Customer Reviews

Men's Journal (1-year)

5 star:		(24)
4 star:		(22)
3 star:		(10)
2 star:		(12)
1 star:		(18)

 

 

Men's Journal is a decent magazine full of varied topics of interest to men. This magazine covers areas like sports, adventure travel, fashion and style, cars and trucks, career issues, etc. This publication directs all of its articles toward men, with an emphasis on what is most appealing to males throughout a typical week in their lives.

One thing about Men's Journal that is a little different from other men's magazines is that it doesn't flaunt women to sell its issues. In fact, there are practically no pictures of women at all in this publication- something that will be considered an asset to some, and a liability to others. This magazine refuses to play the female card and instead focuses its articles on topics that men like to read about.

Men's Journal is often obsessed with lists, and I think this is especially true in the last few years. Take a look at the cover of most issues and you will see a large, boldface advertisement for some sort of list. In one issue, it might be a ranking of the best cities for entry level jobs. In another issue, it might be a listing of the best places for young entrepreneurs. Whatever it might be, Men's Journal seems to have an infatuation with lists, probably because men like lists and it helps increase sales.

This magazine can be counted on to produce some fairly good reading, but I must warn that many of the articles are a little too simplistic, with little emphasis on intellectualism. Even the articles about politics and business are often riddled with obvious statements that most anyone would know. But overall, I still think Men's Journal is a good magazine. It is varied enough that most anyone will find something interesting to read and the price is very low.

This is a great magazine to highlight the fun places to go, things to do and things to own. It is not highbrow with big book excerpts, nor is is lowbrow with a bunch of buxom women all over the magazine.

This is a magazine for active, athletic and adventurous men. There are 1 or 2 interesting articles about travel or adventure in each issue along with a feature article on varying topics from contributing writers. There are always good features on health and fitness tips. Lastly, the magazine highlights sports gear, fashion and gadgets.

It is a fun, light (usually) magazine that I look forward to receiving each month.

Don't get me wrong, occasionally there are issues I still read cover to cover, but it seems as though MJ has gone through a change lately. Gone is the focus of travel and fantastic adventure writing. Now the focus seems to be health, fitness and diet. I used to buy Men's Health magazine for those topics. If I wanted that focus I would continue to buy MH. There is no longer a consistent reason to read MJ on a regular basis anymore. Man, I miss the old MJ!

If Men's Health - a main competitor of the magazine here under review - strikes you as pandering to the average guy's baser instincts, you'll want to check out Men's Journal.

The tag line to this magazine's name reads 'Adventure Life'. That's a pretty good shot at the content, since it takes your average young rich guy's (or no-longer-young-in-the-mirror rich guy's) desires to live a little on the wild side and decks them out in luxury opportunities to do just that.

The writing is surprisingly good. We're not talking the Atlantic Monthly here, but recent issues have easy-on-the-eyes features on the crisis in Darfur, the late Aussie croc-wrestler Steve Irwin, and the down-in-the-mouth financial situation of our National Parks system.

Like most magazines of the genre, the gloss, paper quality, and color make this an easy read in an airplane seat or an easy chair: Men's Journal is pleasant to the touch, good for some mild distraction, and leaves no bitter aftertaste.

This unethical company sends you faux debt collection type letters when you opt not to renew your subscription. The content is hit or miss and the retention attempts by their subscription department is just the last nail in the coffin for me with them. I will NOT be subscribing or buying another copy of this magazine. Half of it is ads anyways.

Bottom-Line: If you are looking for a magazine written for the not-so-average Joe, "Men's Journal Magazine" might be for you.

The world of Men's magazines, or magazines that are marketed towards a certain portion of the male reading populace, is littered with twaddle that only seems to appeal to the baser instincts of the male gender. You know the magazines; they need not be mentioned here. Some are happily folding tent never to heard from again. Truth be told there are very few magazines that appeal to the more intellectual side of a man (yes ladies we do have such a side).

But recently as "special gift" for renewing my Bally's Total Fitness membership I received a 1 year subscription to "Men's Journal Magazine", "a general interest, active lifestyle magazine with a focus on adventure, travel, equipment, sports, fitness, health, and style."

"Men's Journal Magazine", is published monthly by Wenner Media, the same publishing house that brings us such notable sidewalk fare as Us Weekly and Rolling Stone. The magazine will set you back $3.95 an issue at the local newsstand, but 1 year subscriptions can be had for $9.95. Inside each approximately 120-page magazine you will not find half clothed women dripping with sexy come hither stares. Nor will you find the next Hollywood "it" girl, or wannabe skinny model with a fake tan gracing the pages of this Men's magazine. No, "Men's Journal" is serious business folks; vapid men with one track minds and adolescent libido's need not apply!

"Men's Journal" is a smartly written, thoughtfully designed magazine for the active intellectual male. The magazine offer feature-length articles on a wide range of subjects based on the magazine's central theme: adventure, travel, equipment, sports, fitness, health, and style.

However, like most magazines in America, "Men's Journal" depends heavily on advertising to generate revenue, but unlike fashion magazines that seem to be 90% advertising and 10% substance, "Men's Journal" only dedicates every other page to colorful spreads bent on selling us stuff we don't really need, or in some cases don't need but really, really want, but can't afford. To its credit, most of the advertising is not dedicated to men's fashions, wore by young impeccably sculpted and groomed men, or automobiles that are impossibly expensive, but instead to the business of adventure and sports.

Conclusion

When all is said and done I enjoy reading "Men's Journal Magazine." Granted, given my current lifestyle (my days of adventures have been traded in for the American Dream and all that entails for now), the information the magazine imparts is only marginally useful to me. The fitness articles are rater short and are mostly how-to's that while useful are just barely so. Most of the equipment discussed in Men's Journal is for the magazines target audience with the appropriate disposable income; that's not me.

Nonetheless, when my subscription runs out in another ten months I will probably renew. Why? Because "Men's Journal" represents my kind of man: thoughtful, intelligent, adventurous (hey, I used to ride submarines, hike mountains and scuba dive and I still want to go sky-diving), man who actually appreciates full-length feature articles or two written by grown-ups for grown-ups.

If you are looking for a magazine written for the not-so-average Joe, filled with those little tidbits in life only men can appreciate, but also brings a healthy infusion of intelligent to its well written and information pages, "Men's Journal Magazine" might be for you.

Men's Journal has gotta be one of the best deals in the whole wide world of magazines. For 10 bucks you get wonderful photography, health tips, product reviews of cool stuff you'll covet, smart writing and, of course, regular features by that greatest of American ink-spillers, Jim Harrison. Heck, if they just photo copied the Harrison pieces and sent them to me in a plain white envelope, ten bucks would still be a screaming deal. However, I still dig the fashion spreads, the book notes and the travel writing. There is a consistant sense of adventure, curiosity and life well lived in this magazine, which is why it should earn a spot on your coffee table. Did I mention it's only ten bucks?

I have been a female reader of Men's Journal for 10 years. The articles are always very good, open and fair, and of excellent journalistic quality. They have product reviews, health questions, sports information, etc. The magazine is well balanced and only has a few 'men only' related articles. It is also very cheap as far as magazines go and this was a gift subscription for someone. Everyone I have ever gifted it to has liked it.

The pages of Men's Journal used to be an escapist weekend getaway in themselves. They brought you to extreme parts of the globe with a literary style that disappeared after 9/11. Since that time, MJ has concentrated on telling its readers who their heros should be, which might have been fine for one issue. This is a magazine badly in need of a new editor and old ideas.

Good magazine, but I don't like auto-renewal. I guess I wasn't paying attention, or i wouldn't have bought it with auto-renew...