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

Abstract

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.