At last, a more accessible version of People, one that relies more on photographs and less on the dense bundles of minuscule type and obscure references that so many potential readers have found imposing. Teen People is pretty much what could be expected of an attempt by the makers of People to grab a piece of the teen-mag market, although its pretensions of being something more is extremely irritating. In her introductory note, managing editor Christina Ferrari writes, "I promise to bring you a magazine that's different from anything else that exists for teens… One that takes you seriously and talks about the issues that matter most to you." One paragraph into the project, and already it sounds condescending. More of a problem is this statement: "Above all, this is a magazine about real people. That's why you won't see insanely perfect models in our beauty and fashion stories; instead, we'll have regular guys and girls showing off their individual style." This explains the "Star Wear" section, featuring Aaliyah, Missy Elliott and Puff Daddy; the "Style Watch" section, featuring shots of Reese Witherspoon and pop stars Robyn and Gwen Stefani wearing tank tops; and the "Get Gorgeous" piece, listing celebrities' and teens' favorite beauty projects. Admittedly, the "Street Style" pictorial does feature real teens, but most real teens don't look like slightly imperfect CK1 models—and, unless Taco Bell has recently raised its rate of pay, they can't afford $78 Polo turtlenecks and $99 Steve Madden shoes. Moreover, a "Then And Wow!" photo feature shows Claire Danes' transformation from "girlish to glamorous"—in which she gets thinner and more heavily made up with each passing year, and somehow loses her deep chin cleft—in the same issue as an article on group bulimia. Teen People is probably no better or worse than most teen magazines—and it does offer a venue for sadly neglected cult bands such as Hanson and The Spice Girls to reach a wider audience—but the genre itself is pretty frightening, and there's no need for the makers of People to bring more horrific material into the world.