Mail Call

When I was younger, I used to love getting mail; it made me feel so important, more grown-up and mature. Lately, I’ve been receiving college advertisements and dreading them. It actually means I have to grow-up. It’s funny how it all works, wanting something when you’re younger and then completely changing your views when you’re older. Anyway, my parents gave me my mail and I assumed it was the same old colleges sending me more brochures, but it turns out I received my monthly copy of Seventeen magazine.

However, when I saw it, I was disappointed. The cover was Lauren Conrad and it was their hair issue. When I was a kid I thought it was the coolest thing to be a superstar. Don’t get me wrong, it’d be awesome to walk down the red carpet and feel sophisticated (even though something in my gut tells me that most stars don’t have that glamorous of a life as we expect). These magazines talk about making a difference and act like all these celebrities, for example Miley Cyrus and Avril Lavigne, are so down to earth. Maybe they are, maybe they aren’t, but why do magazines continuously tell girls to embrace themselves for who they are and yet all of their articles are about how to look better: The BEST Hair, Get Your Tightest Butt, Clothes for Your Body Shape. It’s nice to feel elegant and beautiful, at least physically, but why do they bother contradicting themselves?

More importantly though, why do why don’t they write about the things that truly matter, like the war that’s going on in Iraq, the plunge of the economy, or global warming? There are so many causes and problems, why not focus on them? And why do these magazines insist on showing superstars as role models for us, and usually have the same stars every seven months?

Lauren Conrad might deal with drama in her life but what about the real heroes in our lives like the policemen, teachers, doctors, or firefighters? It’s certainly not fair to them or us. I may sound hypocritical, because I still read the magazines for their articles about college, health, and the occasional make-up ideas, but I still read and watch the news, something that other girls also need to do. They need to form their opinions and learn about something real instead of only caring about what the latest make up tool or trend is.