Magazines are a direct reflection of unintentional American ideals. Women’s magazines set unrealistic expectations for the size and attitude of an American woman. Cosmopolitan, Harper’s Bazaar, Marie Claire, and Seventeen are all directed towards a similar demographic and share a similar range of advertising, circulation, and promotions.

The four magazines are aimed to females between the ages of 15 to 35 years old. Although this age democraphic is somewhat broad, the women who are most likely to subscribe are concerned with fashion and keeping up with what’s fresh in a modern day world. They contemplate the way that they live their lives and think about how other people will view them based on their way of living. Because of their enthusiasm for keeping up with the latest trends, it is no surprise that the advertisers of these magazines are trendy.

Cosmopolitan, Harper’s Bazaar, Marie Claire, and Seventeen all have a great deal of beauty products and clothing. Advertisers for the younger magazines such as Marie Claire and Seventeen promote more generic brands like American Eagle, whereas Harper’s Bazaar and Cosmopolitan tend to favor exclusive brands like Channel, Mark Jacobs, and Dior.
America absorbs the images that are idealized on television shows and the attributes that are represented by them. Cosmopolitan might promote itself by dedicating an issue to a TV show like the OC, or by placing a famous and well-respected actress on its cover. All four of these magazines are published by the Hearst Corporation.

These magazines can usually be purchased at convenience stores and are found in waiting rooms for hair salons, tanning spas, and nail salons. The magazines’ target demographic is the base supporter of these businesses, which drives how and where they sell magazines. Advertisers, publishers, and promotions are important in the magazine industry because they are the key ingredients to a single group of subscribers.