Easy ways to improve Men's Magazines.

January 28, 2005 9:44 AM

Easy ways to improve Men's Magazines. Ever notice that the content in men's magazines such as GQ and Men's Health seems a bit vapid? Perhaps they could learn a thing or two from this list of suggested additions. More sharks, less cologne ads. Sounds better already, doesn't it? Now if only they could have Stallone personally deliver the copies to my door. Looks like he could use the work anyway.
posted by kingmissile (14 comments total)

This closely describes Maxim and Stuff. There are quite a few magazines like this on the newsstand nowadays.
posted by boymilo at 9:51 AM on January 28, 2005

Talk about easy targets. Sheesh.

Next up, "Trees, why are they so hard to climb? Why don't they have ladders or something!?"
posted by zpousman at 9:54 AM on January 28, 2005

When I was in England I noticed pretty much every magazine on the newsstand gave away something free with the magazine. Pet magazines gave away sample bags of pet food, women's magazines gave away various things (sunglasses, tote bags, cosmetic bags, books, flip-flops, tank tops, you name it). I didn't really look at the men's magazines but I assume they did the same thing. The prices were around what a US magazine would cost. I always wondered why American magazines don't do the same thing.
posted by SisterHavana at 9:55 AM on January 28, 2005

A magazine in Amsterdam is giving away pot seeds. I don't want to think about what the equivalent would be for a so-called mens magazine.
posted by alms at 9:58 AM on January 28, 2005

Thanks for the great link, I love the suggestions. I think I'm going to get some friends together and throw together a grass roots mail-assault at the manlymags for more manly content.

This reminds me of my surprise when I first tuned in to Spike TV--TV for men. Chalk full of ...MacGyver and Star Trek? Never saw that coming.
posted by ThePrawn at 10:00 AM on January 28, 2005

I don't want to think about what the equivalent would be for a so-called mens magazine.

K-Y Jelly. Or maybe a jelly donut. Or both.
posted by psmealey at 10:02 AM on January 28, 2005

K-Y Jelly. Or maybe a jelly donut. Or both.

Or a K-Y Jelly donut.
posted by stonerose at 10:08 AM on January 28, 2005

Men's magazines are just like women's magazines, shiny and filled with pretty pictures of impossible people.

I stopped reading Maxim, Stuff, FHM and all the other man's mags a couple of years ago.

I think one of them did have a sort of MacGuyverisms thing going for a bit but people kept using them to prank co-workers and other people who didn't think it was very funny.

PSMealey, a K-Y jelly filled donut? Ewww! On preview, what stonerose said!
posted by fenriq at 10:09 AM on January 28, 2005

I always thought Men's Health was really targeted towards gay men with the pictures, and just threw in some 'sex with the girls' type stuff to appeal to the straight guys.

But lately, the guys just haven't been that hot, and the advice has been missing... so who's buying it now?
posted by benjh at 10:13 AM on January 28, 2005

FEWER cologne ads.
posted by DenOfSizer at 10:55 AM on January 28, 2005

Chalk full of...

No, no, dear god no.
posted by majcher at 11:00 AM on January 28, 2005

I read Men's Health, and something bothers me about it. Jimmy the Bartender and Terry the Barkeep (in the US and UK versions, respectively) get nearly the same letters and give almost the same answers every month. The only differences are word like "guy" versus "bloke" and stuff like that.

Do you think they might not be real beer-dispensing sages, and are instead some jerk in an office and a copy editor on another continent? Because if Jimmy's not real, I'll feel cheated!
posted by Mayor Curley at 11:20 AM on January 28, 2005

Wouldn't we all like that, fandango_matt.
Wouldn't we all.


I always thought of GQ as having better quality writing than the average rack fodder, but then again, I haven't seriously look ed at an issue since Mordecai Richler died, so they could easily be slipping.

I always thought of all the hard-abs-&-cocks rags like Men's Health or Stuff (as well as the handbags-&-handjobs ones like, oh, Cosmo and Allure) as the worst kind of pornography: they exploit their target market by isolating them from the very group that their audience is trying to connect with, and by marketing an largely-unnatainable physical and lifestyle ideal back at their own victims.

In comparison, at least Hustler isn't marketed to 16-year-old girls.
posted by chicobangs at 11:37 AM on January 28, 2005

I always thought of all the hard-abs-&-cocks rags like Men's Health... by marketing an largely-unnatainable physical and lifestyle ideal back at their own victims.

I have to agree with that. Even though Muscle and Fitness is largely a vehicle for diet ads and penis enhancement pills, it does contain good articles on workout techniques and generally provides sound advice (you just have to ignore the ads). Men's Health is worthless by comparison.
posted by psmealey at 12:36 PM on January 28, 2005