At one time men's magazines like GQ and Esquire had intelligent articles and a stuffy boy's club aura. Then came the turn of the century. With it came words like "dude" and porn so mild you checking it out.
In 1999 came a new crop of 'lad-mags' including Maxim, FHM, and Stuff. Using slang they blew a giant raspberry to women's lib oppressors, laughed at the old school boy's rags and it worked. They enjoyed a huge circulation and a new formula was born.
Before to long the old school magazines started slipping in a few "bros" and "dudes." Even Playboy started to water down their articles. Adding the formula was a way to ensure readership.
The Formula
3 scantily clad B-list starlets
1 two-hundred word sex advice feature
1 personal benefit/service feature
1 "gritty read"(legitimately researched, well written, and at the back of the magazine)
1 humor piece whose punch line might include the term "pierced taco"
By 2002 the peak had come with 2.5 million copies being paid for by men reading the likes of Maxim. Then the lite-porn market started to die just like bee colony collapse. By 2007 both FHM and Stuff were in the graveyard. Maxim held on but only by the publishers wallet holding it together.
Maxim is still using the tired out formula. The more 'sophisticated' magazines for men though are struggling to find their lost identities somewhere past puberty and manhood. But by the time they find they place will the sun have already set?
Dumbing Down The Man, Print Style
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