China's Men's Fashion Magazine Consumerism Cultural Critique

With the transformation of politics and economics, and the development of fashion creative industry in China, the domestic men’s fashion magazine gradually stepped onto the historical arena.Being continuous growing more than a decade, it changes the situation that only female fashion magazines outshine others, aiming to become a guide for both fashion consumption and healthy living of men in China.The generation of male fashion magazine is the fusion product of media and consumer culture. In consumer society, people no longer restrict their pursuit of material to meet their use, while pay more attention to the cultural significance of these commodity. Under these influence, their consumption behaviors also turn into a symbol of their own identity.Being the main media of consumer culture, male fashion magazine exert a subtle influence on the middle class, especially for the male, using the pattern and value of consumption it is propagandizing. By selecting stars and business owners as the representatives of middle class, the magazine described their high quality of life and value orientation, creating an image of middle class envisioned by media meantimeUnder the view of consumer culture, male fashion magazine not only model the middle class envisioned by media, but also influence the construction of masculinity and identity. The change on the fashion image of male media shows the difference of people’s aesthetical standard and value orientation during different period of time.Consumption culture brought the prosperity of male fashion economic, and those cosmetics and garments designed for male constantly stimulate the consumption of male. Under the influence of media, the male aesthetic nowadays has gradually turned into feminization from previous manliness, while male has begun paying more attention on their bodies.And the female images, opposite of male, due to its huge potential in consumption field and unceasing rise of its economic and cultural status, To some extent, the complete expression of female images and high proportion of female editors in male fashion magazine also promoted the economic development of male consumption.Based on the analysis of the problems the male fashion magazine is currently facing and the consumption culture characteristic it shows, this paper aims to criticize the lifestyle and value in male fashion magazine, and further discuss on the practical significance of media middle class, thus introspect the development of domestic male fashion magazine, aiming to make it the true guide and demonstration of domestic middle class.