[Magazines] ICON: Turn the Heat On

This week I managed to pick up a copy of the latest ICON Magazine called Turn the Heat On since it's pretty much their summer issue (March-April 2007).

ICON's comeback for the year (this is Issue 1 of Volume 3 after all) comes with a change in their distribution cycle and more content that before, which is always a great thing. I've always liked ICON for three reasons (1) they dared to be a front line magazine focused on the LGBT community, (2) they have pretty smart articles and (3) they have excellently creative photo shoots. This issue still meets those requirements all the while remaining sophisticated and not overly slutty like how most LGBT magazines in the market are stereotypically portrayed.

There are certain articles and features I liked more of all and I thought it would help all of you who're on the fence about getting a copy make that buying decision, haha.

My favorite photo shoot in this issue is not one of those overly sexy ones but one that pushed the creative and stylistic envelope for me - this being the High Fever shoot as part of their Closet Space section. It's hip, dynamic and androgynous given all the guys were garbed in more or less female attire. It didn't come out looking like a transvestite photo shoot but simply an artistic one that fits perfectly into the LGBT theme of the magazine.

My favorite feature article for the issue had to be Sugar Daddy Manqué as written by Dr. W. Scott Thompson. It's a rather stark and honest look at the whole "sugar daddy" mythos in the country as the writer tries to show that in the Filipino context, it just might be possible for younger men to genuinely fall in love with older, foreign men.

There's a lot more in store of you in this issue, which is out in most major newsstands now. I was a bit disappointed that this issue seemed to highlight too much the gay male segment and somewhat glossed over the L and the BT in LGBT. They're normally a but more conscious of that balance, always trying to make sure they feature at least one piece for the other portions of the queer market they attempt to cater too. Maybe they were just rushed for time, or it might be a deliberate shift for the magazine. We'll only really find out when the next issue comes out.

I so want to write for this magazine. Do you hear that ICON? I'd love to write for you guys!

Related Links:

• [Pink News] ICON is Now Bi!
  
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