{"id":20867,"date":"2013-01-02T02:20:30","date_gmt":"2013-01-02T05:20:30","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/christianfighterpilot.com\/blog\/?p=20867"},"modified":"2016-11-26T02:02:45","modified_gmt":"2016-11-26T05:02:45","slug":"maxim-magazine-tightens-aim-at-military-audience","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/christianfighterpilot.com\/blog\/2013\/01\/02\/maxim-magazine-tightens-aim-at-military-audience\/","title":{"rendered":"Maxim Magazine Tightens Aim at Military Audience"},"content":{"rendered":"

In an interesting bit of timing, given the Air Force Chief of Staff’s recent health and welfare inspection<\/a>, Maxim <\/em>magazine was covered by the New York Times <\/em>in a story highlighting its ubiquity within the military<\/a>.<\/p>\n

Why?\u00a0 Basically, troops can’t get racy magazines like Playboy <\/em>or Penthouse <\/em>shipped to the war zone overseas — but Maxim<\/em>, while it may skirt the line, doesn’t cross <\/em>it:<\/p>\n

Maxim, a testosterone-fueled magazine featuring adolescent humor and plenty of scantily clad actresses, has become for today\u2019s Army what Esquire was to soldiers fighting in World War II and Playboy was during the Vietnam War…<\/p><\/blockquote>\n

The sale of “explicit” magazines on military bases comes up in the news every few years<\/a>.\u00a0 At one point, Lifeway publishers was attempting to create a Christian alternative<\/a> to the popular magazines.\u00a0 For now, the rules actually “benefit” Maxim<\/em>:\u00a0 <\/p>\n

Maxim also benefits from military rules that prohibit the sale of sexually explicit materials. While Playboy and Penthouse have an exception and are sold at most military base exchanges, they are not available in the Middle East, making Maxim one of the raciest publications sold in combat zones.<\/p><\/blockquote>\n

One of the interviewed Marines described the result, saying<\/p>\n

Maxim was \u201cthe most common magazine hanging around\u201d during his eight deployments.<\/p><\/blockquote>\n

Apparently ignoring current events, the article noted<\/p>\n

Maxim still lags behind Men\u2019s Health, the fitness bible, which was the top-selling magazine year to date at Army and Air Force exchanges…<\/p><\/blockquote>\n

Of course, Men’s Health <\/em>(along with Cosmopolitan<\/em>) was specifically cited as “contraband” by the <\/a>Air Force Times<\/a> <\/em>following the recent Air Force inspections.\u00a0 (Presumably, Maxim <\/em>would have been policed up as well.)<\/p>\n

Anu Bhagwati of the Service Women\u2019s Action Network<\/a> — the same group that joined with the ACLU to sue<\/a> over the “right” for females to be in combat\u00a0— isn’t amused:<\/p>\n

“The idea that our boys are just looking at pictures of models and pretty women in bikinis is scratching the surface of a much deeper problem,\u201d Ms. Bhagwati said. She added, \u201cFrom Day 1, men in the military are indoctrinated in institutional sexism.”<\/p><\/blockquote>\n

Some readers of the magazine might object, claiming they get Maxim <\/em>for the articles.\u00a0 An AFSOC operator had this to say about the reason people like the magazine:<\/p>\n

\u201cWhen you\u2019re overseas, you\u2019re not around for the pop culture, clothing, vehicles, anything that guys pay attention to,\u201d he said. \u201cThere\u2019s hot chicks in it. Don\u2019t forget that. Week one, I probably read the articles. Month three or four, it\u2019s the girls.\u201d<\/p><\/blockquote>\n

The presence of Maxim <\/em>in the military culture has been used as an example here<\/a> before of things deemed “acceptable” because they don’t cross a line — even if they seem to dance along it.\u00a0 Bhagwati had one detail correct:\u00a0 the prevalence of Maxim is<\/span><\/em> a symptom of the culture.\u00a0 The question is whether the root cause <\/em>is addressed.<\/p>\n

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