Q+A: Alana Hope Levinson, Deputy Editor of MEL Magazine
Alana Hope Levinson is the Deputy Editor of MEL Magazine, an online publication that covers relationships, jobs, health and culture from a “male point of view,” though plenty of staffers and contributors are not male (more on that later). Study Hall spoke to Alana about the process of producing a men’s magazine in a masculinity crisis, tackling toxic masculinity, the importance of inclusivity, and more.
Interview by Study Hall staff writer Allegra Hobbs (@allegraehobbs)
Study Hall: It’s an interesting time to produce a men’s magazine — or a magazine from a male perspective — to say the least. As a culture, we are actively questioning traditional masculine norms, what it means to “be a man,” and whether these things are actually good or whether they are toxic. The term “masculinity crisis” has been used, which might be overwrought, but there does seem to be some amount of genuine angst among men who are struggling to come to terms with the implications of their gender and how they are supposed to live in light of that. How does one produce a men’s magazine in this cultural moment?
Alana Hope Levinson: I’m drawing on my previous writing here, but it’s a crazy time to be a man. What “being a man” means is constantly being interrogated in a way that’s entirely new for the average guy, whereas I think women are more used to our “womanhood” being interrogated (we’ve reaped the rewards with things like feminism!). And that’s to say nothing of the way in which the gender binary is being dismantled, something which impacts men in a unique way because they stand to lose their position of power.
It’s of course still great to be a man, but we’d be remiss if we didn’t acknowledge that the contemporary man is confronted by female counterparts that out-educate him, a work economy where they’re shockingly absent, shitty sperm, rising suicide rates and an opiate addiction crisis. There’s a ton of anxiety over traditional definitions of masculinity, and everything from incels to cuckbois are a reaction to that.
But the mainstream doesn’t capture that anxiety and in doing so fails to represent a lot of the men in between the extremes (most of the men!). And so, MEL is for them. Part of what makes us unique in the men’s media landscape is how we tackle this angst or struggle (which anecdotally seems pretty top of the mind to a lot of guys I know).
That’s probably underselling it, actually — the masculinity crisis is the organizing principle behind the magazine and informs the stories we choose to tell day in, day out. This confusing reality is something that the men’s media landscape more broadly doesn’t serve. For example, stories of blue-collar men who are ditching their coveralls for nursing scrubs, stay-at-home-dads, the straight dudes of the rural midwest who sometimes fuck each other, an oregon cop who is trying to change policing through meditation.The success of MEL proves out our theory that not just men, but all of us, are hungry for a more nuanced representation of men in the media we consume.
SH: It seems that for every type of journalism there are structural hurdles and biases unique to that type — when I interviewed Andrea González-Ramírez of Refinery 29, for instance, she talked about the challenges to being taken seriously when many unfortunately view “women’s” or women’s publications issues as unserious. What would you say are the biggest challenges in creating content for a men’s magazine?
AL: People thought I was crazy when I took this job. It is weird to be a feminist writer/editor and go work for a men’s magazine, but that’s precisely the problem. Why is it weird? Because men’s sites don’t traditionally explore issues of gender in any substantial way, despite the fact that their female counterpoints (like Jezebel) do it constantly and exquisitely well. I came here partially because I was growing tired of writing about men for women who already seemed to know how men can improve themselves. I wanted to take on the challenge of talking to men directly. And boy has it been a challenge!
Probably the biggest one of my career thus far, but also the most rewarding, has been figuring out how to cover the #MeToo movement for men. In a piece I wrote about it, I ask: “ How exactly does one broach the subject of such blatant male toxicity with…men?” There was a lot of tension on staff, especially for the women, who were trying to figure out our coverage while being triggered left and right. We felt the men on staff weren’t stepping up, but we worked through that in our work with the curiosity the site has come to be known for. Nearly every day in the following month we had a piece on sexual harassment — from how to talk to women about their past abuse to how to hit on women in a post-Weinstein world to how to network with them without being creepy. Our features writer C. Brian Smith even interviewed the top five masculinity academics in the country about the state of menand naming the “One Thing That Connects Everything from the Las Vegas Shootings to Hazing Deaths to Sexual Assault” — toxic masculinity.
