What It's Like To Intern At A Teen Magazine | The Odyssey Online
Start writing a post
Student Life

What It's Like To Intern At A Teen Magazine

Last week I got a pair of sunglasses with pictures of Sour Patch Kids all over them.

211
What It's Like To Intern At A Teen Magazine
Glamour

Hi, my name's Emily, and I intern two days a week at Girls' Life Magazine, where I write 3-5 articles a day for the magazine's website. You might've read the Girls' Life when you were a kid (it's for girls ages 9-16), or you might've heard about it from a recent scandal in which an angry dad at a library compared the cover of Girls' Life to the cover of Boys' Life and found it lacking (They're not affiliated in any way, and Boys' Life is published by the Boy Scouts of America as a trade magazine FYI!). Here's a picture of the comparison for reference:

As you can see from the tag at the bottom, even Amy Schumer got in on trashing the magazine's cover.

No matter what you know about the magazine, though, I can confirm that it's a fascinating, fun place to intern. Here are some surprising things I've experienced and learned since starting in January:

Just Because It's a Nationally-Distributed Magazine Doesn't Mean it Has a Large Staff

In the main office, located in Baltimore near Power Plant Live, there are 5 paid staffers who manage all of the content on the website and magazine, and one of them is the administrative assistant. That's it. Five people. There are, of course, a few people who write for the mag and don't work in the office, and the editor and chief deals with a few creative and business people in New York, but for the most part, 5 people decide and write almost everything.

I Intern With High Schoolers

Kids these days! Back when I was in high school, I was lucky to find work babysitting in my neighborhood. I definitely wasn't resume-building two days a week downtown. Working with crazy-talented high schoolers makes you realize there actually is hope for the next generation.

I Hear a Lot of Interesting Gossip

Want to know which current and former Disney and Nickelodeon stars are horrible people who've gotten tons of plastic surgery and refuse to be photographed on an entire side of their face? I know, but I'm not allowed to tell you.

I Get Free Stuff

Last week I got a pair of sunglasses with pictures of Sour Patch Kids all over them. This week I go a free pair of gloves, and my friend got some Axe body spray (Yes, they send products to a girls' magazine for some reason). We also get tons of beauty products sent to the magazine as samples. What doesn't get used gets sold off really cheap in an in-office beauty sale open to interns.

I Get to Listen to Famous People Talk to Your Boss

The other interns and I have transcribed interviews with Peyton List, Bella Thorne, Bethany Mota, Bailee Madison and Natasha Bure to name a few. Sure you might not watch their shows or listen to their music, but it's still cool to hear the inside stuff about being a child actor or musician that doesn't make the cut or is a little juicy for the magazine. Some interns even get to meet celebrities! One of my co-interns recently met Daya, and one of my friends who interned a few years ago assisted on the Ariana Grande photoshoot above.

My Writing Might Make it Into Print

I wrote some book blurbs that are going in the April/May edition (Check it out on shelves April 1st, guys!), and my boss got her start as an intern writing small pieces for the magazine.

Online Content is Extremely Important

Even though Girls' Life publishes every two months in print, the staff closely monitors online content performance. Quizzes are insanely popular, as well as poetry submitted by the magazine's online readers.

The editor and chief as Well as the Assistant Editors Read Comments on the Website and Know Certain Commenters by Name

If you think the internet is a cold and anonymous place, think again! We regularly talk about what got the most responses and how engaged commenters were on posts, sometimes even naming the frequent commenters who chimed in.

Report this Content
This article has not been reviewed by Odyssey HQ and solely reflects the ideas and opinions of the creator.
Featured

15 Mind-Bending Riddles

Hopefully they will make you laugh.

179271
 Ilistrated image of the planet and images of questions
StableDiffusion

I've been super busy lately with school work, studying, etc. Besides the fact that I do nothing but AP chemistry and AP economics, I constantly think of stupid questions that are almost impossible to answer. So, maybe you could answer them for me, and if not then we can both wonder what the answers to these 15 questions could be.

Keep Reading...Show less
Entertainment

Most Epic Aurora Borealis Photos: October 2024

As if May wasn't enough, a truly spectacular Northern Lights show lit up the sky on Oct. 10, 2024

6433
stunning aurora borealis display over a forest of trees and lake
StableDiffusion

From sea to shining sea, the United States was uniquely positioned for an incredible Aurora Borealis display on Thursday, Oct. 10, 2024, going into Friday, Oct. 11.

It was the second time this year after an historic geomagnetic storm in May 2024. Those Northern Lights were visible in Europe and North America, just like this latest rendition.

Keep Reading...Show less
 silhouette of a woman on the beach at sunrise
StableDiffusion

Content warning: This article contains descriptions of suicide/suicidal thoughts.

When you are feeling down, please know that there are many reasons to keep living.

Keep Reading...Show less
Relationships

Power of Love Letters

I don't think I say it enough...

451941
Illistrated image of a letter with 2 red hearts
StableDiffusion

To My Loving Boyfriend,

  • Thank you for all that you do for me
  • Thank you for working through disagreements with me
  • Thank you for always supporting me
  • I appreciate you more than words can express
  • You have helped me grow and become a better person
  • I can't wait to see where life takes us next
  • I promise to cherish every moment with you
  • Thank you for being my best friend and confidante
  • I love you and everything you do

To start off, here's something I don't say nearly enough: thank you. Thank you, thank you, thank you from the bottom of my heart. You do so much for me that I can't even put into words how much I appreciate everything you do - and have done - for me over the course of our relationship so far. While every couple has their fair share of tiffs and disagreements, thank you for getting through all of them with me and making us a better couple at the other end. With any argument, we don't just throw in the towel and say we're done, but we work towards a solution that puts us in a greater place each day. Thank you for always working with me and never giving up on us.

Keep Reading...Show less
Lifestyle

11 Signs You Grew Up In Hauppauge, NY

Because no one ever really leaves.

22983
Map of Hauppauge, New York
Google

Ah, yes, good old Hauppauge. We are that town in the dead center of Long Island that barely anyone knows how to pronounce unless they're from the town itself or live in a nearby area. Hauppauge is home to people of all kinds. We always have new families joining the community but honestly, the majority of the town is filled with people who never leave (high school alumni) and elders who have raised their kids here. Around the town, there are some just some landmarks and places that only the people of Hauppauge will ever understand the importance or even the annoyance of.

Keep Reading...Show less

Subscribe to Our Newsletter

Facebook Comments