publications is basically absent. The basic linguistic style of "COOL-GIRL" is a trustworthy, friendly conversation with its readers, often from the position of an adult friend, giving advice. It is possible that this is because of the general type of publication -- an older comrade who is teaching the younger one how to speak and act, without being a bad example. Moreover, among 10-13 year old adolescents, many slang words are just not used, inasmuch as they belong to the lexicon of the "fashionable" and older youth.
However, despite its many faults, the journal "COOL-GIRL" is holding onto its position in the market, mostly because of its publication on a weekly basis, which makes it the only one of its kind. The journal fulfills its entertainment function completely, however, it does so at the expense of the educational one. Nonetheless, its potential for continued existence is high.
You have now seen a short review of the most popular Russian publications for young women. What conclusions can one draw after reading these journals?
The first and most important conclusion is that publications for young women have taken up their place in the market for women's press; they are no longer only a supplement to adults' journals. They exist and function independently.
Unfortunately, journals for young women are practically silent about raising the cultural and educational levels of their audience. Literary pages have vanished into the past; not all the publications make space even for the literary attempts of their readers, not to speak of professional writers. Even articles intended to expand adolescents' knowledge of science, culture, and art rarely appear. The general conclusion is that the entertainment function is crowding out the educational and rearing function, and this tendency is disturbing.
The general characteristics of the publications for young women are as follows: the tone of discussion is trusting, friendly, "between equals"; the language is neutral, with the use of youth slang in order to bring the publication closer to the readers. The basic subjects include: forming one's own personality, love, friendship, being in shape, fashion, and show-business news. Correspondence from readers plays a large role in the journals. The journals are bright and colorful, with many illustrations.
Another interesting issue is how readers choose a journal from the broad spectrum of existing publications. Every journal creates an image of "its young woman," and the reader tries to choose the one toward which she subconsciously strives.
For this type of publication variety is important, as is the search for "gems" that will attract potential readers and hold their attention. Because of this, new projects are appearing more rarely than among other thematic types of journals. However, new journals have a better chance of survival, precisely because of the "uniqueness" of each one.