One of the reasons I started the Art of Manliness website was because of the dearth of quality men’s magazines out there. None of them really took the idea of manliness and what it meant to be a man seriously, and they were filled with the same, tired articles on how to bed the ladies and attain six pack abs.
My hope is that AoM has filled a niche in talking about aspects of manliness and a man’s life that don’t get covered elsewhere. But of course, practically speaking, there’s still a need for magazines. Magazines help pass the time at the airport and provide a little extra relaxation when you’re sitting upon the porcelain throne. And it’s definitely nice to get something fun in the mailbox every month. Therefore, AoM set out to discover which men’s magazines were the best. We read through 2 months of issues from a variety of men’s publications. (Note: while magazines like Popular Mechanics, Sports Illustrated, and Field and Stream have a predominantly male readership, we concentrated on magazines that were designed and targeted as general men’s interest publications).
We spent many hours reading and note taking so that you don’t have to. We examined who the magazines seemed to be marketing themselves towards, what kind of stories they published, and the quality of those stories. We then noted the pros and cons of each. While some magazines seem quite hefty, everyone knows that a lot of that bulk consists of advertisements. So we carefully tallied the page to ad ratio. Also, one of our pet peeves about men’s magazines is that they often mar the reading experience by placing a really tasteless ad in the back for some sex-related product. Whether or not a magazine is willing to print such scurrility is a good mark of its classiness, so we took note of which ones did and didn’t. Another one of our beefs with men’s magazines is that they sell a lifestyle few men can afford. Most men shop at places like Old Navy and don’t have the dough for $6,000 suits. So we took note of what kinds of products the magazines suggested to readers. Finally, we bestowed upon the magazine a certified Art of Manliness quality ranking. Now for our reviews:
Men’s Health Best Life
Sample Headlines:
- 8 Laws of Building Wealth
- The Sexually Satisfied Wife
- 15 Flat Belly Power Foods
- 17 Secrets of Male Style
Target Readers: Best Life is the older, more mature brother of Men’s Health. Aimed at men in their 30’s and 40’s who have successful careers and families or wish they did.
Pros:
- Articles are more mature and serious than many men’s magazines
- Articles have useful information with practical tips you can immediately incorporate into your life
- Covers a wide variety of topics: health, relationships, career, travel, ect.
- Discusses sex in a mature fashion
Cons:
- Heavy on the ads
- Format and layout could be a bit cleaner
Attainable Lifestyle? If you can afford $3,470 Tom Ford boots
Percentage of the Magazine that Consists of Ads: 45%
Raunchy Sex Ad in Back? Nope
Rating: 
4 out of 5 John Sullivans
Read back issues of Best Life Magazine for free at Google Books
Details
Sample Headlines
- Do You Have Douchebag Hair?
- The Rise of the A-Gay
- Inside the Twisted World of Revenge Porn
- The New Chauvinism
Target Readers: Younger men who fancy themselves as sophisticated and cool dudes
Pros:
- Some useful fashion information, although often aimed at a more hipster than classic style
- Appealing format
Cons:
- Heavy on the ads
- Tries too hard to be cool; a photo of Mr. Potato having a romp with a spread-eagle Barbie isn’t funny and ironic, it’s just lame
- Articles are shallow and lack substance
- Any magazine that lists R. Kelley, Clay Aiken, and Thomas Beatie (the pregnant “man”) in a list of the “40 Most Powerful Men under 47″ should have their editorial heads checked
Attainable Lifestyle? If you can afford a $395 Burberry scarf
Percentage of the Magazine that Consists of Ads: 45%
Raunchy Sex Ad in Back? Nope
Rating: 
1.5 out of 5 John Sullivans
Men’s Health
Sample Headlines
- Lose Your Gut!
- Better Sleep, Bigger Muscles
- Dress for More Sex
- Lower Her Inhibitions
Target Readers: The all-American, well-rounded, fitness conscious man in his 20’s and 30’s
Pros:
- Lots of useful and practical tips and advice on a wide variety of topics
- “Bulletins” section dishes out fast, easily digestible nuggets of information
- Format is immensely readable, you can skim some sections or dive into the more in-depth articles
- Provide effective new exercises and workouts to try
- Lots of great features such as “Belly Off Club (profiling real guys who lost weight and how they did it), “Ask Jimmy the Bartender,” and “Ask the Girl Next Door (my wife says she’s usually spot-on in her advice)”
- In-depth articles can be thoughtful and interesting
Cons:
- Try to sell you a lot of expensive crap
- Lots of ads for junky fitness supplements
- Doesn’t approach sex from a mature standpoint-more like Cosmo for guys
- The photos of women seem to get racier and racier with each issue. Some are bordering on soft core porn these days.
