women and men in print journalism
B.H.Speaker (bhs0732@unix.tamu.edu)
Fri, 08 Aug 1997 10:26:57 -0500 (CDT)
I think it a neglected although important point that _Hustler_,
_Penthouse_, etc., are not what many men would claim as theirs. There are
many magazines which are marketed toward men and published with men in
mind, but do not feature as a selling point the exploitation of women's
sexuality, _P.O.V._, _Men's Health_, _Esquire_, _GQ_ just to name a few.
Some of these magazines even publish (gasp) original fiction on a regular
basis.
Not for a minute do I suppose that these volumes are any less capable of
promoting unhealthy stereotypes than "women's magazines", however, I
believe that they are a better examples for the term "men's magazines"
than are _Hustler_ and _Penthouse_.
It seems a reoccurring theme on this thread that the posting men
disapprove of what advice "women's magazines" sell to their readers. Many
of the more "respectable" magazines I mentioned earlier also sell advice
regarding sex and relationships. What I find interesting is that many of
them have sex advice columns written by women. When I ran on to this for
the first time, I thought it markedly appropriate. (The best one I saw was
when the magazine had the male and female sex columnists go on a date
with each other and their resulting columns were printed side by side.)
The question I would pose to our female list recipients is "Do these
`women's magazines' magazines give a male perspective on advice about men,
and if not, Why?"
I also think it important to point out that not all magazine columnists
are out to get you. I am sure that many are altruistic in their goals and
intentions. I am also sure that many are as blindly led by the
sociological forces around us as anyone else. It is not my intention to
admonish the writers of print journalism. I have even written a few
articles myself.
Your thoughts,
Ben