Men’s magazines: Are they still relevant?
Are men’s magazines still relevant or even necessary?
The ABC’s circulation figures from January to July this year shows otherwise (2018). Of all the 5 magazines that had been included in the report, Shortlist was the only one that did not experience a decline in circulation (Mayhew, 2018). Men’s Health on the other side, had a decline of 16% (ibid.). It is safe to say that the men’s market has, during the last few years, experienced immense pressure due to a changing environment (Steigard, 2016).
How come you say? Well, because consumers are interested in more than just the stereotypical features of half-naked women and banter.
In result, magazines like Nuts and FHM have closed down (Szmigin, 2015). And the magazines that are left have realized the need for fresh and modernised content. Take GQ and Esquire for example. Although you can still find titles like ‘Sexiest Women on Instagram’ or ‘How to Get Abs in a Month’ in their magazine, there are also well-written pieces that tackle the stereotypical genre (Petter, 2018). Topics that cover more controversial themes such as mental health and feminism. However, even though it may seem some men’s publications have left their old ways behind and perhaps improved their content, there is still a decline in print. There seems to be a battle between what is deemed ‘new’ and ‘old’ content and the sexism behind the old content still present However, in 2018. is there truly a need for gendered content or magazines? Surely, being defined by what we read is archaic? As men’s magazines are publishing more content that can be targeted towards both genders.
The world today is more gender fluid than ever. People are growing tired of the stereotypes that have controlled publications and the media for decades. As more and more men’s magazines like GQ and Esquire are improving their content (2018), why is there a need to restrict it to one gender? Men’s magazines have always worried ‘too much about who they are addressing’ (ft.com). Breaking the gendered content might help them focus on the magazine’s quality instead of reaching one particular group of men. As previously stated, men’s (and women’s) consumer mags are experiencing severe decline in circulation figures(Mayhew, 2018), which could indicate that having a gendered magazine might be an issue, as it is excluding certain readers (Petter, 2018). Interests are based on more than just our gender (Petter, 2018).
This perhaps is where the independent magazines sector thrives. While men’s magazines have struggled the last few years, indie mags have had a growth in popularity, with independent-magazine specialist Stack reporting a 78% grow in sales for 2014 (Orr, 2015). This could be due to their focus on specific niche market and interests, such as The Gourmand magazine a biannual publication on food and culture (2018), or Another Escape, an outdoor lifestyle mag (2018).
Independent magazine might therefore be seen as perhaps being more forward thinking about gendered magazines, and maybe the consumer men’s mags should call time on those topics in order to survive in the market.
References:
Anotherescape.com. (2018). Another Escape. [online] Available at: http://anotherescape.com/
Esquire. (2018). Esquire — Men’s Fashion, Food, Cocktails, Gear and Women. [online] Available at: https://www.esquire.com/uk/
Ft.com. A manifesto for men’s magazines. [online] Available at: https://www.ft.com/content/83644306-35dc-11de-a997-00144feabdc0
Gq-magazine.co.uk. (2018). British GQ — Men’s Style & Fashion, Politics, Trends and Culture. [online] Available at: https://www.gq-magazine.co.uk/
Hughes, A. (2016). Men’s Magazine Market in Upheaval as Readers Decline. [online] WWD. Available at: https://wwd.com/business-news/media/mens-magazine-market-upheaval-readers-decline-10336957/
Lay, T. (2018). The Construction of Gender in Contemporary Magazine Advertisements. [online] Available at: https://ruor.uottawa.ca/bitstream/10393/36940/1/Lay_Taylor_2018_research%20paper.pdf
Mayhew, F. (2018). Men’s magazine ABCs: Men’s Health in double-digit drop as free Shortlist holds firm — Press Gazette. [online] Press Gazette. Available at: https://www.pressgazette.co.uk/mens-magazine-abcs-mens-health-in-double-digit-drop-as-free-shortlist-holds-firm/
Orr, G. (2015). Indie magazine sales are proving print is not dead. [online] The Independent. Available at: https://www.independent.co.uk/news/media/indie-magazine-sales-are-proving-print-is-not-dead-10388266.html
Petter, O. (2018). ‘This is why we no longer need gendered magazines’. [online] The Independent. Available at: https://www.independent.co.uk/voices/mens-magazine-womens-cosmo-gq-esquire-gendered-a8422761.html
Szmigin, I. (2015). Lads are alive and well, they’re just not buying lads’ mags anymore. [online] The Conversation. Available at: https://theconversation.com/lads-are-alive-and-well-theyre-just-not-buying-lads-mags-anymore-50991
Thegourmand.co.uk. (2018). About Gourmand — The Gourmand. [online] Available at: https://thegourmand.co.uk/pages/about
Thorpe, V. (2018). Smart, cool … and in print: how indy magsbecame all the rage. [online] the Guardian. Available at: https://www.theguardian.com/media/2018/jul/22/independent-magazines-buck-trend-for-print-decine