Tell me your zodiac sign, I tell you who you are – Horoscopes in teen magazines. The portrayal of horoscopes in German and American teenage girl’s magazines

Abstract

Even though it is common knowledge that astrology is not based on scientific evidence, a lot of people seem to care about it. For example, they read their horoscope on a daily, weekly or monthly basis. One way to get easy access to horoscopes is through media such as magazines. Depending on which magazines you are reading these astrological predictions may vary. Previous studies suggest that these differences can be explained either by different target groups, which have different socio-demographic backgrounds, or by different cultural background depending on a specific geographical region. Thus, not only media in general but also specific media outlets account for creating a certain reality. Focusing on young women’s magazine – which influence the development of teenage girls who read them – this study aims to find out how horoscopes are presented in the German Bravo-Girl and in the American Teen Vogue. A textual analyse was conducted on 24 horoscopes – one for each zodiac sign and each magazine. The findings suggest that romantic relationship, friendship, feelings and self-development were the most prevalent topics, whereas money was not mentioned at all. This could be explained by the varying importance of these topic for teenagers, mostly still living at home. Unexpectedly, technology and family do not play a big role even though they are part of teenager’s everyday life. Nevertheless, there could not be found any differences between the two magazines since Germany and the USA are both considered Western cultures with similar cultural backgrounds.