Why the closure of 'Teen Vogue' is a bigger deal than you realize
Alyssa GoldbergRIP “Teen Vogue,” or at least “Teen Vogue” as we know and love it.
“Vogue” announced on Nov. 3 that the 22-year-old offshoot would be folded into the flagship brand’s website, laying off 70% of the staff, including editor-in-chief Versha Sharma.
The magazine launched in 2003 as a younger sister to "Vogue," originally focusing on fashion and celebrity gossip. In the mid-2010s, “Teen Vogue” rebranded as a politically aware and socially engaged platform, empowering young activists and their perspectives on social justice.
The loss of “Teen Vogue” as an independent publication reflects a larger trend: the decline of dedicated, in-between spaces for teens and tweens. Older Gen Zers and Millennials had stores like Limited Too and a slew of media offerings just for them, but tweens today have little beyond influencers and algorithms.
Online influencers fill the gap, but without oversight
When I texted my group chat to share the news, one friend replied, “What shall the tweens read?”
Growing up, we looked to J14 Magazine, Tiger Beat, Teen Vogue and teen-centric storefronts to know what was trendy. We had an abundance of brands that recognized we were not quite kids, but not quite ready for adult styles and media. And while today’s teens have unlimited access to online influencers, digital journalism, TikTok and Roblox, they are missing curated spaces to engage with culture safely and thoughtfully.
Youth culture has become algorithm-driven, shaped by platforms that reward virality over authenticity. Without dedicated spaces for tweens and teens, young people are pushed prematurely into the adult media landscape.
'Teen Vogue took young people seriously'
Like many young journalists, "Teen Vogue" was my first “big” byline. As an undergrad studying global public health and applied psychology — very distinctly not journalism — it was my first time working with an editor at a major publication. I had three friends read the first draft before filing it because I was so nervous. The learning experience was invaluable, and seeing my article on the site’s homepage felt like the start of a "real" journalism career.
I always felt that the "teen" label kept people from realizing how impactful their journalism was (in part, because society is quick to deem anything teen girls are passionate about as childish or unserious), when in reality, I always admired the publication. In real time, I noticed the expansion from fun articles to also carefully-reported, smart features. Shuttering the magazine as an independent brand feels like giving into that — sending a false message that journalism specifically for (and by) young people isn't that important.
Sharma shared a statement on Nov. 5 on Instagram. "I'm so grateful for every opportunity, every chance to speak with young people... and to tap into and start real, meaningful conversations," she wrote.
On X, journalists have posted in flocks mourning the brand’s independence.
“Teen Vogue was one of the first places to commission my writing,” journalist Amber X. Chen posted on X. “They took my ideas seriously, even though I was still in high school at the time. A huge loss.”
“Teen Vogue took young people seriously," wrote reporter Rainesford Stauffer. "It's impossible to overstate how important, how rare, and how profoundly needed that is.”