To ask MIL not to by 12yr old Elle Magazine?

[chocoLit]

Seriously? Am I? Not sure if I'm just being over tired & previous but DD literally just turned 12. MIL doesn't see them for months at a time so very little understanding of our parenting choices/style. Has bought her Elle Magazine whilst out today and it's not something I would normally let her read. I need a more rational opinion than mine as It has been a loooooong few weeks.

If that's the worst she reads you are very lucky, don't over dramatise things, the internet offers up things that makes 'Elle' look like a child's comic!

I don't think one elle magazine is going to harm her. Your MIL misjudged what was of interest to your average 12 year old, but if you also had a >16 year old daughter she probably would have had access to similar anyway.

By 12 I had occasionally read my mum's 'Woman' and 'Woman's own', and my brother's V for Victory comics, Punch magazine, Private Eye, Fat Freddie's cat comics and a porn mag me and my friends found under a stone (!) and lots of other things that weren't specifically aimed at 12 year old girls. And some magazine aimed at maybe late teens early 20s that a neighbour passed on that belonged to her daughter that had picture stories including one where her boyfriend hit her. Most of the content of most of them was of little interest to me.

She'll probably find most of it pretty dull. Women's glossy magazines are pretty dull.

There's not a lot in Elle apart from adverts. There was a nice interview with Chelsea Clinton last month but that's hardly going to corrupt her.

I'd be thanking my lucky stars it wasn't shallow misogynisitic bollocks like Heat or faux-feminist sex-centred Cosmo.

Elle is tame.

From what I recall, ELLE is quite fashion-centric and is mainly about clothes.

When I was 12 magazines aimed at young teenagers like bliss etc were usually full of nonsense about boys, with a few slightly gruesome real-life stories thrown in for good measure.

I haven't bought ELLE for years but iirc there's nothing unsuitable as such.

Is there a particular article in it you'd rather her not read?

I think i was reading Jackie at 12. Happy days.

My dd (14) would probably flick through Elle for 10 seconds and then discard it. Your MIL has hardly bought her FSOG has she? I think you need to get a bit of a grip if i'm being honest.

There is Elle Girl aimed at 12 year olds- was it definitely not that? Maybe she bought it by mistake?

Elle is more thoughtful than most mags!

Thanks all.

Was just asking turningvioletviolet was hardly having a rage & tearing house down so getting a grip hardly necessary

Genuinely interested to hear what you think might be unsuitable OP? Just fashion and the odd celeb interview surely? Mind you, I read complete works of Jilly Cooper at 12, and i've turned out ok

I wouldn't be happy, but I agree with others I would be more unhappy with Cosmopolitan (vomit emoticon?).

12 is too young for fashion magazines and all their nonsense.

Like Waffley I recall picking up my Mum's Woman, Womans Own, Weekly and a few others (names now escape me) . I have vague memories of buying Elle and like somebody said I thought it was more a fashion type mag ? May be wrong though

Certainly you can choose when you want her to read Elle magazine in future. I wouldn't be angry about it because I can imagine my own grannie buying me a magazine with no idea that my mother wouldn't like it. Just quietly tell her it's a bit adult and you've decided to hold off on that sort of thing for a couple of years.

You're the parent, your call. Personally, I think you're probably right. Our culture is sending teenage girls so many harmful messages, you may as well try to limit them a bit.

Bet your Mil bought it cos of the free gift of lip gloss or whatever that was included.

Have you actually looked through it OP before deciding to get worked up or did you just assume it would be unsuotable (a fashion mag so Ive no idea how it would be) for a 12yo?

Why would you need to look through Elle before deciding it's unsuitable for a 12 year old? Even if Elle is considered the "thinking-woman's" fashion magazine (is it? haven't read it in years) I still wouldn't think it's suitable for a 12 year old. Because it's a fashion magazine.

Why wouldn't a 12 year old be interested in fashion?

Did your dd enjoy it?

Why cant a 12 yo enjoy fashion?!

Don't be rediculous, it's a magazine, she's 12 at secondary school, I really can not see what the fuss is about.

I think you are overreacting, I used to read my mum's Cosmo mags at that age, and they can have some quite inappropriate things for an under 16 year old. Elle magazine has a 'younger' version as pointed out, but generally it's just a bit of fashion an talk in the older version anyway, can't remember it being very riske? Isn't it what many young girls are into?

Did she ask for it? At that sort of age I used to love glossy magazines - I covered all my school books in covers from them - it was Honey in those days - and did a primitive form of laminating to protect them - strips of thick Sellotape .

Elle is mainly fashion. Harmless, I think, though I suppose it could give you the impression that paying £1,000 for a skirt is reasonable.

And there's body image from the models. Mmm. A worry but I think you can probably negotiate around it.

When Elle first came to Britain in the early 80s I'd buy it every month. They used to do pull-out recipe cards at the back that I still have. A nod to their French roots. It's been a long time since they've done that . I think the official policy is to pretend food doesn't exist.

I don't buy them any more but when I'm at the dentist I look through.

Unlike others I like the adverts best of all because they give me ideas about make up and hair and clothes I might try to find outside Louis Vuitton.

I haven't over reacted or gone off ono one at all.

She isn't at high school. Yet.
I haven't read it, no. It was late I was tired & thought I'd ask because I don't read magazines.

We're not precious about our three daughters but are trying to raise them with more than make up/clothes & boys in mind.

I'll look at it later when I get home.

My friend who works in fashion says it's mainly adverts & over priced clothing HOWEVER she already believes she has fat legs so why wouldn't I want her NOT to look at magazines with only size modelclothing.

Thank you for all reasoned responses.

And if I was being ridiculous I'd at least spell it correctly when doing it.

I wasn't allowed to read Just Seventeen or Mizz when I was 14, OP.

My mother picked up a random copy I'd left lying around - that'll teach me! - and leafed through it absentmindedly. Probably thought it was a slightly more grown up version of Bunty.

I think - TMI alert! - that problem page that week featured the letter from the 12 year old anorexic who wanted to know the calorie content of semen.

I was trying to think what magazines for teenage girls aren't boys/clothes obsessed. I don't think there are any.

Would she like the National Geographic?