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''GQ'' (formerly ''Gentlemen's Quarterly'' and ''Apparel Arts'') is an American international monthly
men's magazine This is a list of magazines primarily marketed to men. The list has been split into subcategories according to the target audience of the magazines. This list includes mostly mainstream magazines as well as Adult magazine, adult ones. Not include ...
based in
New York City New York, often called New York City or NYC, is the List of United States cities by population, most populous city in the United States. With a 2020 population of 8,804,190 distributed over , New York City is also the L ...
and founded in 1931. The publication focuses on fashion, style, and culture for men, though articles on food, movies, fitness, sex, music, travel, celebrities' sports, technology, and books are also featured.


History

''Gentlemen's Quarterly'' was launched in 1931 in the
United States The United States of America (U.S.A. or USA), commonly known as the United States (U.S. or US) or America, is a country primarily located in North America. It consists of 50 states, a federal district, five major unincorporated territorie ...
as ''Apparel Arts''. It was a men's fashion magazine for the clothing trade, aimed primarily at wholesale buyers and retail sellers. Initially it had a very limited print run and was aimed solely at industry insiders to enable them to give advice to their customers. The popularity of the magazine among retail customers, who often took the magazine from the retailers, spurred the creation of ''
Esquire Esquire (, ; abbreviated Esq.) is usually a courtesy title. In the United Kingdom, ''esquire'' historically was a title of respect accorded to men of higher social rank, particularly members of the landed gentry above the rank of gentlema ...
'' magazine in 1933. ''Apparel Arts'' continued until 1957 when it was transformed into a quarterly magazine for men, which was published for many years by Esquire Inc. Apparel was dropped from the logo in 1958 with the spring issue after nine issues, and the name ''Gentlemen's Quarterly'' was established. ''Gentlemen's Quarterly'' was re-branded as ''GQ'' in 1967. The rate of publication was increased from quarterly to monthly in 1970. In 1979
Condé Nast Condé Nast () is a global mass media company founded in 1909 by Condé Montrose Nast, and owned by Advance Publications. Its headquarters are located at One World Trade Center in the Financial District of Lower Manhattan. The company's media ...
bought the publication, and editor
Art Cooper Art Cooper (October 15, 1937 – June 9, 2003) was an American journalist and magazine editor, the longtime editor of '' GQ''. Life and career Cooper was born in New York City and educated at Pennsylvania State University. In 1964 he became a repor ...
changed the course of the magazine, introducing articles beyond fashion and establishing ''GQ'' as a general men's magazine in competition with ''Esquire''. Subsequently, international editions were launched as regional adaptations of the U.S. editorial formula. Jim Nelson was named editor-in-chief of ''GQ'' in February 2003; during his tenure, he worked as both a writer and an editor of several
National Magazine Award The National Magazine Awards, also known as the Ellie Awards, honor print and digital publications that consistently demonstrate superior execution of editorial objectives, innovative techniques, noteworthy enterprise and imaginative design. Or ...
-nominated pieces, and the magazine became more oriented towards younger readers and those who prefer a more casual style.
Nonnie Moore Nonnie Moore (January 21, 1922 – February 19, 2009) was a fashion editor at '' Mademoiselle'', ''Harper's Bazaar'' and '' GQ''. Biography She was born in Plainfield, New Jersey as Marjorie Eilers on January 21, 1922, and acquired the nicknam ...
was hired by ''GQ'' as fashion editor in 1984, having served in the same position at ''Mademoiselle'' and ''
Harper's Bazaar ''Harper's Bazaar'' is an American monthly women's fashion magazine. It was first published in New York City on November 2, 1867, as the weekly ''Harper's Bazar''. ''Harper's Bazaar'' is published by Hearst and considers itself to be the st ...
''. Jim Moore, the magazine's fashion director at the time of her death in 2009, described the choice as unusual, observing that "She was not from men's wear, so people said she was an odd choice, but she was actually the perfect choice". Jim Moore also noted that she changed the publication's more casual look: "She helped dress up the pages, as well as dress up the men, while making the mix more exciting and varied and approachable for men." ''GQ'' has been closely associated with
metrosexual ''Metrosexual'' is a portmanteau of '' metropolitan'' and ''sexual'' coined in 1994, describing a man of ambiguous sexuality, (especially one living in an urban, post-industrial, capitalist culture) who is especially meticulous about his groomin ...
ity. The writer Mark Simpson coined the term in an article for British newspaper ''
The Independent ''The Independent'' is a British online newspaper. It was established in 1986 as a national morning printed paper. Nicknamed the ''Indy'', it began as a broadsheet and changed to tabloid format in 2003. The last printed edition was publis ...
'' about his visit to a ''GQ'' exhibition in London: "The promotion of metrosexuality was left to the men's style press, magazines such as ''The Face'', ''GQ'', ''Esquire'', ''Arena'' and ''
FHM ''FHM'' (For Him Magazine) is a British multinational men's lifestyle magazine that was published in several countries. Its master edition contained features such as the ''FHM'' 100 Sexiest Women in the World, which has featured models, actres ...
'', the new media which took off in the Eighties and is still growing ... They filled their magazines with images of narcissistic young men sporting fashionable clothes and accessories. And they persuaded other young men to study them with a mixture of envy and desire." The magazine has expanded its coverage beyond lifestyle issues. For example, in 2003, journalist
Sabrina Erdely Sabrina Rubin Erdely is an American former journalist and magazine reporter, who in 2014 authored an article in ''Rolling Stone'' describing the alleged rape of a University of Virginia student by several fraternity members. The story, titled " ...
wrote an eight-page feature story in ''GQ'' on famous con man
Steve Comisar Steven Robert Comisar (born December 30, 1961) is an American convicted confidence trick, con man and extortionist. Comisar was in federal prison and was released April 27, 2018. Career Comisar grew up in Beverly Hills, California. As a yo ...
. ''GQ'' has been called the "holy text of
woke ''Woke'' ( ) is an adjective derived from African-American Vernacular English (AAVE) meaning "alert to racial prejudice and Racial discrimination, discrimination". Beginning in the 2010s, it came to encompass a broader awareness of social ineq ...
capital" by ''
The Spectator ''The Spectator'' is a weekly British magazine on politics, culture, and current affairs. It was first published in July 1828, making it the oldest surviving weekly magazine in the world. It is owned by Frederick Barclay, who also owns ''The ...
''. In 2016, ''GQ'' launched the spinoff quarterly ''GQ Style,'' headed by then-style editor Will Welch, who was later promoted to creative director of the magazine. In 2018, writing for ''GQ'',
Rachel Kaadzi Ghansah Rachel Kaadzi Ghansah (born 1982) is an American essayist. She won a Pulitzer Prize for Feature Writing in 2018 for her profile of white supremacist and mass murderer Dylann Roof, as well as a National Magazine Award. She was also a National Mag ...
won the
Pulitzer Prize for Feature Writing The Pulitzer Prize for Feature Writing is one of the fourteen American Pulitzer Prizes that are annually awarded for Journalism. It has been awarded since 1979 for a distinguished example of feature writing giving prime consideration to high liter ...
for her article about
Dylann Roof Dylann Storm Roof (born April 3, 1994) is an American white supremacist, neo-Nazi, and mass murderer convicted of perpetrating the Charleston church shooting on June 17, 2015, in the U.S. state of South Carolina. During a Bible study at Emanue ...
, who had shot nine African-Americans in a church in Charleston. In September 2018, Will Welch was named the new editor-in-chief of GQ, succeeding Jim Nelson.


