FHM

FHM, an abbreviation for For Him Magazine (or For Horny Men, as the Philippines edition has it), is a monthly men's magazine (of a type known as a lads' mag). The magazine was first published in 1994 in the United Kingdom but has subsequently expanded internationally. As of July 2004, it publishes 27 editions per month including editions in the United States, Denmark, Australia, Estonia, New Zealand, France, Lithuania, Indonesia, Taiwan, Portugal, Malaysia, Thailand, the Philippines, South Africa, Spain, Sweden and Singapore.

Related Topics:
Abbreviation - Men's magazine - Lads' mag - 1994 - United Kingdom - As of July 2004 - United States - Denmark - Australia - Estonia - New Zealand - France - Lithuania - Indonesia - Taiwan - Portugal - Malaysia - Thailand - Philippines - South Africa - Spain - Sweden - Singapore

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FHM, produced by the consumer media division of publishing giant EMAP, was launched as a response to the success of Loaded, launched by IPC Media the previous year. Like Loaded, FHM arguably relies heavily on the appeal of photographs of scantily-clad women. Unlike many magazines, FHM prints photographs of women already famous for reasons other than their beauty - such as actresses and pop singers. Also, unlike pornographic magazines, their genitals and nipples are hidden by underwear or props. This is for two reasons: Firstly the women they feature are sufficiently famous to be able to make demands as to the degree(s) of nudity of the photos; Secondly it lends the magazine a more respectable air. Thus FHM is typically stocked in the lifestyle rather than adult section on newsstands. Like similar magazines such as Maxim, its large quantity of surveys, humour, dramatic tales and informed reviews of everything from movies to remote controlled blimps has created a readership not necessarily interested in the photographs.

Related Topics:
EMAP - Loaded - IPC Media - Photographs - Actress - Pop singer - Genital - Nipple

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The magazine is printed on high-quality glossy paper and the photography is of high technical quality. FHM became the best-selling magazine in Britain during the mid to late 1990s - selling 700,000 copies per month. Towards the end of the decade the lads' culture in which the magazine thrived had begun to die off and publishers turned to celebrity-oriented titles to boost overall sales. Heat overtook FHM as the UK's biggest selling magazine.

Related Topics:
Lads' culture - Heat

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As well as the photo shoots, the magazine contains articles on a wide variety of topics, including profiles of sports stars, movie, music, technology and book reviews, gossip, men's fashion shoots, the "bar scene" in a variety of locations, and extensive discussion of sexual techniques. The magazine is written in a notably "laddish" bar-room discussion style, by comparison to the more literary style of Playboy.

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Other magazines in a somewhat similar style include Maxim and Ralph (Australia).

Related Topics:
Maxim - Ralph

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