Essay: Male magazines’ influence on ‘modern man’ and masculinity

In today’s society, men and woman are bombarded by the media in all aspects of life. The overall idea of masculinity has shifted over the years, in reflection of the change of media culture around us. With the emergence of online media and the impact that this has on the ideals surrounding masculinity, magazines has somewhat lost its overall influence on men and the ideals that they once portrayed. However, male specific magazines, online or print, still do have some power to captivate men and present encouragement to its readers on what a modern man should look or be like.
Contemporary lifestyle magazines for men are still often interpreted in relation to wider shifts in the representation of masculinity, from traditional depictions of the ‘masterful, silent, strong man’ from the 70’s, through to the ‘sensitive, nurturing, caring’ portrayals of the 1980’s, to the ‘New Lad’ of the 1990’s as a ‘lark about, beer swigging, football mad lout.’ (Hill, 2001:44). Over the past 5 years, with the dissolving of typical ‘lad mags’ from the print market such as FHM and Zoo, the portrayals of masculinity have now started to incorporate ideals from all previous generations, as males seem to have an ambiguous vision of what it means to be a man in this ever changing media environment.
Even though many have moved to a more online presence, some key publications are still evident in the male magazine market, most notable GQ and Men’s Heath. As described by Gauntlett (2002:73) magazines offer new models of male identity to men. Men are now increasingly encouraged towards self-awareness than ever before, via the impacts of the various women’s movements that have occurred over the years, as well as the gay movements which have challenged the hegemonic notions of modern heterosexual masculinity. Men look to magazines for guidance on trends that have impacted the society around them and how they can the incorporate or represent this change into their life. This development, a theme of the ‘New Man’, has shown that encouragement of men to look at themselves and other men, as men, is the product of a redefinition of masculinity (Chapman, Rutherford, 1998:81). This theme shows men as vehicles for a new, ‘all consuming’ form of masculinity, which encourages men to spend time and money on developing consumer orientated attitudes and practices from shopping to leisure activities and to enjoy their own masculinities. More men now live alone or do not have children, and this freedom can have an impact on the lifestyle they have or wish to possess. Some have said that there is a crisis of masculinity happening in this century, but it seems men have more freedom than ever to express what they believe to be the ideals of modern masculinity.
The content of contemporary magazines also encourages this ideal of a modern man with the freedom of money to spend. As Christopher Lasch comments, “advertisement in male magazines serves not so much to advertise products as to promote consumption as a way of life. It educates the masses into an unappeasable appetite not only for goods but for new experiences and personal fulfilment” (1991: 2).
This way, the wide catalogue of goods presented in the magazine –including products such as fashion, accessories, beer, technology, nutritious food, cologne, etc.– can be understood as a way in which the reader is provided with a variety of goods that help him to perform effectively in society by expressing his identity in physical terms. Men are understood as consumers whose maleness can be emphasized by the purchase of certain products. Therefore, the main goal of modern male magazines is to encourage and perpetuate “high spending” (Edwards, 2004: 74). Consequently, this notion of material worth, performs as the perfect complement for the philosophy proposed by the magazine; while men are encouraged to work in private, they are expected to show the results of the time and money invested in their appearance in public. This aspect highlights the importance of the consumption culture in shaping the representations of masculinity portrayed in magazines, where there are new markets for the constant reconstruction of masculinity.
Whilst the materialistic component of male magazines is important, it is notable that male magazines can still promote somewhat of a ‘laddish culture’. Barbara Ehrenreich (1983: 42) argued that early lifestyle magazines such as Playboy, had advocated sexual hedonism, pleasurable consumption and a refusal of domestication – qualities evident in both contemporary men’s magazines now. This combination of sexual content with the promotion of a broader masculine lifestyle focused on youth and the bachelor lifestyle, which therefore can be seen as the precursor and template for modern men’s magazines (Osgerby, 2001:45). The theme of the ‘New Lad’ was established with magazines such as Loaded and FHM, incorporating many of the conventions of top-shelf titles, both in terms of their visual style and content, reworking the spirit of Playboy’s ‘bachelor hedonism’ for a new younger audience (Mc’Nair, 2002:48). Magazines such as these, where an attempt to override the message of feminism happening at the time, promoting a laddish world, where women were sex objects, and changes in gender roles could be dismissed with an ironic joke.
With this notion in mind, irony is a crucial tactic used by publications. Men primarily go to read magazines for things such as sport, travel, science and business. Men would only read magazines about themselves if you gave them the information in the right context, being humorous and never taking itself too serious. With articles written tongue and cheek, irony would provide a protective layer between lifestyle information and the readers, so that men don’t have to feel patronised or inadequate. Men are now encouraged to ‘open-up’ previously repressed aspects of their masculinity, and this way magazines signify the potential for this change (Stevenson et al 2004: 175).
Nowadays the male magazine culture has been affected by the intolerance towards the promotion of pornography and misogynistic messages in mainstream publications such as FHM and Loaded. However, the misogyny that typifies these publications hasn’t disappeared; it’s just been shifted online. This is evident with Manchester-based publisher 65twent, pulling in millions of views every week through its channels The Lad Bible and Sport Bible. Marketing director Mimi Turner stated that, “Our community sends in over a 1,000 submissions a day in the hope of getting on The Lad Bible and being heroes in front of their mates, whether it is builders doing pranks on each other, a guy jumping through a wall pretending to be The Incredible Hulk, or Sunday League soccer players showing off their sporting skills — or lack of them,”. This showcases that men still portray this ‘laddish’ lifestyle and more than ever, there is this intensification to act in more of a typical stereotypical masculine way, such as being the hero and showing off to friends, or even to impress females.
Other ways masculinity is encouraged by male magazines, is the idea of the body being an ‘unfinished project’ (Jackson et al, 2009:91). Particularly, Men’s Health, gives this idea that the male body is something that can be disciplined, thus warding off stress, uncertainty and male decline. This ideal of the body being the ultimate in male masculinity, showcases that men have the need to care about appearance and the idealistic look of a modern man, and the psychology of positive thinking. A toned, healthy body is a way of showing others that a man is comfortable in his masculinity, something that has shifted over the years, as more judgment is being put on men’s appearance by the media, and the perceptions of the ideal man.
Where the magazine market was once rife with male targeted magazines, the decline of print based publications shows the downmarket drift of men seeking these publications, in search of encouragement of what it is to be a man. The market did once rely on the bawdy porn conventions of men and typical lad characteristics, to appeal to this nature and sell magazines full of women with their tops off. However, since the emergence of online content, men have found themselves with a new wave of information, which was once segregated to a derogatory form. Men are now concerned with style and grooming, and this maybe because men do not have the need to subvert to a typical male stereotype and have the freedom to express what they believe to be the ideal in modern masculinity. Magazines used to reflect a fear of intimacy or commitment (Stevenson et al, 2000:172) but now they encourage men not to be too self-contained and express himself fully in his relationships. Men will forever be shifting towards different forms of masculinity, and will continue to do so in this evolving media sphere.