Last Saturday a friend offered me His stack of FHM magazines to peruse. This publication aims upmarket, with tasteful portrayals of women in lingerie and articles about expensive cars, soldiering, and computer games. Articles about sport also appear, particularly extreme sports. It's art design mimics the style of Vogue.
By the time I flipped through 2 or 3 issues I felt distinctly uncomfortable and queasy. I am sure reading the magazine is unhealthy for my mind, but I do not have a strong explanation why. I think it is because the magazine encourages the reader to think of the world as something to be bought. And it indulges a lot of macho fantasies, portraying as real the world in which James Bond lived.
I really enjoy a good Bond movie, but somehow a movie shows the fantasy clearly. I think that For Him Magazine wants to make us think that such a world is real for those who buy what it sells. That deceit makes it dangerous for my mind - it might succeed.
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