Man cave explained

A man cave,[1] mancave, or manspace,[2] and less commonly a manland or mantuary is a male retreat[3] or sanctuary[4] in a home, such as a specially equipped garage,[5] spare bedroom, media room,[6] den,[7] basement,[8] or tree house.[9] The term "man cave" describes an area in the home where a man can do as he pleases in a masculine space.[10]

Etymology

The first known published use of the phrase is from March 21, 1992, in the Toronto Star by Joanne Lovering: "With his cave of solitude secured against wife intrusion by cold floors, musty smells and a few strategic cobwebs, he will stay down there for hours nestled in very manly magazines and open boxes of tools. Let's call the basement, man cave."[11] The phrase gained traction with the 1993 publication of Men Are from Mars, Women Are from Venus by John Gray.[12]

Purpose

Man caves have multiple purposes: they are a place to be alone, to indulge in hobbies such as watching sports[13] or playing video games,[14] and to hang out with male friends.[15] [16] According to psychiatrist and author Scott Haltzman, it is important for a man to have a place to call his own.

Writer and handyman Sam Martin explained:

Sociologist Tristan Bridges has interviewed American men and their partners about man caves, and found that many men rarely used their man caves. One interviewee said, "I feel like some day guys from my neighbourhood will congregate here after work and we'll share a beer and chat." When asked who these men from the neighborhood were, the interviewee replied "I don't know". Bridges stated that his research has turned partly into "a story about men's loneliness."[17]

In 2005, Paula Aymer of Tufts University suggested it was the "last bastion of masculinity".[10]

Design

According to several sources, the general architectural and design trend of the early 2000s was for men to take traditionally male-only spaces, and equip them with masculine aesthetic choices. Man cave accessories include refrigerators,[18] [19] vending machines, putting greens, kegerators, giant TVs, musical instruments and gear,[10] pool tables, boxing rings, entertainment centers, bars, and sports memorabilia such as trophies.[10] [20] Upscale sports-themed furnishings are available to outfit a man cave. The room may be large enough to accommodate a big screen television, often used for watching sports games with male friends.

In the book Where Men Hide, which Publishers Weekly described as an affable but only "sometimes thought provoking" guide, author James Twitchell and photographer Ken Ross explored areas where men like to be alone.[21] According to Twitchell, some public male-only spaces, such as the barbershop, are declining and being replaced by spaces such as the "grimy garage." The book suggests that "men make their own spaces for good or ill."

Twitchell focused on communal man cave spaces such as male-only groups in megachurches, possibly a modern-day replacement for declining attendance at male-only clubs such as Masonic lodges. Twitchell noted that some anthropologists have speculated that these spots are a place for men to bond before hunting or war, and where they can "smoke or fart" and tell the "same jokes over and over again."[22]

One man redecorated his space to look like a replica model of the bridge of the Starship Enterprise from the TV show Star Trek, while another man spent over two years and $120,000 to make his man cave into a Batcave.[23]

Garages have typically been a male space since they "present a guy with an opportunity to disappear for hours while never leaving the premises." In 2007, it was common for men to "lavish time, money and attention on fixing this spot up", with the intention of making it more welcoming.

Counterparts

Women have created similar spaces in which they can relax and pursue hobbies. These have been referred to as "she-sheds" and "girl-caves". Some analysts have described the manosphere as an online counterpart to the man-cave.[24]

In popular culture

There have been several examples of man caves in pop culture, including:

