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Man cave

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For the American renovation television series, see Man Caves.
A motorcycle enthusiast's man cave

A man cave[1][2] or manspace[3] is a male retreat[4] or sanctuary[5] in a home, such as a specially equipped garage,[6] spare bedroom,[5] media room,[7] den,[8] or basement.[8][9] The term "man cave" is a metaphor describing a room inside the house[10] where "guys can do as they please" like a caveman, without fear of upsetting any female sensibility about house decor or design.[11] Paula Aymer of Tufts University calls it the "last bastion of masculinity".[11] The phrase is thought to come from the 1993 publication, Men Are from Mars, Women Are from Venus.[12]

While a wife may have substantial authority over a whole house in terms of design and decoration, she generally has no say about what gets "mounted on the walls" of a man's personal space.[11] Since it may be accepted that a woman has input on the decoration of the rest of the house, a man cave or man-space is in some sense a reaction to feminine domestic power.[11]

Purpose

Man caves have multiple purposes: they are a place to be alone, to be away from women and from female sensibilities, to indulge in hobbies, and to hang out with male friends. It is, loosely, a male-only space to retreat to watch sports matches,[13] or play video games.[8][14] According to psychiatrist and author Scott Haltzman, it is important for a man to have a place to call his own, referring to a male area to which to retreat. Rules are relaxed; it is a place where other people's sensibilities about standards of cleanliness are not necessarily observed; as one man said, "You spill a beer there or leave a hamburger overnight, who cares?"[3]

In a sense, for married men, it is a way to recreate some of the space and freedom of their bachelor days since it was like a "pad" similar in feeling to a frat house game room or a college dorm room where people could come and go "as if they owned the place."[3] It is where a man doesn't have to be on his best behavior, where no women are around, and where "no one is going to make you watch your p's and q's" and "no one is going to ask you to explain yourself".[3] Writer and handyman Sam Martin explained:

Men have had an identity problem since the women's movement. They have tried to figure out who they're supposed to be. For a while women wanted them to be more sensitive, so they were more sensitive. Then women wanted them to be more manly. One of the things I discovered is when men have their own manspace, what they put inside of it is really an expression of who they are. Manspace is about establishing an identity for a man. Our premise is that women have control of the look and the feel of the house and that left guys wanting more. Anybody who has a specific interest or hobby or work or collection is going to want a space to indulge that.

— Sam Martin, in the Chicago Tribune, 2007[15]

Martin thinks that any space in the house will do, even a lounge chair and a set of headphones, provided there's an agreement with one's wife or girlfriend that the space is under the control of the man.[15] The advantages of a self-contained room are that male-oriented design choices, such as "tacky lamps" and "beer-can sculptures", are out of sight of women, but in a way that doesn't disturb female sensibilities since visitors generally don't visit the man cave.[15] It's like a firehouse lounge room, but in the home.[16]

Design

File:Mancave-inside.jpg
Interior photo of Man Cave in Connecticut.

According to several sources, the general architectural and design trend is for men to take traditionally male-only spaces, and enhance them with improvements and masculine aesthetic choices. Man caves can be equipped with accessories such as refrigerators,[6][17][18]vending machines,[7][17] putting greens, kegerators,[5] giant TVs,[5] musical instruments including gear such as microphone stands and amplifiers,[9][11] pool tables, boxing rings,[15] and entertainment centers. A man cave may also be fitted out with a bar and sports memorabilia such as trophies.[11][14] 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 explore areas where men like to be alone.[19] According to Twitchell, some public male-only spaces, such as the barbershop, are declining, while other spaces are taking their places, and the author tries to show the attractions of the "grimy garage."[19] The book suggests that "men make their own spaces for good or ill", according to Publishers Weekly.[19] 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.[20] 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."[20]

One man redecorated the space to look like a replica model of the bridge of the Starship Enterprise from the TV show Star Trek.[15] Upscale sports-themed furnishings are also available to outfit a man cave.[7] These rooms are also often decorated by the male, with little or no female influence. A big screen television is useful for watching sports games with buddies.[11] Since it is an area set off from the rest of the house, it's possible to make noise, or yell at the television, without fear of reprisals from a wife, girlfriend or mother.[11]

File:Mancave-exterior.jpg
Exterior of Dunham Man Cave, Connecticut with a sign announcing "Masculum Speluncam", the latin translation for man cave.

Garages have typically been a man space since they're often lit by "harsh fluorescent bulbs" and lack heat or air conditioning but nevertheless present a guy with an "opportunity to disappear for hours while never leaving the premises."[3] There are some reports suggesting that some men are likely to "lavish time, money and attention on fixing this spot up".[3] Places in houses which have been typically associated with male-oriented chores, such as garages, basements and sheds which have not been "particularly welcoming spaces" when shared with storage items and garbage, are being fixed up to be more suitable as full-time living spaces, with more thought to design and planning.[15]

One man cave of a Gillette corporation executive has a desk, "a chess board that's always set up, never used".[11] But sometimes there are limits; his wife has not yet agreed to let him smoke cigars in it.[11]

Counterparts

Some ladies have set up "women-caves" for such things as crafts.[21] Sometimes they are known as girl-caves.[22]

