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FHM Philippines

When i discovered FHM Philippines a few years ago i dropped every single magazine subscription i had (well except Automobile and Honda Tuner). Besides, Maxim and FHM were starting to lose luster due to the lack of substantial articles. Lest we forget the girls are the gist of the Magazine anyway but readable articles add to their stock, don't they? The Filipino FHM is almost exactly like its American Brethren right down to the writing which it fails miserably to duplicate. They should try NOT to sound so American because i think its safe to assume the readers are mostly Non-American. And what's with the excessive use of American Idioms? (Or rather mis-use)... But in its defense the Magazine in some levels is a better Magazine. To state the obvious the covergirl is always Filipina though the photo spreads are not limited only to Filipinas. There's always one or two hotties from another country. Kind of a unique dynamic because if i am not mistaken other countries FHM's never always have a local girl on the cover. Polish girl Joana Krupa for instance was once a covergirl for the UK FHM.

Best yet the photo spreads aren't just scantily-clad women but resemble more the Playboy kind. Well a little more revealing than your garden variety For Men Magazine anyway... If Eva Longoria for instance appeared in the Filipino FHM she would be required to reveal more than her bony hips. Well maybe not her but half the Filipinas who appear in the spreads do not seem to mind taking their tops off. Perhaps thats why the publication is one of the best selling magazines in the Philippines. Annoyingly though the magazine is not available for subscription here in the United States. You'd have to pick em' up at your Local Filipino store (Sea Food City). Makes for a quite involving patronage because you couldn't just trudge over to a 7-Eleven then dash out quickly without being noticed. For me there was always a feeling that i did something bad when i bought such lascivious Magazines. Maybe its the Catholic-school-boy altar-boy in me (yea in High School. If you can believe that). Images of Father Dennis Paez our school pastor then and his pious and lengthy sermons about impure thoughts somehow flash before my eyes. Even my parents who once caught me playing Peeping Tom on a neighbor come to mind. Once i thought of seeing a Shrink to dispel the trauma... i'm kidding! Picking up the Filipino FHM entails getting in line among the nice Filipino Moms and aunts in Sea Food City with their shopping carts full of grocery essentials and little kids in tow... A very awkward situation i must say. In fact to save face i'd pick up miscellaneous stuff like Chippy corn chips or Sheldan air freshener just so i'd have more than 1 item at the cashier and somehow prevent weird looks haha.

Anyway i just picked up the new FHM which is actually the July issue (they're always a couple of months behind). The issue included their version of FHM's annual Worlds 100 Sexiest. Not quite the "World" though because you'll only find Filipinos and Americans in it. Blatantly biased in favor of the Filipina i might add. But No surprise there... I wouldn't normally disagree with the bias but this one is a bit extreme (about 90 % Filipino). Angelina Jolie for instance is ranked a distant # 62 (Adrian strongly disagrees) while Jessica Alba who's been elevated to Goddess status here in the Western Hemisphere is so far off the top 10 she might as well NOT be ranked . I was able to name some names like Diana Zubiri (# 4), Aubrey Miles (# 31), Kristine Hermosa (unjustifiably ranked 81. Personally i would have placed her top 5 but that's just me) and daughter of legendary actress Rio Locsin--Angel Locsin who now plays Darna the Filipino version of Wonder Woman ranked # 3. What surprised me the most however is not Angelina placing so low on the rankings or Kristine Hermosa but their choice of number one sexiest in the World. I actually paused and held my breath before turning the last page for the veritable first place. I couldn't think of the Philippines best selling publication and their opinion of who the sexiest woman alive in the World might be.

Without further ado let me tell you who their choice of Sexiest in the Planet... The curvy Scarlett Johanssen. Now i should feel triumphant about this because i am a Big fan of her but i don't. I am okay with their choice i suppose. Personally i couldn't have done the cumbersome task of compiling a list of 100 sexiest in the Philippines much less the world. I'd take it too seriously haha...

Angel Locsin

Posted by: Marc Gabay
Thursday, September 07, 2006