By Alyson Fixter
Loaded editor Martin Daubney has hit back at claims that men’s
magazines should be more like women’s titles in their coverage of
sexual health, claiming the issues are “deeply boring” and not the
publishing industry’s responsibility.
Leading advice group Brook released research this week saying that lads’
mags had “major gaps” in their sex coverage and could pressure readers into conforming to a “macho image”
that would make them unlikely to seek advice on sexual health.
The
advice bureau compared the titles – including Loaded, Zoo and FHM –
with women’s magazines such as Cosmopolitan and Company, saying the
women’s glossies were doing a far better job of spreading health
messages.
Daubney said: “Who’s decided it’s up to the men’s mags to educate blokes on sexual health?
“Men buy men’s magazines to escape from the humdrum issues in life.
“Loaded
doesn’t have features on sexual health for the same reason we don’t
have articles on pensions, mortgages and allotments; they’re a grim
side of reality we don’t need to remind our readers of – and they’re
also deeply boring.
“If matronly women’s mags like Company want
to bang on about testicular cancer and encourage women to play with
men’s scrotums then good luck to them. That can only help keep our
peckers up.”
Jan Barlow, Brook’s chief executive, said: “Magazine
publishers know what their readers want and we are not expecting men’s
magazines to suddenly turn into sexual health promotion experts.
“However,
as demand for reliable sexual health information grows among young men
it is to be hoped that more of the magazines they read will reflect
that change and make sure their readers have all the information they
need to enjoy sex safely.”
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