Are magazines like Playboy, Maxim, FHM and the like harmful to women?

Question

If you think they degrade women, what should we do about it?

Answer 1

nope. degrades women as much as boy bands degrade guys.

Answer 2

Are these magazines harmful to women?

Hmmm.

Well for the women in the magazines they are getting paid well to do something they are willing to do. Somewhere down the line they may regret this decision but business is done in the here and now and not the might be future.

For the women that work for those magazines and there are many, writers, photographers, staffers and marketers, they are getting a pay check to produce a readable and entertaining magazine. I don't think they are suffering with the choices they are making.

You must be talking about the women who have nothing to do with the magazines, now they are being hurt because things are not going their way and that irritates them to no end. It is not like they ever read one of these magazines but the fact that men do upsets them. There is no changing that.

If you did read the magazines you might find that there is more between the covers than scantily clad women and the occasional dirty joke. Some great authors and talented individuals have let their work be published in those magazines, and these people are not in the habbit of lending their name to groups that denegrade women.

The fact is many women are paid because they are beautiful. Does that mean we should tell all the models and actresses in the world to do something else for a living? Tell them all that hard work they did to become that beautiful is worth nothing. They should just go home and rethink their livelihood. It is denegrading to women.

Or how about we go the other way and thell all those women in their power suits to change their jobs because they make beautiful women feel inferior, stupid, an underachiever? Tell them to play it average, not show off, not strive to be on top. Maybe we should do that too because they are making women feel bad about themselves.

You want to take down these magazines. Do what you want. You will need legistlation that redefines obsenity to fit your views on it and then you will have to make sure that none of those views turn arond to bite other professionals in the back side. And then all you have to do is get the television, and movie, and entertainment indusry to follow suit because what you want effects all of them so they are going to be doing everything they can to make sure you are unable to get your way.

To be honest, I think you are wrong about the harm. I think the average woman has little or no contact with these magazines and so long as that stays that way, everything will be fine.

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Answer 3

I like how women will say these magazines are degrading towards women and people shouldn't buy them, but don't say bad things about the women who pose for them. Instead they'll feel sorry for the women, saying how they have to make money somehow and for some of them this is the only good way. Well, 1) if people don't by the magazines, then there aren't going to be any magazines for these poor *sob* women to pose for and get that money, and 2) if women didn't pose for these magazines, then there wouldn't be any magazines to "degrade" women.

Also, since women are the ones posing for the magazines, then women should be complaining about women degrading women and not about men degrading them, if they have a problem with these type of magazines.

Answer 4

No i dont think so. Look at Cosmo it talks about men just as playboy talks about women.

I think now days Playboy, Maxim and the rest are starting to take that type of mag to a higher classier level. Kind of like pin-up of the 40's and 50's.

Answer 5

When women start refusing to be exploited, magazines like those will have less and less options. But you'll always have women who choose to be objectified -- strippers, porn stars, nude centerfolds, etc.

But in their defense, they have to jump at "opportunities" to make the buck, because if they don't, someone else will do it.

Just keep the mags away from your young boys (if you have any) so their behavior of objectifying women can be lessened. But while we're at it, aren't fashion magazines harmful to girls too? How many men run *those* magazines?

Answer 6

i dont think that these magazines degrade women but i think it could be harmful to the women who look at them like any other magazine... it just gives women a false sense of what they should look like... May cause low self-esteem!

Answer 7

No, I don't think so. Those women you see on the covers put themselves in those postions for many to see. So if anything it's not the magazines fault it's the girls. Also, it's not as if girls can really say we don't have those magazines about guys.

Answer 8

I wouldn't say they are terribly harmful for women, unless a woman is a little insecure that her guy is reading one, but I will definitely say that is not something a young girl, say 13 or 14 should be thinking is the ideal woman, you know?

Answer 9

It only degrades women if you think it does. If women were more secure and confident with their bodies, they wouldn't care what they put in magazines. And last time i checked, these women weren't coming out of the pages and punching people, so it doesnt matter to me.

Answer 10

Curious is right what about the fashion mag. that are just as bad in their ads. But you are right, your mag. listed are for different reasons, but I think they are all guilty to a degree, check out links below, as far as degrading, yes, but, those that pose are just as guilty, let's not put the entire blame on the mag. The girls are willing to do it, you should start a group, lobby congress, educate the community about the harmful results of posing for and buying these mag.

Answer 11

There's nothing much we can do about it, but I find it pretty harmful in the way that it depicts women as sex objects to men. Men will think that all women will be this 'great in bed' or whatever according to those magazines, and things like this can possibly ruin relationships.