4 quintessential Men's Magazines and their trademarks.

In the Internet, we can find a myriad of blogs, online magazines and websites aimed at men. But there are only handfuls that are extremely interesting in trying to analyze the conceptions of masculinity today. Mainstream magazines (that is the most popular ones) are perhaps a better source to understand the condition of masculinity today.

Some of the magazines listed below are based on a printed edition; some others are only based online. Yet I am not interested in their history or numbers. The interesting thing to see is what they offer to their audience, and what type of masculinity they embrace.

Askmen.com: Let me educate you.

Askmen.com is perhaps the most complete source of entertainment and advice found in the web. It has articles on cars, sexuality, dating, family, style, work and a long etc. Askmen.com’s motto is “Helping. Educating. Entertaining.”, which lays the land immediately about what its style will be. These portal is one of the most interesting in order to understand what men want or what is expected from men. Looking at their sections, it immediately assumes an educated, attractive, open minded and sensitive man from its reader. In summary, an up and coming man who is looking forward to make the best of his life. The goal of Askmen.com is to become an absolute source of help, companion for the men the portal is addressed to. It has an extensive database on how to become more successful with women, how to be a better father, what to make of your life, on personality traits and the list goes on, emphasizing constantly on the “Educating” and “Helping” part of their motto, as a guide for everyday life, the main concept? Be a better man. Interestingly enough, it combines articles that show either a misogynistic conception of women as much as a laudatory one. Despite its target share, it could be said that this magazine has something somewhere that will be representative of all types of modern men.

Maxim: Boys will be boys.

Maxim’s online version relies heavily on the galleries and videos of attractive women, becoming this part one of their trademarks. Aimed at a wider audience that Askmen.com, it is focused on providing entertainment or circling around the media, rather than giving advice on life. Its main sections are divided into topics like “Girls” “Humors”, “Music” etc. Women are portrayed mainly as sexual objects, though making use of a language that constantly praises the virtues of these or that celebrity posing for the camera. The style of the language used, in general, is much rougher and vulgar than that of other magazines, making use of a simple sense of humor and appealing to more basic concepts. Maxim basically works as a feast for the men’s eyes, never diverting much from the main line. It assumes a much less educated reader; portraying men as party animals, indulging in stereotypical visions of women and men and sticking to what it assumes are the main interests of men: Girls, Technology and Leisure. In all fairness, the humor section sometimes addresses some more complex topics, but it never refrains too much from mainstream pop culture.

GQ: The guide of the cool men

GQ is a trendsetter between man, but definitely appeals to a much more limited reader: A very educated, affluent, style-conscious and tasteful man. It is centered mostly on style and fine living articles, but of course including a section on “Girls” and entertainment. The interesting thing is that the kind of entertainment it will review for its readers: Popular yet critically acclaimed films, delicatessen music, High Literature Books, etc. The magazine is concerned on providing advice for a masculine image that is resourceful as it is cultured. It is a magazine for the quintessential modern man. Even the women that are portrayed in the magazine are of a better “class” if that could be said: Top Models, recognized actresses; never a reality TV star. This underlies that the image of man it portrays considers women much more in terms of equality, if its models are sexualized, it is only done in a way that is the least denigrating possible, always procuring to make artistic photo shoots. In a certain way, it is a masculine counterpart to Vogue (from the same publishing house) in what matters to the level of the overall product.

Cracked.com: The complexity of humor.

Though not explicitly a Men’s Magazine, it transpires that they are the main target of this online portal. Is a comedy website, that covers a plethora of themes with humor, including a staff of permanent columnists. It treats topics of pop culture as much as it treats themes of history. Their sense of humor is a particularly acid and combative one. It is interesting to see that one of its most recurring topics is that of the so called “badass” (everything from a movie, individuals or even nations can be considered as such in this website). The popularity of these types of articles remits once again to the need of man today to reencounter with traditional values of masculinity. The contribution of Cracked.com is in the style: the use of humor and hyperboles makes the most negative parts of this theme to be disguised by a clever language, but at the same time, not taking anything really seriously. Cracked.com has in mind a very non-conformist man (and woman for that matter) in sight, with articles that, every once in a while, deal with complex themes in a very insightful way without losing the witty sense of humor. The image of man they portray is a very complex one behind all its lack of seriousness. Is an interesting site from which to analyze masculinity, and one to keep in mind as it has become progressively more popular.