- Some articles get too foo foo. Do guys really need a guide to buying jeans? (Here’s the AoM Guide: Step 1-Try on jeans you like. Step 2-Buy them)
- Two months in a row “Lose Your Gut” was the cover headline. Six pack abs are awesome; we get it
Attainable Lifestyle? Most of the clothes they feature are eye-poppingly expensive, but they do throw in stuff like Levis
Percentage of the Magazine that Consists of Ads: 40%
Raunchy Sex Ad in Back? Yup
Rating: 4.5 out of 5 John Sullivans
Read back issues of Men’s Health for free at Google Books
Nylon for Guys
Sample Headlines
- Mila Kunis Can Kick Your Ass!
The Moody Genius of Mogwai - Vintage Cameras Go on Sale; We Go Crazy
Target Readers: 20-something guys who are so hip it freakin hurts
Pros
- Decent video games reviews
- Fashion features offer a wide variety of brands and prices, some of which a regular guy can actually afford
- Interesting profiles of musicians and celebrities
Cons:
- Tons of ads, often hawking unmanly products
- Not a lot of practical advice or knowledge
- Shallow articles
- In attempting for a cool and edgy format, it loses readability
- Fashion heavy
Attainable Lifestyle? If you can afford $60 vintage-looking New Balance sneaks
Raunchy Sex Ad in Back? Yup
Rating: 1 out of 5 John Sullivans
Maxim
Sample Headlines:
- The Sexiest Stars of 2009
- The World’s Most Dangerous Sport
- Shark Beach
- Coolest Cars of 2009
Target Readers: 20-something frat dudes; teenage boys who aren’t old enough to buy porn
Pros:
- Mindlessly entertaining fluff, like a People Magazine for dudes
- Decent reviews of music, movies, and video games
Cons:
- A complete lack of useful information or in-depth articles
- Emphasis on babes, with lots of full spreads of scantily clad, airbrushed, seductively posed women.
- Lacks a mature and classy approach to women and sex
Attainable Lifestyle? If you can afford $60 Banana Republic shirt
Percentage of the Magazine that Consists of Ads: 28%
Raunchy Sex Ad in Back? Naturally
Rating: 1 out of 5 John Sullivans
Esquire
Sample Headlines:
- Wisdom and Damn Good Advice from…. (This is the focus of the most recent issue. I recommend picking it up. Esquire interviewed many prominent men about what they’ve learned in life. It’s a good read).
- Ten Things You Don’t Know About Women
- Living Rationally
- Influence: The Art of Sweet Talking
Target Readers: The classy, refined, yet rascally gentleman
Pros
- Excellent feature called “Man at His Best,” which is a monthly guide to culture, movies, books, health, advice, and style
- Some obligatory scantily-clad women, but in general, sex is handled tastefully
- Intelligent content
- Often has classic, vintage features
Cons:
- Esquire is great all around, but suffers from the plague of all modern men’s publications: the fear of ever being totally sincere. There always has to be that hip, cheeky tinge
Attainable Lifestyle? If you can afford a $25,000 watch. No, I’m not kidding.
Percentage of the Magazine that Consists of Ads: 30%
Raunchy Sex Ad in Back? No
Rating: 4.5 out of 5 John Sullivans
Men’s Vogue
(Note: Before we could even get this written up, it was announced that Men’s Vogue was being cut to a twice yearly publication. I guess not enough men wanted to vogue).
Sample Headlines:
- Apocalypse Boot Camp
- The Other Titanic
- The 38 Year Old Giving Away 36 Billion
Target Readers: Classy, intelligent men of all ages
Pros:
- Men’s Vogue was a real surprise. It’s not just the dude version of women’s Vogue and was neither as foo-foo or fashion conscious as one might expect. It’s actually a solid, interesting magazine for men.
- Excellent feature-”The Examined Life” which profiles the lives of interesting men, both famous and ordinary
- Substantive and well-written articles on a variety of topics
Cons:
- Heavy on the ads
Attainable Lifestyle? If you can a $4,025 Hermes umbrella
Percentage of the Magazine that Consists of Ads: 45%
Raunchy Sex Ad in Back? Nope
Rating: 3.5 out of 5 John Sullivans
Men’s Journal
Sample Headlines:
- Reboot Your Life
- The Man Who Defined Being a Man
- The Algae Oil Boom
- Better Than Yoga
Target Readers: The rugged and adventurous yet sophisticated athlete and traveler, or guys who aspire for such status
Pros
- An excellent mix of articles of cars, sports, health, science, cooking, ect.
