Male Magazine-Male Subject Matter

In Kenon Breazeale's article "In Spite of Women: Esquire magazine and the Construction of the Male Consumer," he describes the ideas and circumstances surrounding the creation of "Esquire" magazine and their development of the "male consumer." According to this article Esquire magazine was created during the 1920s and 30s a time during which the masculine identity and roles as "bread winner" was diminishing due to high unemployment. Furthermore, the idea of high female consumption in turn was becoming more and more widespread. In developing a magazine geared to a "male consumer" the founders of Esquire seeked to not only create a vehicle for advertising for menswear but, also to create a magazine that would serve as a contrast to the many women's magazines of the time. Esquire featured articles making fun of and in opposition to female consumption and everything from a females taste in food, drink, home decor and even sexuality. Therefore, in a sense this magazine was based primarily off criticizing and exploiting women. In addition, to developing the "male consumer" this magazine also developed a new male identity based on their newfound "leisure," due to job loss. In other words this magazine served as a guide to how a man should spend his free time.

Over the years we have seen more and more men's magazine develop, each claiming to serve a different purpose in a man's life. However, to this day many of these magazines such as, "Playboy," "Maxim" and "Penthouse," are all still based on the exploitation of women. Surprisingly, there are some men's magazine that serve as a contrast, such as, "Men's Health," "Men's Journal," and "Men's Fitness." These magazines have created a new shift away from women and more towards a subject matter based more on the male readers themselves. In many ways this may reflect a newfound confidence in the male identity because these magazines are not built to dominate over and exploit women.