All About Testosterone: 6 Bestselling Men’s Magazines

Long before the internet, we had televisions and radios for our entertainment. Way before that, we had magazines to fulfill our need for information and keep us up to date with the latest gossip and trends. Since Jean Donneau de Vize’s 1672 publication, Le Mercure Galant, publishers have been coming up with various periodicals for our amusement. It was Edward Cave who first coined the term magazine when he published The Gentleman’s Magazine in 1731. With time, magazines became more focused on specific niches. While publications meant solely for women started coming out as early as 1693, the first men’s magazine was published in America in 1933.

While many think that magazines are the forte of the ladies, there are a number of outstanding publications meant for men. From fashion and sports to health and lifestyle, there are men’s magazines of all kinds.

Let us have a look at some of the bestselling men’s magazines of 2023.

Men’s Health

Men’s Health was founded by Mark Bricklin as a health magazine in 1986 in the United States. Today, it has evolved into a men’s lifestyle magazine and is published by Hearst Communications. With its focus on fitness, nutrition, sexuality, grooming, exercise, weight management, science, entertainment, and fashion, Men’s Magazine has emerged to be the largest men’s magazine brand. It has 25 editions and is available in 59 countries with a readership of over 21 million across its social and digital platforms. The magazine is famous for its well-researched content and in-depth coverage. Men’s Magazine makes for great reading material for men who like to keep a balance in their mental, physical, and emotional life. 

Esquire

Founded in 1933, Esquire was the first men’s magazine in America. Like Men’s Health, Esquire is currently owned by Hearst Communications. Headquartered in New York, it has more than 20 editions and is available in a large number of countries. It was Esquire that pioneered the New Journalism movement in the 1960s. It is famous as the launching pad of many renowned fiction authors. Contributions by Richard Ford, Truman Capote, Murray Kempton, Malcolm Muggeridge, William F. Buckley, Garry Willis, Andrew Vachss, Ron Rosenbaum, Elizabeth Gilbert, Chris Adrian, Nathan Englander, Benjamin Percy, Patrick Somerville, Ralph Lombreglia, Stephen King, and James Lee Burke have made their place in various issues of the magazine. In 1977, under the watch of then-fiction editor, Gordon Lish, an uncredited short story was published in the magazine. It was widely believed to be the work of J.D. Salinger. Esquire’s 2007 The Napkin Fiction Project was an innovative and cheeky attempt to revive the art of short stories. All in all, Esquire is an expansive magazine focusing on fashion, lifestyle, and politics. It also has some solid advice-based columns. It is an exceptional reading choice for men of varied tastes.

GQ

GQ was formerly known as Gentlemen’s Quarterly. Initially, it started off as Apparel Arts in 1931as a men’s fashion magazine for wholesale buyers and retail sellers. It was meant to empower industry insiders with fashion knowledge so that they could provide style advice to their customers. Its unexpected popularity among retail customers gave way to the creation of Esquire, the first official men’s magazine, in 1933. Finally, in 1957, Apparel Arts evolved into a men’s quarterly magazine published by Esquire Inc. In 1958, it took on the name Gentlemen’s Quarterly. From 1967 onward, it assumed the title of GQ and became a monthly men’s magazine in 1970. After it was bought by Condé Nast, GQ started covering topics beyond fashion and became a formidable competition for Esquire. Today GQ has become insanely popular, especially among the younger generations. Through articles on movies, fitness, sex, food, music, travel, technology, celebrities’ sports, and books, GQ depicts culture, fashion, and style for men.

Wired

Wired is a technology-based magazine that was first published in 1993. Owned by Conde Nast and headquartered in San Francisco, Wired aims to be the go-to magazine of the digital generation. The magazine depicts the influence of technology on culture, economy, and politics. It was Wired that first came up with the term crowdsourcing. It is well quite known for its Vaporware Awards which are given to recognize various innovative products and video games. Wired is the go-to magazine for people inclined toward technology.

Man of Many

Founded by Scott Purcell and Frank Arthur in 2012, Man of Many is the largest Australian men’s lifestyle magazine. Headquartered in Darlinghurst, New South Wales, Man of Many is a multiple award-winning independent online magazine. It is a hub for topics focusing on men’s lifestyle, culture, health, well-being, public interest matters, news, customer trends, and technology.

Sports Illustrated

Founded by Stuart Scheftel in 1954, Sports Illustrated aims to provide its readers with the latest American sports news. It was the first magazine ever to win the National Magazine Award for General Excellence two times. The magazine keeps its readers up to date with all the latest news and gossip from NFL, MLB, NHL, NBA, College Football, College Basketball, NASCAR, Golf, Boxing, Tennis, and Soccer. It also has a section dedicated to new athletes and their achievements. The Point After column presents to us stories and opinions of Sports Illustrated writers on the sports world. The annual swimsuit issue of the magazine is particularly renowned. This colorful and detailed magazine is sure a treat for all sports enthusiasts. 

Conclusion

Fashion, health, sports, technology, science, and lifestyle are as important to men as women. Naturally, magazines catering to men’s needs are quite popular all over the world. Though, with the emergence of the internet, print magazines are now in stiff competition with digital publications. In this cut-throat market, publishers are doing their best to offer their best to the public and remain in business. With so much quality content available and so little time, it must be difficult to choose the best pick for yourself. So, here I am with the bestselling men’s magazine from different niches for your perusal.

Do comment and let me know which of the listed magazines has caught your fancy.