My Best Friend's Exorcism

Magazines and related quizzes symbolize The Challenges of Adolescence, as well as the inadequate solutions of adult society. For example, Abby has acne but can’t afford dermatology. She tries all the skincare products advertised in teen fashion magazines, none of which help. As a “solution,” Abby settles for spending 30 minutes a day applying makeup, which does not treat her skin, but hides the “problem” from others. Ignoring and concealing problems are framed as adult “solutions,” lessons that adults instill in adolescents—lessons that only maintain reputation. However, this is not an effective strategy to address problems at their core. Likewise, Abby and Gretchen’s magazines fail to provide realistic solutions, but they live in a world run by adults and try to survive within its rules. They constantly read magazines and take their quizzes, demonstrating their commitment to adulthood—even with its growing pains.

In Chapter 15, a friendship quiz is interspersed throughout the narrative, illustrating the bizarre structure of the adult world and breakdown of Abby’s friendships. The quiz offers four multiple-choice answers per question, as if life’s questions have fixed, limited answers. The choices are meant to represent four types of people, but this is reductive because people are complex. Thus, magazine quizzes symbolize an “adult” urge to simplify life’s problems, which risks ignoring or misunderstanding problems, leading to ineffective solutions.