The Downfall of FHM: From Lads' Mag Royalty to Fallen Legend

Once upon a time, in a glorious age of page-three girls, questionable fashion choices, and "100 Sexiest Women" lists that caused more pub arguments than a dodgy offside call, there was a king—FHM. If you were a proper lad in the '90s or early 2000s, chances are your bedroom floor was carpeted with copies, or at the very least, you had a well-thumbed one stashed under your bed (next to a crate of Carling and a suspiciously dusty gym membership). But then, like your mate who gets engaged and stops coming to the pub, FHM vanished. What the hell happened?

The Glory Days: When FHM Ruled the Roost

Back in the late '90s and early 2000s, FHM was more than a magazine—it was a lad’s survival manual. Every month, it delivered absolute gold:

• Cover stars so iconic they made your girlfriend jealous (Holly Willoughby, Kelly Brook, Michelle Keegan—proper royalty).

• Mental features on surviving a shark attack, fighting off a bear, or escaping from a desert island (none of which you needed, but all of which you memorised, just in case).

• Fashion tips that made you believe wearing a deep V-neck and bootcut jeans was a solid move (spoiler: it wasn’t).

• Reader letters so filthy they made Viz look like The Beano.

At its peak, FHM was selling over 600,000 copies a month. That’s more than a Premier League stadium packed full of lads, all religiously following its wisdom on beer, birds, and banter.

The Beginning of the End: Trouble on the Horizon

Like all great empires, FHM started showing cracks. The warning signs were there—like a mate who's had one too many and is swaying near the bouncer.

1. The Internet Happened – Why wait a month for an issue when Google could tell you anything instantly? The online world was taking over, and lads were too busy scrolling MySpace and Facebook to nip down to WHSmith.

2. Lads Started “Growing Up” – The same blokes who once idolised FHM were now swapping it for mortgage payments, meal deals, and reading the back of cereal boxes for entertainment.

3. Social Media Changed the Game – Why buy a mag to see your favourite celeb when they were posting bikini pics on Instagram for free?

4. Advertisers Got Cold Feet – Companies started panicking that half-naked models might not fit their “wholesome” brand image. And without ad money, FHM was basically like a lad skint on a night out—on borrowed time.

The Final Nail in the Coffin

By 2016, the inevitable happened—FHM shut its doors. It tried to cling on online for a while, but it was like watching a washed-up footballer doing a stint in League Two. The magic had gone.

And just like that, an era was over. No more “100 Sexiest Women” rankings to argue over in the pub. No more ridiculous life advice about how to wrestle an alligator or chat up a barmaid in Spanish. No more feeling like a top-tier lad just because you owned a copy.

The Legacy Lives On

Even though FHM is gone, its spirit lives on. Lads still love the banter, the football chat is still legendary, and we still enjoy an outrageous challenge after five pints (despite being old enough to know better). The golden age of magazines might be over, but nostalgia for the good times is still real.

RIP, FHM. You were the ultimate wingman. 🍻

Could FHM Ever Make a Comeback?

Now here’s a thought—could FHM rise from the ashes? Stranger things have happened. Look at vinyl records, retro footy kits, and Gladiators making a comeback on telly. Imagine a modern FHM that embraced today’s digital world but kept the classic lad energy. Picture this:

• A blend of old-school FHM humour with a modern, social-media-first approach.

• Less focus on airbrushed models (cheers, Instagram, for handling that) and more on proper lad culture—football, fitness, gaming, dodgy travel adventures, and, of course, a definitive ranking of the UK’s best boozers.

• A return of the legendary FHM challenges—because let’s be honest, every bloke secretly wanted to attempt those mental stunts, even if it meant ending up in A&E.

• A dedicated section for pub debates, where we settle the biggest questions once and for all—like "Is a kebab a respectable meal?" and "Can you wear sliders to the pub?"

Would it work? Who knows. But one thing’s for sure—lad culture never died. It just evolved. And if FHM ever did return, you can bet your last pint we'd all be having a nose.

Until then, we’ll raise a glass to the glory days. Cheers, FHM. You were bloody brilliant. 🍻