- Articles are interesting, intelligent, and well-written
- Arresting photographs of exotic locals and extreme sports
Cons:
- Some of the features are far more aspirational than realistic; sells a very narrowly attainable lifestyle
Attainable Lifestyle? If you can afford the $3,200 a week needed to lodge on a private island
Percentage of the Magazine that Consists of Ads: 40%
Raunchy Sex Ad in Back? No
Rating: 3.5 out of 5 John Sullivans
Men’s Fitness
Sample Headlines:
- The Best All Body Exercise Ever
- Video Games and the Future of Fitness
- Get Ripped Fast
- Tight abs
Target Readers: Younger, fitness oriented men
Pros
- Useful advice on health and fitness
Cons:
- Definitely trying to sell you stuff; articles packed with more high tech gizmos than useful information
- Articles are shallow; presented as bite size nuggets of information
- Lots of ads for supplements
- Not as well-rounded as Men’s Health
- Heavy on the ads
Percentage of the Magazine that Consists of Ads: 47%
Raunchy Sex Ad in Back? And how
Rating: 2 out of 5 John Sullivans
Outside’s Go Travel and Style for Men
Sample Headlines:
- The Season’s Hottest Ski Trips
- The Most Incredible And Luxurious Tahitian Adventure Ever
- Can Wayne Gretzky Skate to Another Stanley Cup?
Target Readers: Men who like to travel and who have a ton of money or dream that they someday will
Pros
- Pretty, inspirational photos that let you travel to the world’s coolest places vicariously
- Minimal ads
Cons:
- Sell a lifestyle that’s out of reach to most guys
- Has a narrow focus-travel-without much content on other things
Attainable Lifestyle? If you can afford $230 cashmere scarf
Percentage of the Magazine that Consists of Ads: 19%
Raunchy Sex Ad in Back? No
Rating: 2.5 out of 5 John Sullivans
GQ
Sample Headlines:
- How to Dress for the Big Job
- The 25 Sexist Women in Film of All time
- The (Overworked, Slightly Distracted) Man’s Guide to Finally Getting Productive
Target Readers: Guys who are cool, but also want to be taken seriously, man
Pros
- Great fashion tips, although some veer to the more hipster than classic style
- Sometimes offers engaging, thoughtful articles about current events
- Great photography
- Minimal Ads
Cons:
- The occasional topless lady can be found in its pages. Might not want to leave it around the house if you have kiddos
Attainable Lifestyle? If you can afford $640 diore homme jeans (although in fairness the most recent issue offers a guide to dressing for under $100).
Percentage of the Magazine that Consists of Ads: 26%
Raunchy Sex Ad in Back? No
Rating: : 3 out of 5 John Sullivans
Agree or disagree with our reviews? Let us know in the comments section.
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Personally I like to balance my reading. Aside from reading Esquire, I can’t deny that I’m also an avid reader of Maxim or FHM. They do have some fountain-of-useless-knowledge features that are just fun to read I guess heheh..
However, for someone who encourages their readers to view sex on a mature standpoint and if I may quote yourself saying,
“Also, one of our pet peeves about men’s magazines is that they often mar the reading experience by placing a really tasteless ad in the back for some sex-related product. Whether or not a magazine is willing to print such scurrility is a good mark of its classiness, so we took note of which ones did and didn’t.”
clearly you take the ads as not having class. Then why give something that you think doesn’t have class, the same grades as something as classy and clean as Esquire? Plus MH always have that, “If you don’t have six pack abs, then you must get one!” tone all around, while you encourage readers that there are so much to the world than six pack abs. Just like your yesteryear’s icon and today’s icon face off (James Dean vs Matthew Mccounaghey, etc).
I just think that this attitude contradicts with your review on MH. You had so much to complain about MH and the magazine still gets a 4.5? Might wanna redo the review there, sir.
Just a thought though. Looking forward for more great articles. All the best for AoM! Cheers from Indonesia, mate!
I just go to the websites. Save paper, save money, and get all the same information.
@Ross, The Chap looks like a great magazine, I have half a mind to cough up the extra *pounds* to have it sent over the pond.
Unfortunately, “Classic Style” magazine (http://classicstylemag.com/) failed to gain enough of a market to stay afloat. Why, you ask? Well, it didn’t rely on selling 45% of its space to advertisers, nor did it attempt to be ironic or hip. Despite what we would like, it seems what the Art of Manliness and many of the commenters decry is exactly what the population in general want. What a shame.
Wow, this is disheartening. Most of those magazines embody the shallow consumerism of the arrested adolescent (so popular today as the symbol of modern masculinity), and the treatment of the “obligatory” commodification of women’s bodies as just a bit of background noise is especially disturbing.
