David Gauntlet: Men's Magazines and Modern Male Identities 2002

Argues against the notion of men’s lifestyle magazines representing a reassertion of old fashioned masculine values, or a backlash against feminism.

Supports the idea that identities are fluid and found magazines offer readers an opportunity to ‘pick and mix’ from magazine advice

Media messages in the form of role models, directing men in constructing identities and lifestyles.

Identities are fluid and personal change is both possible and necessary.

Gauntlett considered the idea of manhood conveyed my men's lifestyle magazines, and whether these magazines are:

- simply mainstream vehicles for old fashioned attitudes

- soft porn pleasures

- offering new models of male identity to modern men

Across all the men's lifestyle magazines he studied, Men's Health is the only one to regularly feature semi-naked men, instead of women, on the cover. It is also the one which closely parallels women's lifestyle magazines! e.g.

- emphasis on body & appearance; including fitness, healthy eating and weight loss

- psychological strand including advice on positive thinking, improving self esteem & using mental techniques for success

- how to keep passion alive in a relationship and sex advice.

Gauntlett summarised that MH actually provides a clever 'masculine' packaging of everything women's magazines are expected to be about - looks, sex, relationships, diet, lifestyle, career, success.

The MH ideal he found to be supremely fit, good in bed, knowledgeable but above all, and most problematic, is the notion that the ideal MH man is everybody's ideal.

He suggests that men's magazines show men to be insecure and confused in the modern world seeking help and reassurance. 

'Laddish' tone used as a defensive shield: writers will anticipate that many men may reject serious articles on relationships, advice on sex, health and cooking, and so they present their pieces with humour, irony and laddishness. Gauntlett suggests this humour is a requirement - men's magazines could leave out coverage of sex & relationships but don't, so it could be argued that users do want articles on those things but don't want others to think that they do, or even don't want to think that they themselves want them.