Male Icons: James Bond

Perhaps he is the ultimate fantasy of men all over the world. It is needless to say why. It is very likely that enjoying only one of the many experiences Bond has had will be enough to satisfy any regular man's aspirations (whether it is the adventures, the girls or even the cars). But at the end, he belongs within the circle of traditional male models.

He is a womanizer, cynical, an adrenaline addict, a reckless murderer, usually causing an enormous amount of damage despite he is supposed to have noble goals, and he is at the service of an empire.

He stands as the other face of the coin, opposite Clint Eastwood's characters. He is also a "knight", devoting his life to constantly saving the world from one adventure to the other. But he never seems to be particularly affected for his actions, neither he seems to take it as a chore to say the least. This is what men fantasize with. The important thing about his figure is not why he does his missions, but the experience of the mission. It is a fantasy, that allows regular man to dream of what it would be to have that kind of life.

It shows that underlying in the human imaginary, there is a constant desire to live the adventure, to walk in the sandals of the heroes (in their many faces throughout time), in contrast to a plain, boring life. Moral is also left aside, men go for the glamour and an image of absolute success.

We know little about Bond's life outside of a mission. In theory, it is irrelevant. He is there to represent the embodiment of every single masculine fantasy. He is impervious to vulnerability, suave, and manages to slip away, impervious.

Male Icons: George Clooney.

Admired by both men and women alike, George Clooney has worked his way into one of the most charismatic celebrities of the last years, becoming successful both as an actor and as a filmmaker, while being regularly selected in the lists of most desirable men.

He can be seen as a figure similar to that of the leader of a gang of boys, the magnetic person who gets along with everybody as soon as he enters the room. He symbolizes the aspiration of every man, to be in the top of the social structure, a place earned through nothing but charm, people's skills and intelligence.

So far, the previous mentions things that men have always looked forward. But Clooney has two traits of his public image that are symbolic of the new components of the masculine identity: His well known condition of a relentless bachelor and his charity work.

As a bachelor nearing his fifties, Clooney contributes to the idea that a man could prove himself worthy without having to settle down in the conservative frame of raising a family, as a sign of virility. Of course, his life is something any man could fantasize with. But beyond that, he is a symbol that the modern man can look forward for something else than settling down at a certain age in your life.

But upon all, what makes him stand out the most is his condition of a committed philanthropist. Is one of the greatest qualities that are expected from men today. Though showing interest for humanity is considered a virtue in Modernity, in a deeply interconnected yet atomized world, being aware of the injustices is something that becomes extremely appreciated. In that sense, Clooney establishes as an integral role model for other men.

Male Icons: Barack Obama.

He is possibly the embodiment of how a modern man should be. Leaving aside the difficulties he has experienced lately, he is the personification of the alpha male. He is portrayed as an attractive, magnetic, open minded, fluent and brilliant man; the innate leader. His meteoric career of course contributes to this image he has in society, but not as much as the comparisons that could be established between him and George W. Bush. The latter has fallen completely of flavor, portrayed as an incompetent and arrogant man. Obama has stood up as the cool man, the one who is in control of himself and of his surroundings without using any display of war. He has taken the role of a conciliating man, especially in his efforts to change U.S. foreign policy. This is an extremely important trait of what he represents as a masculine image. Is an extremely important feature of the new masculinity: The capacity to balance and mediate.

Obama is also a family father, a devout husband, and athletic person… the list could go on. He is a symbol of admiration. It is interesting to notice that a politically liberal man has been chosen to represent the prototype of the modern man. It implies that also the modern man should align himself with progressive ideals, or at least, keep himself up with an always changing world.

Obama represents the man that manages to balance out all the aspects of his life and comes out successful out of it, while contributing to his world.

Male Icons: Clint Eastwood.

This section is dedicated to analyzing briefly iconic male figures as to what they symbolize for the masculine image. Two posts will be devoted to representatives of traditional masculinity and another two to representatives of modern masculinity.

An irrefutable symbol and long lasting icon of the film industry, Clint Eastwood has become a staple of traditional male models in the culture. He is the face behind two quintessential models of the toughened action man: The Man with No Name, from “The Good, the Bad and the Ugly”, and Dirty Harry, from the homonym movie series.

His usual acting roles, those of an expressionless, grumpy, aggressive and lonely man, appeal strongly to a rooted desire of men to be able to live apart from society, exercising his freedom of movement and avoiding attaching strings… and being successful at it. In the case of Dirty Harry, the concept of the man who takes the law into his own hands is a common place in much of the pop culture.

