''Modern Teen'' was a monthly American magazine for

working-class The working class is a subset of employees who are compensated with wage or salary-based contracts, whose exact membership varies from definition to definition. Members of the working class rely primarily upon earnings from wage labour. Most c ...

teens during the 1950s and 1960s.

History and profile

''P''ublished from 1957–1965, ''Modern Teen'' was one of the first magazines aimed at a teenage audience. It was published by Kimzey Publications, headed by

Lou Kimzey Lou Kimzey (Sr.) (1928-1997) was the creator and publisher of the biker magazines Easyriders and Iron Horse. Lou Kimzey was inducted into the Sturgis Motorcycle Hall of Fame in August 2009. History In the early 1970s, after his post as Creative ...

, who also edited it.

Chic Stone Charles Eber "Chic" Stone (January 4, 1923July 28, 2000)Charles E. Stone
at the Soc ...

was its artistic director, and Dick D'Agostin edited the dance column. Covers often featured popular musicians and actors such as

Elvis Presley Elvis Aaron Presley (January 8, 1935 – August 16, 1977) was an American singer and actor. Referred to as the "King of Rock and Roll", he is regarded as Cultural impact of Elvis Presley, one of the most significant cultural figures of the ...

and

Sandra Dee Sandra Dee (born Alexandra Zuck; April 23, 1942 – February 20, 2005) was an American actress. Dee began her career as a child model, working first in commercials and then film in her teenage years. Best known for her portrayal of ingénues ...

. It was based in

Hollywood, California Hollywood, sometimes informally called Tinseltown, is a List of districts and neighborhoods in Los Angeles, neighborhood and district in the Central Los Angeles, central region of Los Angeles County, California, within the city of Los Angeles. ...

. Commenting on ''Modern Teen'', ''Dig'', and other magazines that were popular in the 1950s, a contemporary sociologist writes, "In sharp contrast with the moralistic flavor of earlier youth magazines, the post-war group is distinguished by its portrayal of hedonistic values within an essentially amoral setting: the teen years are not ones of preparation for responsible adulthood, but of play and diversion.". The magazines were alternatives to the

middle-class The middle class refers to a class of people in the middle of a social hierarchy, often defined by occupation, income, education, or social status. The term has historically been associated with modernity, capitalism and political debate. Commo ...

messages of '' Seventeen''.

References

Monthly magazines published in the United States Defunct magazines published in the United States Magazines established in 1957 Magazines disestablished in 1965 Magazines published in California Defunct teen magazines published in the United States {{child-mag-stub