Men's Magazines Are Now Shedding Their Macho Image to Survive

Lovers of print may have noticed a general trend happening in recent years on the shelves of their local bookstores — “lad mags,” which focused on a heady combination of scantily-clad women, cars, sports, technology, bar culture and fitness, have steadily been disappearing. Business of Fashion investigates this trend by shining a spotlight on Maxim magazine’s change of direction from traditional lad mag to a more sophisticated, fashion-oriented publication, in light of all those that have failed to do so (the closure of former lad mag heavyweights such as Nuts last year and Loaded in March of this year come to mind). Against a society-wide shift in men’s tastes towards more tasteful topics centered around authenticity, as well as the decimation of the traditional pay-to-view porn industry by the Internet, it’s quite possible now to say that lad mags won’t be resurfacing in any recognizable form anytime soon. Read an excerpt below and click here for the full article.

Perhaps Maxim’s biggest transformation under [new editor-in-chief Kate Lanphear] has been in the way the magazine approachs to its female subjects. Lanphear’s debut issue for March spring/summer 2015 featured Victoria’s Secret angel Candice Swanepoel on the cover, but unlike the magazine’s earlier ‘bare-all’ covers, only the model’s face was in the frame.

“In our upcoming issue, we’re redefining ‘hot,’” said Lanphear, referring to The Maxim Hot 100, an annual ranking of the most attractive women in entertainment, as voted by the magazine’s readers. This year, the list was topped by Taylor Swift, “the most talented woman alive,” according to Lanphear. “It’s not just about beauty; it’s about relevance and what’s exciting in the world today,” she explained. “Maxim’s readers are smart and driven and they want intelligent, engaging content about what is culturally relevant.”