History Main / IReadItForTheArticles

* During the UsefulNotes/TurnOfTheMillennium, this was an accusation occasionally levelled at buyers of motorcycle magazines, or automobile tuning magazines like ''Fast Car'', but many people actually '''did''' read them for the articles, the MsFanservice aspect was secondary. In fact, many readers of ''Fast Car'' and Scottish AlternateCompanyEquivalent ''Fast and Modified'' bought the magazines for the modified Ford Fiesta, Vauxhall Nova and Volkswagen Golf cars inside, rather than the women (and this was during 2003-2005 when it was ''en vogue'' to have slightly scantily-clad women in performance-car magazines, although it was never ''that'' raunchy, and quite tame by modern standards).

* In ''Comicbook/BatgirlRebirth'' #25, Mad Hatter associate March Harriet, is explaining her backstory, which involves being a [[BlandNameProduct thinly-disguised]] Playboy bunny who discovered her boss was marketing stolen Hatter tech. Explaining why [[NoCelebritiesWereHarmed Not Hugh Hefner]] would even ''have'' a tech launch she says "''Some'' people ''do'' read ''Menagerie'' for the articles".

* In ''[[Series/LifeOnMars2006 Life on Mars]]'', Sam uses this as an excuse while hiding a tape recorder under Gene's copy of ''Just Jugs''.
-->'''Sam''': There's an article in it about Kingsley Amis that I want to read.
-->'''Gene''': You know what the really sad thing is? I believe you.

* the 2002 ''Pinball/PlayboyStern'' table has inserts for the playfield and backglass featuring fully-clothed, topless, or naked models, but of course, there's people who insist that they only play it because it's such a great pinball table.

"I Read It for the articles!" is the StockPhrase people use to avoid catching any flak over liking a media product which has parts to it that are not popular or socially acceptable - instead, the individual can cite the more respectable elements of the product and claim they have no interest in, say, the full-frontal nudity or the brutal violence.

* In ''[[Franchise/WinnieThePooh My Friends Tigger & Pooh: Super Sleuth Christmas Movie]]'', Rabbit's Christmas wish is to meet Santa Claus and find out how he delivers toys to all the children. He doesn't think it's possible, though, so he states that he's also asked for a subscription to ''Rutabaga Monthly''. He then continues, hilariously, [[ParentalBonus "for the articles, of course."]]

The reason that particular joke became ubiquitous is that, at least in TheSixties and TheSeventies, the excuse had a kernel of truth to it. ''Playboy'' paid writers nearly three times as much as other publications, meaning that it drew considerable talent, such as Creator/JackKerouac, Creator/StephenKing and Creator/ArthurCClarke, and interviewed interesting people like UsefulNotes/MartinLutherKingJr, UsefulNotes/FidelCastro, Creator/HunterSThompson, and Music/JohnLennon, who gave the last major interview of his life to ''Playboy'' just four months before his murder. It used to feature a variety of short stories, snippets, and interviews that wouldn't be out of place in ''Magazine/TheNewYorker''... just surrounded by pictures of naked women. In fact, ''Playboy'' is one of the top selling Braille magazines, even though it completely lacks [[{{Fanservice}} its usual selling point.]]

Writers from the era will tell you that getting published in ''Playboy'' really was a big deal. In 2015 ''Playboy'' announced they were dropping nudity - largely because TheInternetIsForPorn destroyed their business model, but also in the face of accusations that ''Playboy'' was suffering MagazineDecay (few articles, almost all exploitative FanService). However, they later announced that they were bringing back nude photo shoots after a year-long absence starting in 2017, and they would continue until the magazine permanently ceased publication in 2020.

* Ironically, it is the whole point of ''Porn Studies'', actually an [[ExactlyWhatItSaysOnTheTin academic publication studying pornography]]. As the journalist from Magazine/TimeMagazine puts it : "I read through the issue and, for better or for worse, anyone looking for titillation is likely to be disappointed. Unless what turns you on is sociological analysis, in which case, its your lucky day."