Publishers see a growing appetite in Asia for the scantily clad

While soft-porn titles Playboy and Penthouse have been keeping ogling men happy since the 1960s, it was only with the arrival of Loaded, Maxim and FHM in the 1990s that men's magazines made their way down from the top shelf.

The new breed of brash titles coincided with the birth of the dubious phenomenon of the 'New Lad', who drank and bullied the politically correct 'New Man' into oblivion. The rash of lads' mags that followed offered breasts, bums, sex and more sex alongside less lascivious male interests such as gadgets, cars and grooming. In so doing they found a massive audience.

The magazines proved an instant hit with

20- to 30-something men with wads of cash to spend and an urge to enjoy life - the kind of blokes who enjoy a few pints and a curry on a Friday night with their mates, going on boozy stag nights or playing video games.

Other magazines such as Details, Esquire, GQ and i-D pitched themselves at the more style-conscious, sophisticated male, interested in fashion, film, grooming and the good life.

Maxim has proved the most successful of them all, now selling 4 million copies worldwide, with editions produced in more than 20 countries.