(An) adult-approved version of teenage life enjoyed a major boost in the fall of 1941, when the publishers of Parents magazine launched Calling All Girls. Sold on newstands at 10 cents a copy, it was the first magazine to use bobby-soxer culture to attract a teenage audience. Shirley Temple and Judy Garland headed its junior advisory board (and offered tips on life as a "teener"); Benny Goodman authored an article on "Music as You Like It" for the bobby-soxer set; and the magazine featured advice columns, fashion news, and monthly reports of the latest high school fads to let young readers all over the country know what their counterparts were up to.

But the new magazine was less interested in reflecting actual teenage style than it was in setting a good example for teenagers. For instance, readers were regularly reminded to respect their elders, to put their leisure time to good use, and to act their age. They were also urged to maintain a fresh, wholesome style and to go easy on their makeup. "If we could all remember that the natural...look is the right one, we'd never wear too much lipstick, powder the wrong shade, nail polish too dark. Because any of these things look cheap," the editors insisted, "and glamour has nothing to do with looking cheap."