The impotence that men feel as the streets are plagued by vice has its sublimation in the figure of the vigilante. Dirty Harry represents the man who is brave enough to face crime himself, the one who has really become a man. Ethic once again does not come at play in here. Clint Eastwood represents the stoic, impenetrable and cold image of the man as a fighter, the one who can protect.

The price to pay? Inability to connect with then inner world, incapacity to be open to others. When the emotions come at play, they only express themselves as a newfound vulnerability, which a man should learn how to balance with his “tough” guy attitude. This is the contrast shown in one of Eastwood’s latest movies “Gran Torino”.

These links are to other interesting videos about Clint Eastwood.

The classic "Do you feel lucky?" scene from Dirty Harry.

An interesting summary of "Gran Torino".

A scene from "The Good, the Bad and the Ugly"

3 things Men want to have (according to men's magazines)

Looking at the articles we can find in the online versions of Men’s Magazines, we can interpret “how” men want to be, which is at the same time, what is expected and demanded from them all over the world. But the interesting factor in Men’s Magazines is that these seem to combine resourcefulness in advice (on as many subjects as imaginable) with the desire to entertain and encourage men towards ideal prototypes. Their main weapon is a style that appeals to them in a horizontal and amusing way.

We can draw conclusions from these magazines as to what are the desires and aims of men, even in the most informal and humorous of these. The most important of these aspirations can be summed in these concepts.

Allure.

Allure as the desire to become a man who can be attractive in what matters to his style, his manners, his magnetism, etc. Is the idea of having the certain “golden touch” or “aura” around oneself, becoming a person that is outstanding amongst others and admired, both by women and men.

In the case of men (as of course, this quality is desired by any person, sex aside) the desire to be alluring can be seen from the perspective of the “alpha male” role. This is the figure that embodies the leader, the role model, the player (when it comes to their success with women), the father figure and a long etc. Allure emanates then from the wholesome condition of the alpha male. Is the first instance of what a man wishes to project as his image.

In Men’s Magazines, entire sections are devoted to style, setting them completely aside from the usual stereotype that sees men as contemptuous of fashion. Notice how the first instance in the “construction” of the allure always passes through style (as of the choosing of clothes and accessories), but in men’s magazines it has moved to the complexities of every day relationships.

Success.

Success is deeply related to allure as the latter is a result of the former. But we must understand this success as something that is expected in all spheres of a man’s life, that is, in the public and the private sphere. Success and allure are part of an integral conception of what a man should have.

Success is (of course) among the qualities with which a man can set himself aside from others. But the conception of success men’s magazines encourage is one that goes a little bit further than plain material success – even more, there is an enormous deal of contempt for men who only have and show off their material success. The image of masculine success includes the relationship with women, the workplace, dominance of social situations, etc.

Yet the idea of success is still much more of a quantitative one. In the amount of beautiful women seduced, the amount of friends, the amount of goals reached the amount of travels. The list could go on. What we can see so far is an ideal conception of how a man should be nowadays: educated, charming, attractive and with a great taste.

This is the image of the perfect contemporary man. What is interesting is that this model of masculinity is constructed to fit within the new condition of gender equality that transformed the horizon of manhood, but it considers a man’s success as something he is entitled to. Of course that political correction towards the new conceptions of femininity will prevail, yet women are still regarded mostly as both an object and a challenge to masculinity, in the underlying text (usually covered under humor and sarcasm).

“Badassery”.

Badassery is the concept of being a tough man that can overcome any sort of obstacles, more precisely, referring to the men who can endure extremely difficult and deadly situations, where he has managed to become victorious using his wit, ability and strength. It is the defining word for every iconic male hero. The Internet is swarmed with articles and websites devoted to this figure.

The image of the badass man is perhaps one of the ultimate masculine aspirations and fantasies. The interesting thing is how the figure of the badass is deeply rooted on the most traditional conceptions of how a man should be.

A re-signification and a re-appreciation of classical masculinity are at play in here. Men want to revitalize the rogue and powerful man as a way to recover the values held by them which were ostracized and condemned with the irruption of the feminist and female empowerment movement in the public sphere.

The interesting fact is that any man can be considered badass as long as he accomplishes those challenges and tests. From a soldier in India to a french Bank robber, even moral judgment does not necessarily apply here.

What we can see here is an ever present desire or fantasy to become a rebellious and non conformist man. The fantasy to break up with the mold with which society turns the vigor of men into common and boring persons. Badassery is by far the least attainable of all these traits by the regular man, but on the many models of masculine Badassery present in fiction and in reality we can analyze some of the innermost thoughts of men, thoughts that remain despite how the world has changed.