Love your website but I think the magazines chosen for this review are a bit skewed. A real man wouldn’t waste his time reading guy “style” magazines. They give unreal expectations (looking vainly stud-tastic, going somewhere imprudent for vacation, or pretending to afford a $600 scarf.) The articles never give you the complete story – only bait you.
Both my grampa’s didn’t read magazines unless they were getting their hair cut at the barbers. But they both read the newspaper.
My Dad was a living “Rooster Cogburn” (True Grit). He only read the newspaper and business journals. His business was gunsmithing (Yup, that’s right) and when he wasn’t reading a gun repair journal, he was reading an article about protecting our legal rights to bare arms or thumbing through a tool catalogue. Those are the “magazines” of real men.
So, if you’re going to read, read your local paper (A real man should know what’s going on in the world); Consumer Reports (Buy the best you can afford); and professional journals (stay current in your field).
Can’t afford a paper? Then read Businessweek, Newsweek, or The Week.
Then, when you’re at the barber’s read…
1.) Popular Mechanic (At least you’ll look manly reading it.)
2.) Field & Stream
3.) National Geographic
4.) Popular Science
5.) Scientific America
6.) Sports Illustrated
7.) Motor Trend
8.) Money Magazine (For those fiscally unskilled) or The Economist (for others.)
9.) Popular Woodworking (At least you’ll look like your creative)
Everyone of these magazines is a metrosexual propaganda machine. None of the mags on this list should be sold to, or bought by men. The quality of these is pathetic. The men these magazines are trying to create are feminine men. No one can read any of these magazines and honestly consider himself to be a real man.
When someone like John F. Kennedy himself calls a magazine a “fag rag” (how he described “GQ” when he saw his brother, Bobby, reading it), you know something’s up.
Started reading Men’s Health a year ago and must agree that the ads have gone WAY up (Beckham in his Armani undies? give me a break), there’s too much repetition, and yes, there are plenty of scantilly-clad women (not something someone aspiring to be a gentleman really needs).
The Economist and Esquire are both good reads, but, like many, I feel AofM should put out a publication… possibly a quarterly (like GQ was, originally, before becoming a museum for metrosexuals and closeteers).
Heya.!.The quality of these is pathetic. The men these magazines are trying to create are feminine men. No one can read any of these magazines and honestly consider himself to be a real man.
Good Sir,
Have you considered hosting a podcast? I for one would certainly subscribe to such a project. Perhaps you could use it as a monthly half-hour articulation or discussion of some topic that may be difficult to expose through blogging?
On the current topic, I think I may have to pass on all of these magazines. I think Esquire may be the only one that doesn’t directly exclude me with all the ab talk.
…though I would like a six pack–or any pack for that matter.
Anyone read outside magazine? Meets a lot of what this website is trying to do.
Anyone read outside magazine? Meets a lot of what this website is trying to do.
Playboy was once a magazine that would have been listed, as it used to have a great number of good and important articles and advice for men. Granted, it was overtly sexual in nature, but you could at least expect one or two intellectually stimulating articles in each one.
I do not read any of these magazines. the Economist is my favorite, with specialty magazines like Traditional Muzzleloader or Military History being some I also read, as well as others, but these are definitely out of touch with the average man.
Man, I don’t even know why you bothered with Details or Nylon for Guys. Just looking at the cover makes me wretch a little — and I enjoy Fall Out Boy (yes, musically).
Personally, I don’t read any magazines. Not even at the barber’s or any waiting room. The closest I’ve come is occasionally looking at Men’s Health’s webpage, and after a couple months, like Greg A. said, it does get repetitive. I can’t blame them, though; if I could make a living finding new ways to reword and rewrite “eat healthier, get more more exercise,” I would jump at that, too.
Lifestyle magazines, whether for men or women, make their money making you want more and feel like less. Sometimes there are good articles, but 90% of the time it is six-pack ab models rising out of beach water and getting into a Mercedes telling you they’re the ideal. While you guys (by “you,” I mean TAoM aren’t a magazine (technically), you should be proud to be able to say you manage to cover a lot of the same ground without doing that.
I absolutely second Ali D’s recommendation of Arena and wish “The Art of Manliness” had reviewed Arena. Ever since I stumbled upon this magazine at the bookstore, I’ve purchased almost every issue. It is a perfect balance of really well-written articles about the state of the world and interesting people who shape the world; pretty solid style advice [can't afford a single piece of clothing profiled in the magazine, but the style ideas are actually applicable for an everyday man like myself]; tonnes of awesome tech toy and lifestyle goodies to gawk at; and really well-done spreads of beautiful women.
