British Lad Mags: Root Of All Ills Or Symptom Of The Bigger, Sexist Picture?

Maria — Mon, 04 Aug 2008 09:30:00 EDT

Michael Grove, the shadow education secretary and a prominent Conservative in England, gave a speech today at a meeting organized by the think tank IPPR condemning lad mags (like Nuts, Zoo, and Maxim) for promoting "instant-hit hedonism" and presenting women as "permanently, lasciviously, uncomplicatedly available." The result, according to Grove, is that the magazines promote a deterioration of responsibility in young men towards women, leaving British communities with apparently the worst social situation that could ever occur: single-parent families. Yes, lad mags may present a sexist image of women, but is focusing on the importance of "male responsibility" towards women reinforcing sexist and misogynist attitudes towards women or destroying them? (A poll on the website of the Guardian reveals that, as of this morning, 54% of respondents think that lad mags do not "make men feckless".)

Probably the former. Yes, families where both parents are present in the children's lives are more stable and ultimately create a better environment for children, but Grove is implying that parents need to not only be married for children to thrive, but the man needs to be working and providing ("responsibility") for his young while the woman stays home and cares for them. Why not promote a society where single mothers can provide for their children on their own? Grove says that the Conservative government will provide a maternity nurse service for families who need help during the first days after childbirth, but there is no mention of this service being available to single mothers (or fathers) who have a newborn. An emphasis is placed on the relationship between the father and mother, implying that they are together.

And what does Grove think of women's magazines? While he condemns lad mags' presentation of a "narrow conception of beauty and a shallow approach towards women," he praises women's magazines (and their publishers) for addressing their readers "in a mature and responsible fashion." So, being obsessed with materialism, being fearful of any beauty "imperfection," and constantly being reminded that the attention of men is necessary to live a happy lifestyle is "mature"? Has this dude ever looked at a women's magazine?

Lad Mags Linked To 'Social Ills' [BBC]
'Lads Mags' Condemned Over Images Of Women [Telegraph]
Poll" Do Lad Mags Make Men Feckless? [Guardian]

Is Marxist Heir Jamie Johnson Actually Becoming Kind Of Hot?

Moe — Fri, 22 Feb 2008 13:40:26 EST

Anyone who saw the documentary Born Rich loves its narrator/maker/protagonist/self hating rich kid Johnson & Johnson heir Jamie Johnon. But no one who saw Born Rich could have anticipated the dramatic shifts in Jamie (and also maybe, the public conscience) that have led to him turning into OMG an actually convincing stud. He is profiled in the March issue in Men's Vogue, and wow! He looks hot kinda! And nothing warms my cockles like:

"You've exhausted my patience!" erupts the late Nobel laureate Milton Friedman. "I have?" replies Johnson in disbelief.

The profile's author is investment banker-turned-novelist Dana Vachon, whose book Mergers And Acquisitions was all about, you know, how guys who go into investment banking who are not Social Darwinism True Believer types can find themselves, like, disillusioned and also tired from the long hours. Vachon, a rich person, poses the question I'd be too busy ranting about the pharmaceutical industry to ask: what happens when you, like, run into one of these rich people you hate in Palm Beach?

The One Percent has less sympathy for the Fanjul family, the Florida sugar barons accused of polluting the Everglades. When I mention that — his own East Village residence notwithstanding — his social calendar may set him across from a Fanjul in Palm Beach or Manhattan at some point, he grows uncomfortable. "I don't know what that's gonna be like," he says. There follows talk of the difficulty of one person to really judge another, then a few failed sentences, finally a long breath. And for a wavering moment, Jamie Johnson looks like someone in a Jamie Johnson film. Then he decides to say what he means. "We're subsidizing an industry that trashes the environment, and then we're using tax dollars to pay for the cleanup and repair. It just so happens that the Fanjuls represent that."

Swoon!

Why Jamie Johnson Turned His Camera On The Rich And Powerful [Men's Vogue]

Jezebel: (lad) maghag

British Lad Mags: Root Of All Ills Or Symptom Of The Bigger, Sexist Picture?

Is Marxist Heir Jamie Johnson Actually Becoming Kind Of Hot?