Maxim (magazine)

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Maxim

Anna Kournikova on the cover of Maxim in 2004.
Publisher: Dennis Publishing, Inc.
Language English, many others
Year founded 1995
Country United States, United Kingdom, others

Maxim is an international English language lad mag based in the United Kingdom, and known for its revealing pictorials featuring popular actresses, singers, and female models.

Contents

[edit] Overview

The first issue of Maxim was released in the United Kingdom in May 1995 with Lisa Snowdon on the cover. The first American issue was released on April 1, 1997 with Christa Miller as the cover model.

The magazine is known for its extensive pictorials of scantily clad women. The U.S. version of the magazine, unlike foreign versions, does not allow the depiction of nipples or genitalia. In the U.S., Maxim is readily available from most newsstands and retailers. A notable exception is Wal-Mart, the country's largest retailer. Wal-Mart has gone to great lengths to promote itself as being family-friendly, and although Maxim does not contain nudity, its sexual suggestiveness caused Wal-Mart to not sell the magazine in the United States.

Aside from pictorials, features of the magazine include short articles on subjects such as sports, movies, television, video games, fashion, relationships, cars, crime, and alcohol—subjects considered to be of interest to the magazine's primary audience of men between the ages of 21 and 45. Every issue also features extensive reviews and endorsements of new products in these fields.

Maxim competes with several lad mags including Stuff (owned by the same company) and FHM. It has proved particularly successful in the United States, and is the best-selling men's lifestyle magazine in the world[1]. Despite this, Maxim's sales (still significant) in its country of origin are dwarfed by those of FHM; during the first half of 2006, FHM outsold Maxim by almost 3:1 on the UK market.[2]

[edit] Expansion

Due to its success in its primary markets, Maxim has expanded into many other countries, including Argentina, Canada, India, Indonesia, Belgium, Romania, the Czech Republic, France (marketed under "Maximal"), Germany, Bulgaria, Greece, Italy, Korea, Mexico, Netherlands, Poland, Russia (where it stands now as the most popular men's magazine), Serbia, Montenegro, the Philippines, Singapore, Spain, Thailand, Ukraine, and Portugal. A wireless version of the magazine was launched in 2005 across cellular carriers in twenty European and Asian countries.

In 1999, MaximOnline.com was created. It contains content not included in the print version and focuses on the same general topics, along with exclusive sections such as the "Girls of Maxim" galleries and the "Joke of the Day". "Maxim Video" contains video clips of interviews, music videos, photo shoots, and original content. The success of this website inspired Dennis Digital to create sites for its sister publications, such as Blender.

In January 2002, Dennis Publishing established an online and retail video division, Dennis Media Group.

On February 5, 2005, Maxim launched their own radio channel, Maxim Radio, on Sirius Satellite Radio.

On June 5, 2006, the magazine announced plans to build a casino on the Las Vegas Strip north of Circus Circus. Opening is planned for 2011 with construction scheduled to begin in 2007.

[edit] Criticism

The magazine has been criticized for what is seen as a chauvinistic sexist, racist, and homophobic slant and a lack of diversity in editorial content.[3][4] Maxim has been protested on college campuses[5] for its alleged "sexist bravado and racist imagery."

In 2002, the popular German football club, FC St. Pauli, removed Maxim magazine advertisements from the team's stadium in response to fan protests over the alleged sexist depictions of women in the ads [6].

In 2003, after receiving thousands of phone and email complaints, Maxim issued an apology[7] for what many considered an offensive cartoon depicting Mahatma Gandhi being beaten, kicked and bloodied.[8] Some found the apology to be insincere. [9]

To counter the limited view of women offered in Maxim's annual "Hot 100" list, several activists and women's groups came together in 2006 to create "The Real Hot 100", an annual list featuring "young women from around the country who are breaking barriers, fighting stereotypes, and making a difference in their communities or the nation".[10][11][12]

[edit] Celebrities

For a full listing, please see:

Many celebrities (singers, actresses, models, etc.) have posed for Maxim over the years. This list is only a small portion of those who have posed. Some of them are:

FILM:

MUSIC:

SPORT:

TELEVISION:


[edit] See also

[edit] References

  1. ^ http://www.cbsnews.com/stories/2003/11/17/60II/main584067.shtml, retrieved October 26, 2006
  2. ^ http://www.abc.org.uk, retrieved October 26, 2006. Sales figures (Jan-Jun 2006) of 146,043 (Maxim) and 420,688 (FHM) may be confirmed via search.
  3. ^ http://www.theatlantic.com/doc/prem/200304/brooks
  4. ^ http://blog.washingtonpost.com/celebritology/2006/09/maxims_sh_list.html
  5. ^ http://thunderbay.indymedia.org/news/2004/11/16227.php
  6. ^ http://www.vfb-fanclub-berlin.de/vereine/stpauli.html
  7. ^ http://www.indiacause.com/Cause/C17_Maxim_Gandhi.htm
  8. ^ http://www.rediff.com/us/2003/jan/31us.htm
  9. ^ http://www.tolerance.org/news/article_tol.jsp?id=751
  10. ^ http://therealhot100.org/home
  11. ^ http://www.womensenews.org/article.cfm/dyn/aid/2720
  12. ^ http://www.guardian.co.uk/women/story/0,,1788801,00.html

[edit] External links

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