Eight reasons I no longer read Men's Health magazine.
Update: Rachel Lucas: How about eight things he hates about you?
Update: Rachel Lucas: How about eight things he hates about you?
Labels: Male Bashing
posted by Helen at 8:50 AM
Thursday, May 08, 2008
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37 Comments:
This comment has been removed by the author.
This is off topic, sorry, but on your cholesterol topic, I wanted to suggest this link http://www.musclehack.com/the-saturated-fat-cholesterol-myth-destroyed/
that quotes from the author of "Real Food", Nina Plank, who you interviewed for the podcast by the way.
Bobh,
I used to read Men's Health because Glenn and I subscribed to it years ago. It was full of no-nonsense articles on health and work and we both liked it. Now, it seems to tell men how to please women and is really geared towards wusses. Anyway, in one of the comment threads, a reader mentioned that the original owner was gone and that the writers were replaced with a bunch of "feminist" women. I don't know if this is true but if it is, too bad, it used to be a good magazine.
Dutch and family,
Thanks for the link!
"Hello, Men's Health Magazine? Yes, I'd like to leave a comment."
"Bite me."
Actually, numbers 1, 5, 6, & 8 are pretty good advice. All of them show a lack of consideration for the other person in the relationship. Something for which both men and women are guilty.
Number 5 is really common when kids enter the picture. He figures he's wooed and won, so he's done. She's (often) busy taking care of the kids and little things she used to do for his benefit don't happen.
Of the remaining half of the list, 3 of them read like "Men need not apply." And the last one is a double standard. After all, regarding #7, how come she can have a headache when he's rarin' to go but he's expected to jump at any chance she gives him?
However, in the graph at the end, I love the fact that the two strongest gestures a man can do are scrapping ice off a car and asking her how she's feeling.
I have found over the past 3 years that MH has become disturbingly more like Maxim and it's ilk. It is really hard to find the no-fluff articles in any magazine geared towards men. Sex sells I guess. Pretty sad though.
Mike
This was originally the very first posting in this thread, but I decided to add the occasional word that I left out in the original. Sorry!
"Do you suppose that, if a man wrote something like that article about women, the NOW would be screaming about "emotional rape"?
"At the 7-or-less aisle of the local supermarket is a rack with about 20 different kinds of magazines. All except Men's Health (right next to Women's Health) are obviously targeted to women. There is no Sports Illustrated, no Car and Driver and no Guns and Ammo, all magazines that I either subscribe to or purchase at least occasionally. This fact, the sex of the article's author and Helen's comment raises a question: Is Men's Health really targeted toward and purchased primarily by women?
It is a magazine for effete, metrosexual guys , who are subserviant to their wives/Gfs/lovers.
No wonder a lot of younger women are as screwed up as they are these days, given all the anti-male crap they read, on top of what their crazy femi-nazi female and effete and/or gay male profs teach them in their college classes.
They turn modern women into a entitled class where males are to be used and abused.
Annoyance #7
You turn down sex.
This one really irritates me. It goes beyond the notion that what a woman wants, when she wants it, is always healthy, but that a man's sexual drive is inherently perverse.
The attitude of "we'll make love when I want it" is slowly destroying my marriage.
Re the outbreak of "Man Up" columns from female bloggers and columnists: Roseville gas station employee fired for attacking robber
http://hotair.com/archives/2008/05/08/fired-for-rescuing-a-co-worker-from-assault/#comment-1113409
That is the legal and social consequence of "manning up." And the women screeching that men should "man up" choose, quite selfishly, to insist that men just continue to take the punishment and "just deal with it" because it's in their entitled self-interest.
Aside from the issue of Men’s Health (pun intended), you can be/do all those wonderful things that women say they want, and may women will really love and admire you ...like a brother, but the guy they choose for a partner, the one who really turns them on, is the “bad guy.”
Obviously, the kind of men that women choose as partners has an enormous effect on how men learn to behave. But the good news is that the kind of women men choose also has an effect on culture. Personally, I finally found a woman who really is a partner, and an equal, though not a “same.” And my advice to young men as always been that if you are interested mainly in a woman’s looks, what you see is what you get.
Off topic: By the way, Helen, I want you to know how much your column means to me. Thanks!