Men of the Year

''GQ'' (U.S.) first named their Men of the Year in 1996, featuring the award recipients in a special issue of the magazine. British ''GQ'' launched its annual Men of the Year awards in 2009 and ''GQ'' India launched its version the following year. Spanish ''GQ'' launched its Men of the Year awards in 2011 and ''GQ'' Australia launched its version in 2007.


Controversies


''Glee'' controversy

In 2010, ''GQ'' magazine had three adult members of the television show ''Glee'' (
Dianna Agron Dianna Elise Agron ( ; born April 30, 1986) is an American actress and singer. After primarily dancing and starring in small musical theater productions in her youth, Agron made her screen debut in 2006, and in 2007, she played recurring charac ...
,
Lea Michele Lea Michele Sarfati (; born August 29, 1986) is an American actress, singer, songwriter, and author. She began her career as a child actress on Broadway (theatre), Broadway, appearing in productions of ''Les Misérables (musical), Les Misérab ...
and
Cory Monteith Cory Allan Michael Monteith (; May 11, 1982 July 13, 2013) was a Canadian actor and musician who played Finn Hudson on the Fox television series ''Glee''. As an actor based in British Columbia, Monteith had minor roles on television series before ...
) partake in a photoshoot. The sexualization of the actresses in the photos caused controversy among parents of teens who watch the show ''Glee''. The
Parents Television Council The Parents Television and Media Council (PTMC), formerly the Parents Television Council (PTC), is an American media advocacy group founded by conservative Christian activist L. Brent Bozell III in 1995, which advocates for what it considers t ...
was the first to react to the photo spread when it was leaked prior to GQ's planned publishing date. Their President Tim Winter stated, "By authorizing this kind of near-pornographic display, the creators of the program have established their intentions on the show's directions. And it isn't good for families". The photoshoot was published as planned and Dianna Agron went on to state that the photos did push the envelope, that they did not represent who she is any more than other magazine photo shoots, but that she was a 24-year-old adult in the photo shoot, and wondered why the concerned parents allowed their eight year old daughters to read any racy issue of the adult magazine ''GQ''.


