For Him Magazine (FHM) won’t be found on your grandmother’s coffee table. If it ever is, be worried. For FHM is a ‘lads mag.’ It unashamedly caters to its mid- teen to early- 20s readership by offering up a traditional blend of articles on such topics as fashion, entertainment, technology and sex. It is the kind of magazine that your slightly abrasive, gimp- like co-worker buys in order to gain tips on how to attract and pleasure a woman.
Sex is the over-riding reason why the majority of men buy FHM. The man needs his monthly dose of ‘Ladies Confessions,’ ‘Ask the Sexpert,’ and pictures of enticing beautiful women wearing little more than the heavy make-up on their faces. Indeed, during the 1990s, 700,000 British men a month enjoyed just this, making FHM the best selling magazine in the United Kingdom.
Which is why I was surprised when I purchased the latest issue to read on a recent flight. Drawn in by the beautiful cover star Rachel Stevens, I began reading. But as I read on, I noticed a distinct difference in the content and layout of the issue compared to the last time that I bought the magazine back in 2006. Under new management, the majority of the sex had gone. Compared to previous editions, this issue was bare and conservative. Maybe it did belong on granny’s coffee table.
Normally, one would open the magazine and expect at least the first 30 pages to be entirely devoted to sex and, quite literally, naked women. Next would come the features, then the technology section, followed by the fashion pages and, after them, sports. In this issue, I had to wait until page 44 for even the first glimpse of a breast. Before that, I was reading about television on page 22 and computer games on page 32. But the mix was rather enjoyable. The new issue of FHM genuinely interested me. It was, in a sense, stimulating my brain, not my trousers. And I liked it.
I liked it even more when I read the 14- page Style section, and particularly enjoyed reading about the sexual deviancy and all round ineptitude of R-Kelly. By the time I hit page 124 however, I became disillusioned with the line of questioning afforded to a C-list Australian soap star (“Who’d win a fight between a gorilla and a shark?”) and moved on. After admittedly gawking at Rachel Stevens, I finally came across the sex section, now relegated to the back of the magazine. Uninventive and stale, I cared little for it. Though that co-worker will undoubtedly have noted the article on page 173 explaining how to unfasten a woman’s bra with one hand.
Less smut and more substance, FHM has changed for the better. I’ll consider buying the next issue. Appalled by the dearth of sex, others may not. – Michael Cree
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