Johnny$
Tweedburst,
I once saw a show about a 7-11 where a man saved his female co-worker who was held up at gun point. The man pulled his own gun on the robber who fled and the worker was fired and the female co-worker had the audacity to berate her co-worker for having the gun that he saved her with. At first, I wished that this guy had left the female co-worker to defend herself after hearing her berate him. However, this propaganda is just a way to make those of us (women included) who might be inclined to help, give up. That would be bad for society as a whole --we must continue to fight back against those companies, politicians etc. who punish people for being brave and doing good when the occassion arises.
Those women going around telling men to "man up" need to be in on this fight and if they are not, then they have only themselves to blame when men decide that the punishments for being a man outweigh the rewards--or maybe they already have.
John,
Thanks for the kind words.
I've never read Men's Health, so have no way to judge what it used to be, but going by this article I can only think it's intended to do for men what Cosmo and other women's magazines do for women: make their readers feel inadequate and unsatisfied with themselves and their lives, so they will continue to buy the magazine and whatever it's selling in the hopes that they'll be more like the ideal put forth by the magazine. Anyone who regularly reads this kind of crap can't help but be adversely affected, imho.
Obviously, the kind of men that women choose as partners has an enormous effect on how men learn to behave. But the good news is that the kind of women men choose also has an effect on culture. Personally, I finally found a woman who really is a partner, and an equal, though not a “same.” And my advice to young men as always been that if you are interested mainly in a woman’s looks, what you see is what you get.
To those women who keep complaining about how bad men are, perhaps this poster will explain things. You can whine all you want that "all the good men are taken" but you need to realize that we weren't willing to wait until you got your act together. Instead, we found good women quickly forgot about you.
I'm deeply grateful that 25 years ago, I found a wonderful woman who didn't play the BS dating/mating games. We've built a happy life together. She is my partner, a beautiful, intelligent, and hard-working person who has shared both the bad times and the good with me. Words can't express my gratitude that I didn't marry some of the women I dated before my wife.
Every now and then, she'll say "You're the boss." I just laugh and ask, "Since when?"
I don't want to be her boss, nor do I want her to be my boss. That isn't a marital partnership, that's a business relationship.
Rachel Lucas responds.
My comment at Rachel's excellent blog:
The author, Lisa Jones, says her boyfriend never knows why she’s mad so she is forced to give him the silent treatment until he figures it out.
If she thinks her boyfriend can somehow read her mind, she's an idiot. Any self-respecting man who can read minds wouldn't be using that ability to figure out why his girlfriend is mad. No, he'd be cleaning up at the poker tables in Vegas!
Julie,
Thanks, I just put up a link, Rachel's post is hilarious. Imagine, what women's magazine would print such trash?
I forget where I came across this today, but Why women are to blame for killing off real men
However, this propaganda is just a way to make those of us (women included) who might be inclined to help, give up.
Helen - I agree and I think roughly 3/4 of men would respond the way the guy in the story did even if they knew they would wind up getting fired. The story just struck me as a crude example of how it has become commonplace to expect men to behave in particular ways and then, when they do, the society actually persecutes them for that behavior. And yet there are women (and some men) who insist that this state of affairs is all men's fault and, by golly, they need to fix it while the women continue to just sit back and complain - about men. They consider themselves innocent bystanders.
The list is about why men get fed up with women as much as women get fed up with men.
Like when we find your pubes all over our bar of Dove...
I'm a hairy guy. It's not always pubes and I don't always find every wandering hair, especially since I don't wear my glasses in the shower.
"Wow, [fierce/sexy/hot] new [haircut/handbag/lingerie item]. I guess dinner is on me tonight!"
Once again, a man are supposed to buy his woman something, even when she just bought something for herself. Are women innately greedy? I can't imagine why a man would tire of this.
You talk to us as if we're one of the guys.
A friend's wife loves to watch football with him. They have a great marriage.
You speak of the future vaguely.
And you want me to commit to marriage after 6 weeks.
You stop trying.
You hardly try at all, ever. You think you're such a great catch that any man should feel honored to be in your presence.
You blatantly look at porn.
???
You turn down sex.
If you didn't turn down sex, I wouldn't be blatantly looking at porn.
You ask us out via text.
