Men and Women Have Many More Options

Men and women have many more options today when it comes to their choices in periodicals opposed to even a short thirty years ago. Although they both have the shared increase in choices, there are some very universal differences between the two genders.

It may be men preferring topic specific magazines while women enjoy generalized periodicals, or the way members of their sex and the opposite sex are displayed, or even the thrust of advertising campaigns found throughout, in the end there's no getting around it, men and women's periodicals are simply different, just as men and women themselves are.

Differences in Gender Specific Publications

Despite the influx of numerous e-zines, the magazine industry continues to branch out into a variety of genres. Each year, new publications are introduced on newsstands around the country. Not so surprising, these general and topic specific magazines are often gender specific. Interestingly enough, although the topics may vary greatly from magazine to magazine there are some truths that hold true along gender lines.

The number of publications targeted towards men has increased over the past three decades. Sports Illustrated, Field and Stream, and Playboy have certainly been staples in the male magazine category, but now men have even more of a choice when it comes to periodical literature. Magazines such as All About Beer, FHM (For Him Magazine), and New Man are only a small sampling of men's magazines now available. Now no matter what hobby, sport or interest a man enjoys, he's almost certain to find a publication just for him.

Magazines aimed at women's interests too have multiplied. Again, there are certainly staples of the industry such as: Ladies' Home Journal, Cosmopolitan, and Harper's Bazaar, however, now women too have more of a choice when searching for the best in periodicals. Lifestyle television gurus like Martha Stewart and Oprah Winfrey have stretched their powerful tentacles into the world of magazines, with their respectively titled Martha Stewart Living and O, The Oprah Magazine, while magazines such as Golf for Women are not only gender specific but topic specific as well.

Although both gender-targeted markets share an increase in the number of titles to choose from, there are some key differences in the magazines themselves. One of the most evident differences is the ratio of generalized topic magazines to topic specific magazines. As a leading retailer of magazines, Magazine.com carries an excellent selection of magazines available for today's readers. Approximately only half of the magazines listed on Magazine.com's website in their Women's category are topic specific with the balance being of a more generalized lifestyle genre ("Women's Magazines," 2003), while more than two thirds are topic specific in their Men's category. ("Men's Magazines," 2003) These figures would seem to imply that men are more interested in reading about a certain topic month in and month out, while women enjoy a more general piece of literature where they can read about a variety of topics in just one periodical. Even fashion-focused women's magazines often branch out to include articles on relationships and life issues in general.

Another apparent difference between men's publications and women's is the use of the opposite sex in their photos. Men's magazines are typically on two ends of the spectrum. If women are shown in a photograph it is typically of a sexual nature. Note the scantily clad gals lounging across motorcycles in any Easy Rider issue. Also, Sports Illustrated's most popular issue year in and year out is their swimsuit issue. Men displayed in men's magazines are usually shown demonstrating a topic, emulating what other men wish they could be, do or have. Interestingly enough, very rarely do you see children in men's magazines.

In women's magazines, the opposite sex is sometimes displayed in seductive poses, let's face it, women too are enticed by the opposite sex; however, it is not too uncommon to see a man in a more relationship pose. The loving husband and/or father is often portrayed, rather than a just a sex symbol. Which brings us to the fact that children are often depicted in women's magazines, even those other than parenting genre publications.

Advertising in gender specific magazines is quite different as well. The display of women and men in these magazines' advertisements are unique, just as they are in the photo layouts described above. Again, women displayed in ads within men's magazines are mostly posed as sexual objects, sometimes obscuring the product they're promoting. Men featured in men's ads are either displayed as, again, the type of man any man wishes he could be, or as an expert in the product he is soliciting.

Women's advertisements are quite different. Men are, again, sometimes used as sexual beings, but more often as an expert for whatever product they're selling, or as an average Joe. Women can be found epitomizing the 'perfect woman' in advertisements, but many products are shown alongside average women, performing average tasks such as cleaning or cooking. Children too are often found in women's advertisements, as they are so much a part of many women's lives. The most distinct difference in advertisements, in gender specific publications, is the method of their campaigns.