Back to Writings Main Menu
October / November 2001
Are You a REAL Man?
A year ago, despite the pleading of our accountants, friends and psychologists,
we entered the men's lifestyle magazine arena. Everyone thought we were
certifiable. We were accused of having Ralph Kramden-like business sense
and Homer Simpson-like common sense. Why would we commit commercial
suicide by publishing a start-up in the most competitive genre on newsstands?
Well, as men, we knew the competition wasn't as severe as people made
it out to be. The reality: there are many so called" men's lifestyle
rags out there… but, think about it, are they aimed at men or little
boys?
Many of these magazines would like you to believe that their average
reader is male, 26 years old, college educated and earning $60,000+
a year. Ask yourself this question: If you fell into said category,
would you want the attractive woman seated next to you on the bus or
plane catching you reading a boy's magazine? A juvenile rag with cover
lines such as the emasculating, 24 Ways to Bring Her to Orgasm, the
endearing, 12 Never Fail Pickup Lines or my favorite, the studly, Cheat
and Never Get Caught?
Even the men's health magazines can't be excluded. I have found myself
at airport newsstands on several occasions placing a "fitness"
magazine back on the shelf because the articles have more to do with
fondling her chest (which I'm pretty sure I've been getting right since
my late teens) than building my own.
One highly esteemed (in his own maximized mind) publisher recently
rationalized that "men are emotional cripples and only capable
of communicating in one-liners." So essentially, when your girlfriend
asks you how you feel about her mother, the publisher apparently feels,
"Yo' momma has an ass wider than the American League strike zone,"
is the appropriate response. That such a remark will not only win her
heart, but will make her want you even more in bed. Thank God you read
those twenty-four sex tips!
But, really, what makes a real man? Ask any woman looking for one and
she'll be more than happy to tell you. We asked many and weren't surprised
that none of them claimed that their ideal man would lay on the couch
watching an Adam Sandler movie, one hand on a Coors Light and another
in the deteriorating waistband of his ratty Hanes, while she cooked dinner.
Women want to see the kid IN you; they don't want to see you in a state
of arrested development.
Over the last year we have seen our female readership climb right in
line with their male counterparts. They love that we put WOMEN on our
covers, not girls who hit puberty during the last days of the Clinton
administration. And, they love that we treat men like men and women
like women.
This month we celebrate real men and examine them through the eyes
of the fairer sex. We look at what they're wearing, what they're drinking
and, overall, how they are living.
And so it goes. Six issues ago on this page I declared that RAZOR was
not about a lifestyle, it was about life. We have not deviated from
that philosophy and here we are, a year later, one of the fastest growing
titles in North America.
As for the Kramden and Simpson comparisons? Is there any doubt as to
their real man status? We took it as a compliment.
Enjoy the Issue,
Richard Botto,
Editor in Chief / CEO of RAZOR Magazine - The Definitive Men's Lifestyle Magazine
www.razormagazine.com