Maybe it's because you won't stop talking to your gal friends long enough for me to get a word in edge wise. I and other men I know have actually called our significant others on cellphones in order to have our presence recognized and be able to say something like, "The building is one fire and we need to leave."
These kind of articles seem to be popping up in Men's Health more and more. Either MH is on a decidedly wrong track OR it's what the readership wants to see. Magazines are about turning a profit. Either MH is popular with a larger female audience that is increasing sales or men are titillated by this "what is she thinking?" type of offering which isn't much of a stretch from what Cosmo offers. Oh well, I wish MH the best of luck, capitalism churns onward.
I used to read Men's Health, back when it was readable. It had good articles on diet, exercise and fashion. But something changed a couple of years ago. I started to notice more and more articles written by women giving relationship advice, some of which were insightful but most of which were inane, more fantasy than reality. However, it was shortly after the fashion editor recommended buying brown shoes that I let my subscription expire.
Men do not wear brown. Period. Men wear grays and blues, with black leather lace-up dress shoes, cleaned, polished and well-heeled. Men never wear brown shoes, because men do not walk into a room looking like they just waded through a puddle of shit. Any advice to the contrary is simply nothing more than shilling for shoemakers producing shoes marketed to losers and fools.
That is exactly what Men's Health has become, a magazine marketed to losers and fools under the pretense that all men are losers and fools. You can thank the editors and female writers for that. But the same can be said for numerous other magazines.
Back when I was teaching I used to subscribe to Writer's Digest, because it offered good advice and instruction which I used to impart to my students the essentials of writing. There were good articles on grammar, usage, tone, style, and structure that were extremely helpful. I continued my subscription for years after I left teaching, because I enjoyed reading the magazine. However, a couple of years ago the articles began to take on a decidedly chick-lit focus, and the magazine became less about writing and more about women writers. In other words, it became predictably boring.
I think this trend is more indicative of the attitude of the modern American girl than anything else. She can do it all, she can have it all. Men are irrelevant and expendible, who needs them? Everything always is all about her.
It's as if she truly believes she was born with a vagina made of gold. After she wastes her marriageable youth chasing some fantasy career, blowing off every man she ever met, when she's past her child-bearing years, sitting home alone with no partner or lover, no family or children, overworked and overstressed, up to her eyeballs in credit card debt, only then does she realize that it was iron pyrite all along.
Go figure. As the subscription rates and sales for these magazines decline precipitously, like the prospects for the modern American girl, I wonder if any of them will ever get a clue. But somehow I doubt it.
Oh, well, the more's the pity.
Quoth Joe: "The attitude of 'we'll make love when I want it' is slowly destroying my marriage."
Likewise.
Quoth tweedburst: "The story just struck me as a crude example of how it has become commonplace to expect men to behave in particular ways and then, when they do, the society actually persecutes them for that behavior."
Ally McBeale wandered into this little conundrum and was abjectly unable, as a show, to figure out what to do with it more than recognizing that it doesn't make sense. Pathetic.
Quoth dadvocate: "If you didn't turn down sex, I wouldn't be blatantly looking at porn."
I love you, man.
Men do not wear brown. Period. Men wear grays and blues, with black leather lace-up dress shoes, cleaned, polished and well-heeled. Men never wear brown shoes, because men do not walk into a room looking like they just waded through a puddle of shit.
Does that apply to khaki pants? Are you dissing Ronald Reagan(pbuh)?
LarryD: I forget where I came across this today
Thanks for sharing. I guess you know where the article is, just not how you found it. :)
Years ago I had a subscription; when it started changing into what it is now, I dropped it. And this mess is a perfect example of why.
"First, after 3 or 4 hours of silent abuse by me..." Yeah, it IS abuse, and you're a moron to both keep doing it, and expect him to always spend hours trying to get you to talk.
Dumbass.
Guys,
The more crap like this I see (and it seems that every day a new article like this comes out), the happier I am to be single! If that bitch, Lisa Jones, and her mind games is all I'm missing by not having a relationship, then all I can say is thank goodness; thank goodness I'm single!
You know, I've heard it said that having a typical, American girlfriend a la Lisa Jones, costs $5k/yr. when you figure in dates, gifts, etc. That's a lot of money shell out for all the 'love' she'll give you-ha!