Russian apartment bombings

''GQ''s September 2009 U.S. magazine published, in its "backstory" section, an article by Scott Anderson, "None Dare Call It Conspiracy". Before ''GQ'' published the article, an internal email from a Condé Nast lawyer referred to it as "Vladimir Putin's Dark Rise to Power". The article reported Anderson's investigation of the 1999
Russian apartment bombings The Russian apartment bombings were a series of explosions that hit four apartment blocks in the Russian cities of Buynaksk, Moscow and Volgodonsk in September 1999, killing more than 300, injuring more than 1,000, and spreading a wave of fear ac ...
, and included interviews with
Mikhail Trepashkin Mikhail Ivanovich Trepashkin (russian: Михаил Иванович Трепашкин; born 7 April 1957) is a Russian attorney and former Federal Security Service (FSB) colonel who was invited by MP Sergei Kovalev to assist in an independent ...
who investigated the bombings while he was a
colonel Colonel (abbreviated as Col., Col or COL) is a senior military officer rank used in many countries. It is also used in some police forces and paramilitary organizations. In the 17th, 18th and 19th centuries, a colonel was typically in charge of ...
in Russia's
Federal Security Service The Federal Security Service of the Russian Federation (FSB) RF; rus, Федеральная служба безопасности Российской Федерации (ФСБ России), Federal'naya sluzhba bezopasnosti Rossiyskoy Feder ...
. The story, including Trepashkin's own findings, contradicted the Russian Government's official explanation of the bombings and criticized
Vladimir Putin Vladimir Vladimirovich Putin; (born 7 October 1952) is a Russian politician and former intelligence officer who holds the office of president of Russia. Putin has served continuously as president or prime minister since 1999: as prime min ...
, the
President of Russia The president of the Russian Federation ( rus, Президент Российской Федерации, Prezident Rossiyskoy Federatsii) is the head of state of the Russian Federation. The president leads the executive branch of the federal ...
. Condé Nast's management tried to keep the story out of Russia. It ordered executives and editors not to distribute that issue in Russia or show it to "Russian government officials, journalists or advertisers". Management decided not to publish the story on ''GQ''s website or in Condé Nast's foreign magazines, not to publicize the story, and asked Anderson not to syndicate the story "to any publications that appear in Russia". The day after the magazine's publication in the United States, bloggers published the original English text and a translation into
Russian Russian(s) refers to anything related to Russia, including: *Russians (, ''russkiye''), an ethnic group of the East Slavic peoples, primarily living in Russia and neighboring countries *Rossiyane (), Russian language term for all citizens and peo ...
on the internet.


Criticism of the Bible and Western literary canon

On April 19, 2018, the editors of ''GQ'' published an article titled "21 Books You Don't Have to Read" in which the editors compiled a list of works they think are overrated and should be passed over, including ''
Catcher in the Rye ''The Catcher in the Rye'' is an American novel by J. D. Salinger that was partially published in serial form from 1945–46 before being novelized in 1951. Originally intended for adults, it is often read by adolescents for its themes of angst ...
'', ''
The Alchemist An alchemist is a person who practices alchemy. Alchemist or Alchemyst may also refer to: Books and stories * ''The Alchemist'' (novel), the translated title of a 1988 allegorical novel by Paulo Coelho * ''The Alchemist'' (play), a play by Ben ...
'', ''
Blood Meridian ''Blood Meridian or the Evening Redness in the West'' is a 1985 epic novel by American author Cormac McCarthy, classified under the Western, or sometimes the anti-Western, genre. McCarthy's fifth book, it was published by Random House. In a l ...
'', ''
A Farewell to Arms ''A Farewell to Arms'' is a novel by American writer Ernest Hemingway, set during the Italian campaign of World War I. First published in 1929, it is a first-person account of an American, Frederic Henry, serving as a lieutenant () in the am ...
'', ''
The Old Man and the Sea ''The Old Man and the Sea'' is a novella written by the American author Ernest Hemingway in 1951 in Cayo Blanco (Cuba), and published in 1952. It was the last major work of fiction written by Hemingway that was published during his lifetime. ...
'', ''
The Lord of the Rings ''The Lord of the Rings'' is an epic high-fantasy novel by English author and scholar J. R. R. Tolkien. Set in Middle-earth, intended to be Earth at some time in the distant past, the story began as a sequel to Tolkien's 1937 children's boo ...
'', and ''
Catch-22 ''Catch-22'' is a satirical war novel by American author Joseph Heller. He began writing it in 1953; the novel was first published in 1961. Often cited as one of the most significant novels of the twentieth century, it uses a distinctive non-chr ...
''. The article generated a backlash among Internet commentators.