This has been true across my entire career—not just at MEL—that the best and most authentic work comes from your own life. A lot of journalists aren’t curious about the things happening to or around them, which are often the seed of something more interesting and universal. I’d say the rampant harassment and abuse problem in media itself—which has largely gone uncovered until recently—is a perfect example of that.
SH: In MEL’s “about” section it says of the magazine’s male point of view that those of you at the magazine aren’t even entirely sure what male means — can you expound on that a bit, and can you talk about the importance of maintaining that spirit of questioning among staff? Also, something that stands out to me about MEL as a men’s magazine is the inclusion of trans voices and trans issues — can you talk about the importance of this inclusion in a male-centric publication?
AL: My answer to both these questions goes back to our tagline: “There’s no playbook for how to be a guy.” Unlike most men’s magazines, we don’t pretend we have all the answers. You come to MEL to explore the questions. We don’t really do straightforward fashion coverage and that’s why. I don’t pretend to know what bow tie will get you laid, mainly because I don’t think it will—not because I don’t love suits, I do. But MEL is more about self-improvement, and not of the aesthetic kind. It’s about becoming better for your friends, your family, your romantic partners, and most importantly yourself. Because fixing individual broken men is the only way we will solve The Masculinity Crisis™. We joke all the time that perhaps I am the most “MEL man” on staff because it’s more of a sensibility than it is about your gender assigned at birth. Including a wide array of voices/identities, and exploring issues that are relevant to all men (not just cis ones), is a part of that. For an example, I’d point to our recently Proud Families series by the incomparable Tierney Finster, who is to credit for a lot of this coverage.
SH: Finally, because the audience of our newsletter is largely freelance writers, what do you look for in a pitch?
AL: I get cold pitches all the time but they rarely get picked up. Here’s one that did:
Hey Alana, my name is X, I write for Rolling Stone, Sports Illustrated, Vice, Gizmodo etc. Got your email from Miles because I’ve got a story here I think you might like.
Basically I’ve noticed that certain freelance sex workers offer something called a “dick rating” for a nominal fee. Like, you send them 20 bucks and they will tell you what they think of your dick. I think it would be interesting to talk to some of these women about what their dick-rating process is like. Are they coming up with new things to say about each dick? Do they just have a template? Is it possible to find unique things about a penis? If a dick is extremely ugly, would they say so?
I just think it’s hilarious that a combination of male sensitivity and also the fact that nobody really likes to receive dick pics has given way to this cottage industry. If you let me write about it I will make it funny.
Here’s a clip, and the most recent time I wrote about penises on the internet. Thanks!
Why this worked:
-Short and to the point, one to two paragraphs max
-Quickly says what the piece is about and raises interesting questions the piece will explore
-Then—AND THIS IS THE MOST IMPORTANT PART—gets into what this is *really* about and why it *appeals the MEL sensibility* (male sensitivity, etc.)
-Includes one clip that’s relevant
SH: What are some things you appreciate when working with a writer?
AL: I really like honest communication about where you’re at with a piece, particularly if it’s not going to come in on time or at all. Since taking over this job I’ve been surprised at how many writers will ghost (stop responding to emails) instead of telling you what’s happening with a piece. I think most editors are more understanding than you’d think. Most of us are failed writers, after all!
Subscribe to Study Hall for Opportunity, knowledge, and community
$532.50 is the average payment via the Study Hall marketplace, where freelance opportunities from top publications are posted. Members also get access to a media digest newsletter, community networking spaces, paywalled content about the media industry from a worker's perspective, and a database of 1000 commissioning editor contacts at publications around the world. Click here to learn more.