In the book by Sam Martin, entitled Manspace: A Primal Guide to Marking Your Territory, the author suggested there were several spots from pop culture:

  • Al Bundy's garage from the TV sitcom Married... with Children: Al Bundy's garage was his only sanctuary. It was also used to hold No Ma'am meetings.
  • Jerry Seinfeld's apartment: One report suggested the Manhattan apartment of the character Jerry Seinfeld from the TV show represented "the epitome of a male hangout devoid of any female influence" since cereal boxes and mountain bikes suggested to viewers that "guys rule."[3]
  • Chandler & Joey's apartment, in the TV show Friends
  • Tim Taylor's garage in the TV sitcom Home Improvement: Tim Taylor used to "bring to life all manner of high-powered monster machines."[3]
  • Bada Bing room in the TV show The Sopranos: Tony's gang would meet in a windowless "dingy office" at the Bada Bing strip club.[3] It was a "guys-only place within a guys-only place."[3]
  • Barney's apartment. In the TV show How I Met Your Mother, Barney Stinson's apartment is designed in such a way that women will not want to stay there very long.
  • Doug's garage in the TV show The King of Queens, Doug Heffernan's garage is equipped with a big screen TV, beer fridge, and a couch where Doug and his friends watch football and baseball and drink beer in peace away from Doug's wife, Carrie and Doug's father-in-law, Arthur.
  • In the 2008 Iron Man movie and its sequels, Tony Stark (also known as Iron Man) does most of his best work among a cache of luxury vehicles and robotic aides.

See also

References

  1. ^ Less often called a manland, mantuary
  2. ^ Goodman, Michelle (May 2, 2008). "Why he needs a room of his own". Cable News Network (CNN). Retrieved 2009-02-09. {{cite news}}: Italic or bold markup not allowed in: |publisher= (help)
  3. ^ a b c d e f g h i j Marco R. della Cava (2007-01-04). "Manspace: The final frontier of guydom". USA Today. Retrieved 2011-02-02. {{cite news}}: Italic or bold markup not allowed in: |publisher= (help)
  4. ^ Davidson, Max (11 June 2013). "Father's Day: treat your Dad to a man cave". The Telegraph. Retrieved 17 October 2015.
  5. ^ a b c d Howard, Theresa (2007-08-16). "Alltel website takes interactive campaign into man cave". USA TODAY. Retrieved 2008-12-27. {{cite web}}: Italic or bold markup not allowed in: |publisher= (help)
  6. ^ a b Palmeri, Chris (2006-12-06). "Where's Your Man Cave?". BusinessWeek. Retrieved 2008-12-27. {{cite web}}: Italic or bold markup not allowed in: |publisher= (help)
  7. ^ a b c Hales, Linda (2006-01-07). "Sporting Up the 'Man Cave'". Washington Post. Retrieved 2008-12-27. {{cite web}}: Italic or bold markup not allowed in: |publisher= (help)
  8. ^ a b c Jones, Scott (2008-12-09). "Gifts Guaranteed To Keep Your Gamer's Thumbs Warm". Hartford Courant. Retrieved 2008-12-27. {{cite web}}: Italic or bold markup not allowed in: |publisher= (help)
  9. ^ a b "Divine Design redesigns a basement". Star Tribune. 2008-12-16. Retrieved 2008-12-27.
  10. ^ Such as the basement or garage or attic or office, or outside the house such as a wood shed or tool room
  11. ^ a b c d e f g h i j 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. Retrieved 2011-02-02. {{cite news}}: Italic or bold markup not allowed in: |publisher= (help)
  12. ^ Wilks, Jon (28 October 2015). "The history of the man cave". The Box Room. Retrieved 28 October 2015.
  13. ^ Collier, Joe Guy (2005-10-08). "Man Cave: A place to call his own". Seattle Times. Retrieved 2008-12-27.
  14. ^ a b Breckenridge, Mary Beth (2007-12-15). "Quick, to the man cave". Akron Beacon Journal (Ohio.com). Retrieved 2008-12-27.
  15. ^ a b c d e f Elana Ashanti Jefferson of the New York Times News Services (June 3, 2007). "Men are staking out personal space at home". Chicago Tribune. Retrieved 2011-02-02. {{cite news}}: Italic or bold markup not allowed in: |publisher= (help)
  16. ^ Carly Baldwin (March 21, 2008). "The 13th Street firehouse is a "Man Cave" (again)". Newark Star-Ledger. Retrieved 2011-02-02. {{cite news}}: Italic or bold markup not allowed in: |publisher= (help)
  17. ^ a b Hiestand, Michael (2004-01-29). "Want a Super ticket? Invest in sports futures". USA TODAY. Retrieved 2008-12-27.
  18. ^ "5 Essential things every Man Cave should have". The Men's Cave. 2016-10-24. Retrieved 2016-11-14.
  19. ^ a b c Publishers Weekly, 2006, James B. Twitchell, Author, Ken Ross, Photographer, Where Men Hide, Accessed July 10, 2013
  20. ^ a b 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
  21. ^ Evans 2014, p. 21-22.
  22. ^ Soto 2015, p. 157.

Sources

  • The dictionary definition of man cave at Wiktionary
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