Catalog Copy Challenges

I pitched this first as a roundup of five iconic mail-order catalogs—Sears Roebuck, Victoria’s Secret, Ikea, International Male (where I got my start as a writer), and J. Peterman—that remain household names even in the age of online shopping and, in the case of the first four, even after they have ceased publication.

The editor passed on the roundup and asked whether I’d want to write a list of “fun facts” about the Peterman catalog. I suggested that I write about International Male instead. IM isn't as familiar to most people as the Peterman catalog is, so it hasn’t been the subject of numerous pieces. It was also a cultural touchstone for many gay men, out and closeted, in the 1980s and ’90s. The editor replied that Peterman was what he and the other editors were most excited about, so Peterman it was.