Opinion: Loss of Teen Vogue dilutes youth-aimed journalism, political consciousness
Column | Teen Vogue’s recent merger with Vogue brought layoffs to its politics and identity sections. Our columnist warns losing this youth-oriented platform hurts future generations’ abilities to think critically when it’s most needed. Jay Cronkrite | Contributing Illustrator
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On Nov. 3, Condé Nast announced Teen Vogue – a publication that was at the forefront of youth-centered journalism – will merge with Vogue.com. The company insists this transition is “part of a broader push to expand the Vogue Ecosystem.”
But behind the corporate gloss, there’s a much more unsettling reality: a quiet dismantling of one of the most politically engaged and youth-oriented platforms in mainstream media.
To truly understand the magnitude of this decision, it’s important to recall Teen Vogue’s decade-long transformation. In the mid-2010s, as traditional teen magazines struggled to find traction online, Teen Vogue reinvented itself.
What began as a fashion publication evolved into a fierce, politically conscious outlet that aimed to empower young girls. Their viral 2016 op-ed, “Donald Trump Is Gaslighting America,” was a clear marker of Teen Vogue’s shift. For many teens and young adults, Teen Vogue became a rare space where they were treated as intellectually capable and their concerns were taken seriously.
This is what makes Condé Nast’s announcement jarring. Due to the merger, the company gutted Teen Vogue’s politics and identity desks – the very sections that defined its influence. Most of the cut staffers were Black, Indigenous and people of color women or trans individuals, according to the Condé Nast employee union.
Now, the publication has zero editors dedicated to political reporting and only one woman of color remaining on staff. These aren’t merely incidental details: They point to the broader cultural and corporate forces shaping which stories are told, and who tells them.
For many teens and young adults, Teen Vogue became a rare space where they were treated as intellectually capable and their concerns were taken seriously.Navya Varma, Columnist
The company stated Teen Vogue will “remain a distinct editorial property, with its own identity and mission,” but this assurance feels incredibly hollow when the people who built the magazine have been removed. Eliminating the staffers responsible for the magazine’s social justice coverage sends an insidious message: Political journalism aimed at young people is now dispensable.
This pattern isn’t unique to Teen Vogue. In recent years, major media companies have repeatedly slashed politically investigative and identity-focused desks, especially those run by writers belonging to marginalized communities. Oftentimes, the moves are defended under the guise of business efficiency or audience consolidation, but the results remain the same.
Journalism that holds powerful people accountable continues to be among the first to be cut when budgets tighten. Teen Vogue’s fate fits within the troubling trend of depoliticizing youth media at a moment when young people are facing unprecedented political turbulence.
We’re living through climate disasters, book bans, anti-LGBTQ+ legislation, efforts to control women’s bodies, widespread censorship efforts and increasing political violence. Teen Vogue didn’t shy away from these issues, offering analysis and validation. The magazine affirmed that young people were not passive spectators in the world, but emerging agents within it.
Condé Nast’s explanation that Teen Vogue will benefit from a “unified reader experience” under the umbrella of Vogue ignores the stark differences between both publications’ priorities. Fashion and culture has always been at the forefront of Vogue’s coverage, but this never matched Teen Vogue’s allegiance to social and political critique.
Folding Teen Vogue into Vogue.com raises concerns that the magazine’s voice will be diluted into a more “digestible” form of youth media – one privileging aesthetics over accountability.
Former staffers have begun voicing concerns, noting that editorial diversity had already been shrinking before the merger was even announced. Others voiced concerns about whether Teen Vogue’s archives would remain accessible.
At a time when attacks on the press, education and critical thinking are intensifying, Teen Vogue’s merger is a warning, hinting at a future where politically challenging reporting from young readers becomes scarce, in favor of more so-called palatable content.
If we care about ensuring that the youth have access to justice-centered reporting, we can’t accept this quiet silencing as inevitable. Teen Vogue taught a generation to interrogate power, and losing that voice to a merger is a loss for the next generation’s ability to question and think critically in a world that increasingly prefers they remain silent.
Navya Varma is a freshman majoring in political science. She can be reached at navarma@syr.edu.
