Details (magazine)
Details (stylized in all caps) was an American monthly men's magazine that was published by Condé Nast, founded in 1982 by Annie Flanders.[2] Though primarily a magazine devoted to fashion and lifestyle, Details also featured reports on relevant social and political issues.[3][4] In November 2015 Condé Nast announced that the magazine would cease publication with the issue of December 2015/January 2016.[5][6][7]
Editor-in-Chief
Dan Peres
Fashion, lifestyle, politics
Monthly
456,666[1]
1982
December 2015
United States
New York City
English
Cartoonist Art Spiegelman was comics editor of Details in the mid-1990s; in 1997, he began assigning comics journalism pieces to a number of his cartoonist associates.[13] The magazine published these works of journalism in comics form throughout 1998 and 1999, helping to legitimize the form in popular perception.[14]
Controversy[edit]
In December 2002, Details featured American pop star Justin Timberlake on its cover, accompanied by the text: “Can we ever forgive Justin Timberlake for all that sissy music? Hey... at least he got into Britney's pants”.[15] This cover and headline were featured retrospectively in the 2021 documentary Framing Britney Spears, which highlighted how Timberlake benefited from the media narrative surrounding his breakup with Britney Spears, while Spears herself saw her image suffer.[16] This same cover features another story, "Forget feminism: why your wife should take your name."[16]
In 2004, Details published a piece titled "Gay or Asian?" that featured a photo of an East Asian man, and "tips" on how to tell the difference.[17] Some of the text that accompanied the photo: "One cruises for chicken; the other takes it General Tso-style. Whether you're into shrimp balls or shaved balls, entering the dragon requires imperial tastes." The article generated protests over its racism and homophobia — and over how it erased the existence of gay Asian men. To protest, LGBT Asian American individuals and groups came together and held demonstrations.[18]
Staff contributors[edit]
Frequent contributors included Augusten Burroughs, Blake Nelson, Michael Chabon, and Bill Cunningham. Contributors included Beauregard Houston-Montgomery.[19] Former staffers included Pete Wells, Ian Daly, Kayleen Schaefer, Erica Cerulo, Andrew Essex, Yaran Noti, Jeff Gordinier, Karl Taro Greenfeld, and Alex Bhattacharji.[20]
Its Editor-in-chief, for 15 years, since 2000[21][22] was Dan Peres, the former husband of Australian actress Sarah Wynter.