Magazine Review: Maxim: June 2000

 

Maxim is a magazine created in 1999 to compete with Playboy, without the nudity. The June 2000 issue was its 30th issue, when the magazine was arguably at its height (and before it was sold off to the MAGA nutcase who currently owns and publishes it). The pictorials in this issue were centered on the women who starred in various WB shows, including Brittany Daniel, Charisma Carpenter, Sarah Michelle Gellar, Katie Holmes, Paula Devicq, and Jessica Biel. Most of the actresses had a single pic and a short bio and in the cases of Daniel and Devicq, short interviews. The main pictorial featured Katherine Heigl, who was starring in her breakout role on the series Roswell. Hers had the most pictures (including an incredible sideboob shot) and included a more lengthy interview. The other notable pictorial and write-up (unrelated to the WB actresses) featured Angelina Jolie, who was in the midst of her wild days as a young adult. 

Some of the articles featured in this edition included one about New Mexico's most notorious serial killer, David Parker Ray, an interview with Dave Grohl, and the usual sex-themed articles in which women were interviewed about things such as penis size and their willingness to engage in various fantasy play during sex. There is also an article profiling various young millionaires and how they made their money, and another about the popular convertibles of the time. Some of the ads were quite hilarious. There were tons of cigarette ads, one for a smart grill, and one promoting the release of the movie Fight Club, available for VHS and DVD rental. Ultimately, you have to take Maxim for what it was (especially back then). It definitely was written to appeal to the frat boy crowd in their late teens and early 20s. Some of the material is definitely cringe-worthy 25-plus years later (as of this writing), but some of the more serious material in it holds up well.