4 Magazines Breaking Barriers for Young Girls
The mainstream media regularly takes heat for the focus it holds on female appearance. Many traditional reading materials marketed to women and girls emphasize shrinking the waist (while growing the booty), flicking the perfect cat eye, and a plethora of advice on how to look better right now. Don't get us wrong, we love a good guide to contouring, but with so much emphasis on outer appearance and beauty, for young girls, sometimes the message that they can develop other interests beyond how they look and how boys think they look, can become muddled in the makeup articles.
Imagine a world where girls nurtured their STEM obsession as ardently as their male classmates did. Imagine if they had access to empowering female role models that could regularly remind them of the power of working hard in cool fields of interest like science, art, or cooking. Fortunately, more and more girls are doing just that, and so is the media. We rounded up four awesome, inspiring magazines aimed at girls ages five and beyond. Keep scrolling to read more about these mags, which encourage girls to expand upon their interests beyond the traditional "looks matter" narrative and be the strongest, smartest girls they can be.
Help girls around the world by buying a limited-edition InStyle designer tote in support of Let Girls Learn. Shop our collection of exclusive designs from Carolina Herrera, Diane von Furstenberg, DKNY, Jason Wu, Narciso Rodriguez, Prabal Gurung, Tanya Taylor.
American Girl
The award-winning magazine is a must-grab for girls 8 to 12 years old. Full of content like short stories, crafts, and quizzes, American Girl magazine motivates girls to explore their interests and do their best. Personal touches, like advice from other girls their age, also create an inclusive community of readers where girls can feel like they’re talking to and reading about their own lives or their friends.
1 of 4
ChopChop
From non-profit ChopChopKids comes ChopChop magazine, a quarterly book filled with nutritious, delicious, and a diverse array of recipes. Winner of the 2013 James Beard Foundation Award for Publication of the Year, ChopChop is meant to inspire and teach kids to cook real food with their families. The mag also includes games and puzzles, interesting food facts, and interviews with “healthy heroes,” like professional athletes and White House chefs.
2 of 4
Muse
This magazine, for girls 9 and older, features nine cartoon characters, “The Muses,” who appear throughout the pages full of history, science, and the arts. In Muse magazine, kids will find quizzes, fun facts, and stories all wrapped into a fun underlying theme like alien life, pirates, and urban legend.
3 of 4
Kazoo
After raising a record amount of money from a Kickstarter campaign, Kazoo officially launches this fall. For girls ages 5 to 10, the mag inspires girls to be strong, smart, and full-on fierce in everything they do. Regular features will include things like science experiments, comics, art projects, recipes, and interviews with inspiring women from athletes to astronauts. And, if that wasn’t enough, every story will be either developed or inspired by incredible and powerful women.