Journal Articles

Singapore FHM: State Values and the Construction of Singaporean Masculinity in a Syndicated Men's Magazine

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Transnational magazines have enjoyed enormous success with readers in Singapore in recent years. But what hurdles are faced by these syndicated magazines as they attempt to enter global markets? This article explores the difficulties of meeting audience demands while obeying strictly monitored rules set down by the state. Drawing from initial research into women's lifestyle magazines, this article turns to men's syndicated lifestyle magazines, in particular the controversial Singapore FHM, the first, and most popular, “lad's mag” to enter Singapore. By way of a visual and discourse analysis, this article examines the way the magazine constructs a particular view of masculinity in order to reflect the ideals of the Singaporean male. Despite a change of ownership from the UK-based Emap group to the locally-owned MediaCorp Publishing, few visible changes occurred in the magazine. Fears that the magazine's sexually-related content would be toned down with local ownership proved to be unfounded. This article suggests that Singapore FHM has subtly shifted Western notions of masculinity to encompass the new global masculinity of urban, professional, Singaporean males.

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Detail Information

Series Title

Asian Studies Review

Call Number

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Publisher

Hoboken, United States : Routledge Taylor & Francis Group., 2010

Collation

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Language

English

ISBN/ISSN

10357823

Classification

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Content Type

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Media Type

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Carrier Type

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Edition

Volume 34, Issue 2 June 2010 , pages 171 - 190

Subject(s)

Masculinity
Singapore
Print Media
Lifestyle magazines
State control
Syndication

Specific Detail Info

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Statement of Responsibility

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