I have two motorcycles. Between garage rent, maintenance expenses, gas, and insurance, they cost me about $3.5-$4k/year total. Gee, what do I want more? Do I want fascinating, exhilarating, fast, fun machines that provide me untold hours of enjoyment? Or, do I want some nagging, manipulative bitch playing mind games, expressing her hatred & contempt for me and my fellow men? Hint: I won't be choosing the woman anytime soon!
BTW, if I treat my bikes right, they'll treat me right; can't say the same for your typical, American woman, a la Lisa Jones. Shoot, she just ADMITTED that she doesn't treat her man right; she admitted it! Can you even fathom being MARRIED to someone like that? Face it, fellas; a vast majority of American women are like Lisa Jones-a chilling thought indeed.
The thought of being MARRIED to someone like her is horrific! To put things in perspective, if someone steals my bikes, all I've lost is my bikes. It sucks, but I can replace them soon as I scrape up the dough. If I were married and someone stole my wife, I'd be paying for the next 20 years-ouch! Yeah, my bikes are a better choice than women or wives are. Based on my observation and experiences, Lisa Jones IS Everywoman; if you date or get married, that's what you're signing up for. Sorry, but that's the truth. Because Lisa Jones is the rule and not the exception, I and more men are remaining single. Thank you.
MarkyMark
This is rich:
Annoyance #5 - You stop trying.
"Now that we're married, he never tries to 'win me' anymore," says one friend. "If he wants to come on to me, he needs to ditch his gross dress socks and gym clothes and make an effort. Otherwise he ain't getting any.
Annoyance #7 - You turn down sex.
I must lead a sheltered life.
I (female) am not like this. My female friends are not like this. My female coworkers are not like this.
I'm not saying these women don't exist -- Lisa Jones just made herself the poster girl for them -- but it's difficult to believe that all the unattached male commenters above can't find female companions who aren't irrational harpies.
Incidentally, I got a kick out of an article Jones linked to, written by a guy, about how to be a better husband. His advice wasn't bad, for the most part ... and everything he said could be applied equally to wives.
"I must lead a sheltered life. I (female) am not like this. My female friends are not like this. My female coworkers are not like this."
Isn't that what a woman who is "self-righteous, hypocritical, petty, vindictive, manipulative and treacherous to the core" would say? Sorry but you don't have a lot of credibility.
cinderkeys --
Thanks for posting. I find your comment even-handed and constructive. You seem to have an air of credibility about you.
To oligonicella:
If cinderkeys has an "air of credibility" about her, you must be a lot closer to her than I am.
In reality, how do you know that she isn't a pathological liar? How do you know that she is even a she? For that matter, how do you know that he/she/it is even human? Maybe cinderkeys is just some computer geek running a Turing test?
Roy Baumeister wrote a book called "Evil" describing how normal people could do the most horrible things to others and still think of themselves as "good" people. You probably should read it. The current American legal environment indicates that there are a lot of women out there doing what Baumeister described.
Kind of like a mob mentality, bobh?
For instance, I don't understand Islam's long hatred of the Jews. All of Islam has to be extremely paranoid to be able to hold such a grudge for better than a millennium.
I've never read the book, don't know anything about Baumeister.
BobH: Is it hard for you to imagine that good women exist? She did say: I'm not saying these women don't exist -- Lisa Jones just made herself the poster girl for them
Cinderkeys, those women exist and they are the ones cited in articles about "Why can't I find a man?"
Whack with the cluebat - More of you, less of us. It's our market, and we are silently voting with our feet. In addition, a lot of us aren't interested in "relationships." But it's okay, because a bunch of you "put out" anyway.
If you've got a decent man for a boyfriend, congratulations. Said comments are not about you.
If you don't, and have had that problem finding one, the common factor is you.
Matters not to us. Not a whole lot of articles being written about "Why can't I find a woman?" is there?
:D
Damn. I never imagined I'd find myself defending my very existence here. :)
I can't prove my credibility. I could be an evil psychopath who beats her husband within inches of his life. It's not like I'd admit it. And if you've been burned before, then it's only prudent to hold people at arm's length before deciding to trust them.
On the other hand, if you're inclined to believe that every woman is an evil psychopath -- not simply a potential one -- then you might consider the notion that maybe it's you. Not that you will. ;)
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