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All for Him: Articles About Sex in American Lad Magazines

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Abstract

Research on sources of information about sex indicates that independent reading is a primary source of information for many young people. For young men, such reading is likely to involve lad magazines, a relatively new but very popular genre of lifestyle magazines targeted at young men. In the present study, a systematic representative sample of articles about sex from American lad magazines was subjected to content analysis. Results suggest that, although many articles focus on what women want sexually, the overall message of these articles privileges a fairly narrow male sexuality oriented toward sexual variety. At the same time, the normative relational context of sex is depicted as serious dating relationships. These results are consistent with predominant gender stereotypes about sex.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Communication Studies, University of Michigan, 2020 Frieze Building, Ann Arbor, Michigan, 48109

    Laramie D. Taylor

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  1. Laramie D. Taylor
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Correspondence to Laramie D. Taylor.

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Taylor, L.D. All for Him: Articles About Sex in American Lad Magazines. Sex Roles 52, 153–163 (2005). https://doi.org/10.1007/s11199-005-1291-7

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s11199-005-1291-7

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