Here’s a fun tool that I found… recommends magazines based on some personality questions: The “Magdentifier” from the coolest magazine store ever, Mag Nation. http://www.magnation.com/index.php?do=magdentifier
Love Men’s Health, really like Men’s Journal, and enjoy GQ.
MH BestLife looking better all the time. Maxim has great photos, but not much else.
While I agree that Maxim does feature a lot of mindless articles, I take offense to the comment that it features “A complete lack of useful information or in-depth articles.” One of today’s best sports writers, John U. Bacon (feature writer for the Detroit Free Press and occasional contributer to ESPN, Sports Illustrated, Men’s Health, and Maxim) has written very in-depth articles for Maxim. His most recent article for them was a feature on NHL goalie Marty Turco that was extremely well written and had some of the most in-depth reporting you will find in any article. My point is that they sometimes throw in very worthwhile pieces, and therefore warrant a little more respect than a comment like “complete lack.”
Magazines like Men’s Journal and Outside are what I call lifestyle porn…. purportedly for those who seek an “authentic lifestyle” and want to “stop and smell the roses” … provided they first can damned well-afford it. Like the grossly overpriced clothing of the men’s fashion magazines, we are invited travel to out-of-the way places with state-of-the-art equipment….. if you can afford it, that is. Bah.
I’m a woman and most women’s magazines are devoted to shopping and sex; it’s hard to find consistent, substantial writing on other topics women might care about, and I’ve had subscriptions to Esquire, GQ and Men’s Health.
I agree with the ratings on Men’s Health. They have really evolved and have proven to no longer be just a fitness magazine with the good articles and information for life/mind-body health. Another Con: The scantily clad women in their magazine are not as culturally diverse as their male models.
I’m also down with the ratings on Esquire and GQ and hope that women’s magazines can compete more for my attention in the future.
I gotta hand it to you, these are great gay men’s magazines. For tips on hair products, man-bags and cologne, there are none better. I’ll take Field & Stream and The Atlantic. At least those help me be a better fisher and a smarter person.
I’m pleased that Esquire got a good rating.
I have subs to:
Esquire
Guns & Ammo
The Backwoodsman
Pop Mech
Pop Sci
Newsweek
I sometimes pick up a copy of Men’s Health, Men’s Journal, or GQ at the mag rack.
These are all metrosexual publications — not at all manly. You want manly, read Popular Mechanics and Field and Stream.
Just discovered this site. I thought the same things about men’s magazines as the author. I don’t need a jeans buying guide and everything in the magazine costs more than I’m going to spend. I also agree with the comment about the underwear ads, do we really need those in our magazines? I currently get men’s health and best life, I’m thinking of ditching them since I read most articles online and I’m finding less useful information. I do enjoy this site, keep up the great work.
I agree with most of these ratings, except that Men’s Vogue should get at least a 4, if not a 4.5. The writing is excellent. Esquire is hands down the best men’s magazine out there. Maxim has actually improved its editorial since last summer, though it is still leagues behind the top tier mags. And what the hell happened to GQ? A few years ago the quality of the content was right up there with Esquire. Now its just a bunch of short, too-hip-to be square articles that lack the depth, insight, and originality I used to enjoy the publication for. Also, you do a review on men’s magazines and don’t include Playboy?
It’s too bad about Men’s Vogue – I’ve checked out several magazines and it probably had the most interesting to read articles of the bunch, but the “Vogue” name probably killed it. I think I may actually email them to see if they’ve considered releasing it under a name without the connection to the women’s mag.
What about Shave Magazine … i cant believe that didnt make the list.
askmen too
I just stumbled across your site. I have to say, I think you have a real winner here, and I like what you are doing. I have definitely bookmarked it and will visiting often.
It’s not exactly a men’s magazine but makes for a good read
Intelligent Life (from The Economist)
As if to announce that the internet is “for men only,” web sites that contain busty broads are, and should be, offensive to women everywhere.
There is a reason women don’t buy men’s magazines.
Most don’t like sex with their politics or their business.
Most have little problem surviving sexlessness which must be a problem for men so that sex must be sold with web sites in order to get men to look at or buy anything else.
Mens magazines that exclude rude sexist photos of woman,interviews and bad language are all good.
when it comes to relationships they should be vastely mature.
Best Life can be added to the publications on this list that have gone the way of the dodo – last issue was May, subscribers were just given a “substitute” subscription to Men’s Health instead.
Seems any magazines that print articles that go beyond the Short Attention Span Theater variety end up heading to the chopping block.
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