The rise—and fall—of men's magazines

A gold medal for Endurance for this writer who slogged through all these dreary mags to come up with this piece! I had wondered what ever happened to all those golden-skinned lads! Now that they're unemployed, maybe one of them has time to give the writer a nice warm oil deep-tissue massage.

Write on! Isn't there some productive way to utilize all those idle laddies just hanging...around?

While the writer is getting a massage, she should also fact check her story. FHM and Stuff did not settle into the "seedy world of online-only content" in 2005. Stuff's last issue printed in October 2007. FHM's last issue printed in March 2007.

why is this news? Have we not heard of the idea of the product lifecycle?

I have to echo what Dave12345 wrote. I interviewed for an editorial position at FHM in early 2006, when the magazine was still very much alive and operational. I ultimately turned the gig down because, well, FMH was akin to Playboy with worse writing and slightly more clothing. I was also puzzled by the presence of women in the newsroom -- why in the world would females work for that rag? They didn't offer to pay THAT much.

Regardless, this is a well-written piece, but FHM was definitely around until March 2007. Also, Dave Itzkoff is sort of a douche. But he's made a career out of it, so... go Dave. I guess. Way to not smile at me in the subway two weeks ago, tool.

As a woman who used to freelance for one of those magazines--and was paid very well--it's clearly my duty to defend the genre. When Maxim first came out, it was actually very funny and perfectly captured the voice of the average dude. (This wasn't seen as a failing). All my Ivy League guy-friends were reading it, saying it was a welcome backlash to the grim PC culture of the time. But then the rest of male America followed and the age of the average reader dropped to around 14, which meant dumbing down our content way below GED level. Soon writing articles stopped being fun and a lot of the more clever editors ditched the magazine world for more lucrative deals on the web or TV. And what remained was pretty feeble. But so what? If you expect salvation from commercially generated men's magazine, you're going to be disappointed no matter what.

Dave Itzkoff: How that name comes up, mixing memory and desire. Worked with him once. How eloquently contemptuous he turned out to be.

Poor Dale Hrabi. Details, Mademoiselle, Radar. Always backing the wrong pony.

Natasha, can you really lump Esquire and GQ in with this sorry bunch? You completely ignore the fact that they're still publishing some of the edgiest, most meticulously reported long-form journalism out there. It's something your magazine might want to try -- maybe after your next fold and subsequent re-launch?

This is obviously JUST in the US right...because FHM, Maxim and the rest are all still running strong in the UK and across UK. Possibly a bit more research could have gone into this article. Stuff, seedy? Adhering to the tacky formula you stated above? Really? Geeeeeeeesh. Just looks like a bit of link bait juice gone wrong. Let's target the majority of Diggs audience with a rubbish article but quite a catchy title and mislead them into some garbage and have them register and get angry ...blah...bingo!.....I've registered to make this comment, now I shall close the account.

Thanks and goodbye! :)

I haven't looked a Esquire in about a year or so, but in the early '90s it watered down it's former literary aspirations to become a tepid fashion magazine. Over the last few years when I've picked it up, it had returned to doing better articles, but it was really aimed to a much older readership. Every time I glanced at it, it had articles on coming to grips with mortality. Eww.

As for GQ, I've read that it is trying to appeal to black men, because supposedly they are the only straight men still interested in clothes (likely true). So over the last year or two it has become schizoid: half of the same solid journalism that they have done for years, combined with relentless coverage of the NBA/NFL/MLB/NCAA.