ABSTRACT
Anyone who has seen even a single issue of Maxim magazine could easily describe its typical cover: one part image of a vaguely familiar B-list actress, sexually dressed and posed; and one part text, both sensational and salacious (see Fig. 5.1). This formula has proven to be attention-getting, and not just for the magazine's 2.5 million subscribers who mostly include the coveted demographic of men ages 18–34. Numerous popular press accounts and trade articles have focused on Maxim as a catalyst for sexualizing the men's magazine landscape, causing longtime men's lifestyle magazines such as Esquire and GQ (Gentlemen's Quarterly) to try its recipe for “celebrity plus sex equals more readers” (Bounds, 1999; Gremillion, 1997; Handy, 1999; Jacobson, 2002; Turner, 1999). But, has Maxim's success in the United States been accompanied by changes in existing men's magazines, or is this simply the perception of media pundits?