Circulation

The magazine reported an average worldwide paid circulation of 934,000 in the first half of 2019, down 1.1% from 944,549 in 2016 and 2.6% from 958,926 in 2015. According to the
Audit Bureau of Circulations (UK) The Audit Bureau of Circulations (ABC) is a non-profit organisation owned and developed by the media industry. ABC delivers industry-agreed standards for media brand measurement of print publications, digital channels and events. The company a ...
, ''British GQ'' had an average circulation of 103,087 during the first half of 2019, down 6.3% from 110,063 during the second half of 2018, and down 10.3% from 114,867 during the second half of 2013.


Editors and publishers

U.S. publishers * Bernard J. Miller (1957–1975) * Sal Schiliro (1975–1980) * Steve Florio (1975–1985) * Jack Kliger (1985–1988) * Michael Clinton (1988–1994) *
Michael Perlis Michael S. Perlis is an American business executive who currently serves as vice chairman and strategic adviser at Forbes Media LLC. He previously worked for Playboy, SoftBank Capital, and Ziff Davis. Perlis served as CEO of Forbes from December ...
(1994–1995) *
Richard Beckman Richard D. Beckman is a British media and entertainment sales executive. Personal life Richard D. Beckman was born in London, England, and received a bachelor's degree from The University of Manchester, England, in 1981. Charity Boards He ...
(1995–1999) * Tom Florio (1999–2000) * Ronald A. Galotti (2000–2003) * Peter King Hunsinger (2003–2011) * Chris Mitchell (2011–2014) * Howard Mittman (2014–2017) U.S. editors * Everett Mattlin (1957–1969) * Jack Haber (1969–1983) *
Art Cooper Art Cooper (October 15, 1937 – June 9, 2003) was an American journalist and magazine editor, the longtime editor of '' GQ''. Life and career Cooper was born in New York City and educated at Pennsylvania State University. In 1964 he became a repor ...
(1983–2003) * Jim Nelson (2003–2019) * Will Welch (2019–present) U.K. editors * Paul Keers (1988–1990) *
Alexandra Shulman Alexandra Shulman (born 13 November 1957) is a British journalist. She is a former Editor-in-Chief of British ''Vogue'', and became the longest serving Editor in the history of the publication. After assuming the role in 1992, she presided ov ...
(1990–1992) *
Michael VerMeulen Michael VerMeulen (December 10, 1956 – August 28, 1995) was an American magazine editor of British GQ who resided in Islington, England until his death. Born in Lake Forest, Illinois, VerMeulen was a journalist and editor, who came into contact d ...
(1992–1995) *
James Brown James Joseph Brown (May 3, 1933 – December 25, 2006) was an American singer, dancer, musician, record producer and bandleader. The central progenitor of funk music and a major figure of 20th century music, he is often referred to by the honor ...
(1997–1999) * Tom Haines (1999) *
Dylan Jones Dylan John Jones OBE (born 1960) is an English journalist and author. He served as editor of the UK version of men's fashion and lifestyle magazine '' GQ'' from 1999 to 2021. He has held senior roles with several other publications, including ...
(1999–2021) * Adam Baidawi (2021-present)


See also

*
List of men's magazines This is a list of magazines primarily marketed to men. The list has been split into subcategories according to the target audience of the magazines. This list includes mostly mainstream magazines as well as Adult magazine, adult ones. Not include ...
** ''
Men's Vogue ''Men's Vogue'' was a monthly men's magazine that covered fashion, design, art, culture, sports and technology. The premier issue was August 2005. On 30 October 2008 Condé Nast announced that they intended to fold the magazine into ''Vogue'' prope ...
'' *
List of people on the cover of GQ These people appeared on the cover of '' GQ'' magazine: 2000 2001 2002 2003 2004 2005 2006 2007 2008 2009 2010 2011 2012 2013 2014 2015 2016 2017 2018 2019 2020 2021 2022 See also * List of people ...
*
List of people on the cover of GQ Russia This is a list of people who have appeared on the cover of ''GQ Russia'', the Russian edition of '' GQ'' magazine, starting with the magazine's first issue in March 2001. 2001 2002 2003 2004 2005 2006 2007 2008 ...


References


External links

* {{Authority control 1957 establishments in the United States Fashion magazines published in the United States Men's magazines published in the United States Monthly magazines published in the United States Condé Nast magazines GQ Magazines established in 1957 Magazines published in New York City Men's fashion magazines