The magazine Zoo, which was founded in 1989, had an impactful influence on British popular culture and society during the late 20th century and early 21st century. It catered to young men between the ages of 16 and 24 years old, and featured articles about fashion, music, technology, sports, and celebrities. However, it also published provocative features on women and sexuality that often courted controversy. In 2012, Zoo ceased publication after its parent company went bankrupt, and its digital archive was preserved online. This article explores what the digital archive contains and how researchers can access it.
Zoo's legacy includes its influence on lad culture, a term coined in the 1990s to describe a specific type of masculinity associated with aggression, risk-taking, alcohol consumption, and objectification of women. The magazine frequently presented images of scantily clad or nude women alongside lewd humor and crude language. This style appealed to many male readers who embraced the lad persona as an alternative to more traditional masculine norms. The magazine's influence was so strong that it became a cultural shorthand for the attitude and behavior of this demographic.
Researchers are using the Zoo digital archive to study the rise of lad culture and its effects on gender relations. By analyzing the contents of the archive, scholars can see how lads viewed themselves and their place in society, and how they constructed their identities through magazines like Zoo. They can also examine how Zoo contributed to broader trends such as the rise of casual sexism and misogyny.
The Zoo digital archive is available through various university libraries and academic databases. Researchers must typically gain approval from the archive owners before accessing the materials, which include articles, photographs, advertisements, and interviews. Some universities have collaborated with the Zoo Foundation to make the archive publicly available, allowing anyone to search the content without restriction.
In conclusion, Zoo's digital archive preserves a unique slice of British popular culture during a pivotal period. It provides valuable insight into the attitudes and behaviors of young men at the time, and how media influenced their views on gender roles and relationships. Researchers studying these topics should consult the archive for primary sources and data.