See also

References

Notes and References

  1. News: Goodman. Michelle. Why he needs a room of his own. Cable News Network (CNN). May 2, 2008. 2009-02-09.
  2. News: Marco R. della Cava . 2007-01-04 . Manspace: The final frontier of guydom . USA Today . 2011-02-02.
  3. News: Father's Day: treat your Dad to a man cave . Max . Davidson . The Telegraph . 11 June 2013 . 17 October 2015.
  4. News: Howard. Theresa. Alltel website takes interactive campaign into man cave. USA TODAY. 2007-08-16. 2008-12-27.
  5. Palmeri. Chris. Where's Your Man Cave?. BusinessWeek. 2006-12-06. https://web.archive.org/web/20061215114645/http://www.businessweek.com/the_thread/hotproperty/archives/2006/12/wheres_your_man.html. dead. December 15, 2006. 2008-12-27.
  6. News: Hales. Linda. Sporting Up the 'Man Cave'. Washington Post. 2006-01-07. 2008-12-27.
  7. News: Jones. Scott. Gifts Guaranteed To Keep Your Gamer's Thumbs Warm. Hartford Courant. 2008-12-09. 2008-12-27. dead. https://web.archive.org/web/20081224024142/http://www.courant.com/entertainment/hc-playholiday.artdec09,0,2973678.story. 2008-12-24.
  8. News: Divine Design redesigns a basement. Star Tribune. 2008-12-16. 2008-12-27.
  9. Web site: An Auckland man cave-meets-tree house with all the trimmings. Stuff. Anabela Rea. 2017-08-29. 2020-07-26.
  10. News: Leigh Belanger . February 3, 2005 . Man land: More homes have a room just for him, and you'll know it when you see it . The Boston Globe . https://web.archive.org/web/20110416091707/http://www.boston.com/yourlife/home/articles/2005/02/03/man_land/ . dead . 2011-04-16 . 2011-02-02.
  11. Book: Friend, David. The Naughty Nineties: The Triumph of the American Libido. 2017. Twelve Books. 9780446556293. 407.
  12. News: The history of the man cave . Jon . Wilks . Jon Wilks . The Box Room . 28 October 2015 . 28 October 2015 . 4 March 2016 . https://web.archive.org/web/20160304083044/http://boxman.co.uk/blog/2015/10/the-history-of-the-man-cave/ . dead .
  13. News: Infographics Academy. 2020-11-04. How to Build an Ultimate Man Cave.
  14. Web site: Breckenridge. Mary Beth. Quick, to the man cave. Akron Beacon Journal (Ohio.com). 2007-12-15. 2008-12-27.
  15. News: Collier. Joe Guy. Man Cave: A place to call his own. Seattle Times. 2005-10-08. 2008-12-27.
  16. Web site: 8 Reasons Why Guys Need a Man Cave. Budgen. Greg. 2019-05-27. Man Cave Advisor. en-US. 2019-05-29.
  17. News: Hoyle . Ben . What man caves can tell you about humans . The Times. 2019 .
  18. News: Hiestand . Michael . Want a Super ticket? Invest in sports futures . USA TODAY . 2004-01-29 . 2008-12-27.
  19. Web site: 5 Essential things every Man Cave should have . The Men's Cave . 2016-10-24 . 2016-11-14.
  20. Streiff. Madeline. Dundes. Lauren. September 2017. From Shapeshifter to Lava Monster: Gender Stereotypes in Disney's Moana. Social Sciences. en. 6. 3. 91. 10.3390/socsci6030091. free.
  21. Publishers Weekly, 2006, James B. Twitchell, Author, Ken Ross, Photographer, Where Men Hide, Accessed July 10, 2013
  22. The Calgary Herald, May 19, 2006, Where men hide: Be it a man cave, a hidey-hole or a recliner, guys crave a place to be alone: Whether it is in the garage, the study or even just sitting in a La-Z-Boy recliner playing video games, men feel the need to get away from women occasionally, according to a new book chronicling the gender's favorite hiding spots, Accessed July 10, 2013
  23. Web site: Batman Fan Builds an Incredible Real-Life Batcave in His Basement. April 25, 2013.
  24. DeKeseredy, Walter S., Alexis Fabricius, and Amanda Hall-Sanchez. "Fueling aggrieved entitlement: The contribution of women against feminism postings." Crimsoc report 4 (2015): 1-34.

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