Reading Men's Health's New "Feminist" Blog

Ab-tastic Men’s Health has a new blog on its website, written by a woman for its male audience. And it uses the F-word. Huh.

It’s written by Kiera Aaron, who until recently was an intern on the site before being made a full reporter. (Congrats, Kiera!) So far, posts are few, but here’s a taste of the introduction. There are a few personal anecdotes about the stigma around calling oneself a feminist:

If I tell you I’m feminist, what image comes to mind? Someone who doesn’t shave her legs? Someone who’s angry all of the time? Who wears Doc Martens? (Okay, I might be guilty of the last one.) But why can’t the term evoke an image of someone who wouldn’t appear in Girls Gone Wild for all of the money in the world? Someone who would go into credit card debt before trying to obtain free dinners from random guys? Aren’t those good things?

I’m here to challenge that image, to point out that sexism is intrinsically ingrained in our culture, and more importantly, to question ideas and practices that we usually accept without criticism (i.e. “cat-calling,” video vixens, the definition of rape, sexual politics, and so on.)

It’s not unusual to have a woman or two writing for a male audience, particularly as a sex columnist, but this is the first time we can recall a mainstream media brand throwing around the feminist label as opposed to a vaguer rah-rah-ladies take. (Or even “women are better than us!” See: that of Dan Abrams, who happens to be the BFF of Men’s Health‘s editor-in-chief.)

Given Men’s Health‘s massive print circulation (though we can’t speak to the influence of its website), maybe this will bring more people to the F-party. Though judging from the comments, the so-called Men’s Rights Activists are already out in full force. Or maybe I’m wrong and the core Men’s Health reader regularly throws around the word “misandrist” and asks for the blogger’s opinion on “sexual vixons,” whatever those are.

The F Word: An Introduction [Men’s Health]
We Heart Men’s Health Magazine [Ms.]