Men's magazine's Gal Pals

Folio: The Magazine for Magazine Management, May 1, 2004

Byline: Rachel Lehmann-Haupt

Why do women read men's magazines? According to a recent GQ poll of 30 female readers, some read them for the narrative articles; some, because their husbands subscribe; others want tips on men's fashion and health - or just to ogle fashionable men. "The articles are generally interesting to me even though they aren't specifically geared to me," says one female reader. "I also love all the eye candy!"

Of the magazines surveyed, Esquire, at 37 percent, has the most female fans. "My first introduction to Esquire was not as a 'men's magazine' per se, but because it is a repository of good narrative journalism," says Shaifali Puri, a 30-year-old New York lawyer. "I suppose there is something somewhat distressing in the fact that I buy women's magazines when I want to not think, and Esquire when I want to think. That said, there is definitely stuff in Esquire that I'm not interested in, for example: gadgets. But there is no pair of shoes, piece of jewelry, or new face cream that is too uninteresting for me to read about in a woman's magazine."

Second most popular with the ladies is Details, which has recently morphed into a book about "new masculinity," according to editor-in-chief Dan Peres, and includes articles for both gay and straight men (See p. 16).

Surprisingly, Men's Health, which prides itself on not objectifying women and offering lots of relationship stories, doesn't draw as many female readers as busty babe book Maxim. "A lot of times the women's magazines tend to be more fantasy based and it seems like the men's magazines are more honest and real," says Jennee McCormick, a 30 year-old Men's Health reader. "I read it with my husband and I like getting other men's perspectives."

As for Maxim's draw: "It's a tomboy thing," say Corin Keane, a 26-year-old insurance analyst who started subscribing to Maxim when she was in college. "I have a lot of guy friends and a brother so I've always enjoyed a male sense of humor and Maxim is a good window. They sexualize women but it doesn't offend me because I take it with a grain of salt." The less slick busty babe book FHM somehow lacks appeal for the ladies.

Women Reading Men