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So this is something that has been on the back of my mind for ages (at least a few years / through one or two relationships now) - I used to subscribe to Men's
by _s 13y ago
So this is something that has been on the back of my mind for ages (at least a few years / through one or two relationships now) -
I used to subscribe to Men's Health / Fitness, a Motorcycle Magazine and another tech one (T3 or stuff, I can't remember) - and they'd all be on the bookshelf (dozens and dozens spanning a couple of years).
Whenever my any of my previous significant other(s) would thumb through them - they would always comment on how much more practical and informative they were - literally everything was put there in some way to help you become a better person; from fitness tips and guides, to the business insider interviews and "lifestyle" hacks / articles, down to the insider information on upcoming gadgets / vehicles and what not.
These was in comparison not just to the top selling female magazines (Marie Claire / Cosmopolitan etc), but with the equivalent female magazines (Female Fitness etc). I haven't read any of these magazines recently (in about 3 years, since the onset of tablets and whatnot), so I can't comment on how they are now but it definitely came as a bit of a surprise to me to see how different they actually were - and how they actually continued to reinforce an incredibly old fashioned female stereotype; I don't know how else to describe it other than the "dumbing down" of information targeting females, and a subtle encouraging of various fashion / gadget trends that need to be followed to "keep up with the times".
I couldn't help but question it all, and wonder why women would actually buy them ... and then my mind would wander over to women's issue's and how magazines that make them question their image and self-worth, talk down to them and greatly encourage the whole celebrity / paparazzi environment whilst touting feminist ideals etc etc ... it's a whole other world that I am in no way equipped or educated enough to think about; a giant paradox thrown inside pandora's box.
- Peroni 13y agoI can't speak for the US but some of the top 'mens' magazines in the UK are disgraceful. FHM, Loaded, Nuts, et al. You mention how the top womens magazines "reinforce an incredibly old fashioned female stereotype", well these mens magazines are arguably worse considering the primary content is boobs, toilet humour and football.
- nailer 13y ago> I can't speak for the US but some of the top 'mens' magazines in the UK are disgraceful. FHM, Loaded, Nuts... Loaded and Nuts are 'lad mags' - 15 to 25. They're not for grown up men. The biggest, and by far the most profitable Man's Magazine is Men's health. It has a little tech, lots of workout/fitness stuff, a lot of diet stuff, and some fashion. (not sure if FHM still exists so can't comment there)
- collyw 13y agoI am close to 40 and I still like boobs and toilet humour. I don't buy these mags, because I find them pretty repetitive, having read them in my 20's.
- noir_lord 13y agoThey are not "disgraceful" anymore than anything else on the shelves is, You have magazines aimed at girls in their early teens discussing sexual techniques, you have magazines telling women if they are not a size 0 then nothing they do matters, you have magazines telling women that if they are not devastatingly good in bed their partners will cheat on them, you have magazines telling women their entire value lies in what they look/smell like and dress in. If anything is disgraceful those are disgraceful, by comparison "look at the tits on that" magazines are not, hell if you measured the body shape of the women in the "disgraceful" mags compared to Cosmo I wonder which one would have the most realistic average body type. Pornography is legal and they are not (under most definitions) even pornography and there is nothing wrong with sexual urges or wanting to see the naked human form.