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’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 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.
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