Magazine review – Faze

Magazine: Faze
Cover Story: The White Stripes
Publication Date: Spring 2006
Age Range: 13 - 18
Genre: Music / Celebrities / Current Events
Rating: 1 2 3 4 5

Comments: This is a Canadian magazine out of Toronto and directed towards teens. Faze claims to be Canada's #1 Teen Magazine. The vibe is very positive and enthusiastic, plus it deals with a number of topics rather than focusing just on music or beauty, as a number of magazines do. I feel like this magazine has something for everyone. There is a focus on music, investing, getting a job, the successes of other teens, and even prom. The graphics are engaging and the amount of text is not overwhelming, with varied fonts and sizes of text. Overall the magazine leans a bit toward female readers, with a section toward the back about makeup and accessories for prom, plus horoscopes. But it’s not a super-girly magazine.

The current events that are highlighted tend to be bizarre and unusual, like “Malaysian girl killed by lightning – while answering her cell phone” - very attention-grabbing! The news is presented in small snippets rather than full articles. The cover story about The White Stripes focuses on how Jack and Meg White have remained true to their artistic vision and their own personalities even though they’ve become very successful. Mentions of celebrities tend to focus on positive things they are doing, like founding charities or contributing to society in a meaningful way. A lot of the content comes from teens, who have been interviewed or surveyed for their opinions about what makes a great best friend, or how sex education should be handled in schools. The overall message is that everyone is unique and should value themselves for their own qualities rather then try to be thinner or different in some way.

Dates Read: 22 – 23 March