Man cave From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia For the American renovation television series, see Man Caves. A man cave decorated with American Civil War memorabilia. A man cave[1][2] or manspace,[3] is a male sanctuary,[4] such as a specially equipped garage,[5] spare bedroom,[4] media room,[6] den,[7] or basement.[7][8] It is a metaphor describing a room inside the house[9] where guys can do as they please without fear of upsetting any female sensibility about house decor or design.[10] Paula Aymer of Tufts University calls it the last bastion of masculinity.[10] 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 mans personal space.[10] 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.[10] Contents [hide] 1 Purpose 2 Design 3 Popular culture 4 See also 5 References 6 External links Purpose[edit] A motorcycle enthusiasts man cave Man cave with retiree writing articles for Wikipedia 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,[11] or play video games.[7][12] 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. Some psychologists claim that a man cave can provide refuge from stressful surroundings and be beneficial to marriage.[2] Rules are relaxed; it is a place where other peoples 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 doesnt have to be on his best behavior, where no women are around, and where no one is going to make you watch your ps and qs 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 womens movement. They have tried to figure out who theyre 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[13] Martin thinks that any space in the house will do, even a lounge chair and a set of headphones, provided theres an agreement with ones wife or girlfriend that the space is under the control of the man.[13] 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 doesnt disturb female sensibilities since visitors generally dont visit the man cave.[13] Its like a firehouse lounge room, but in the home.[14] Design[edit] An office man cave. 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,[5][15] vending machines,[6][15] putting greens, kegerators,[4] giant TVs,[4] musical instruments including gear such as microphone stands and amplifiers,[8][10] pool tables, boxing rings,[13] and entertainment centers. A man cave may also be fitted out with a bar and sports memorabilia such as trophies.[10][12] 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.[16] 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.[16] The book suggests that men make their own spaces for good or ill, according to Publishers Weekly.[16] 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.[17] 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.[17] One man redecorated the space to look like a replica model of the bridge of the Starship Enterprise from the TV show.[13] Upscale sports-themed furnishings are also available to outfit a man cave.[6] These rooms are also often decorated by the male, with little or no female influence.[18] A big screen television is useful for watching sports games with buddies.[10] Since it is an area set off from the rest of the house, its possible to make noise, or yell at the television, without fear of reprisals from a wife, girlfriend or mother.[10] Garages have typically been a man space since theyre 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 tool sheds which havent 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.[13] One man cave of a Gillette corporation executive has a desk, a chess board thats always set up, never used.[10] But sometimes there are limits; his wife has not yet agreed to let him smoke cigars in it.[10] Popular culture[edit] 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 Bundys garage. From the TV sitcom Married... with Children. Al Bundys garage was his only sanctuary. It was also used to hold No Maam meetings. Jerry Seinfelds 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 & Joeys apartment. From the TV series Friends Tim Taylors 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, Tonys 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] Barneys apartment. In the TV show How I Met Your Mother, Barney Stinsons apartment is designed in such a way that women will not want to stay there very long. Movie References to Man Caves: Tony Starks Garage In the Iron Man movies, Tony Stark (AKA Iron Man) does most of his best work among a cache of luxury vehicles and robotic aides. See also[edit] Cabinet (room) Male bonding Mancation Mens spaces Personal space Shed Man Caves, a home renovation program specifically targeted in the creation of man caves. References[edit] Jump up ^ Less often called a manland, mantuary ^ Jump up to: a b Goodman, Michelle (May 2, 2008). Why he needs a room of his own. Cable News Network (CNN). Retrieved 2009-02-09. ^ Jump up to: 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. ^ Jump up to: a b c d Howard, Theresa (2007-08-16). Alltel website takes interactive campaign into man cave. USA TODAY. Retrieved 2008-12-27. ^ Jump up to: a b Palmeri, Chris (2006-12-06). Wheres Your Man Cave?. BusinessWeek. Retrieved 2008-12-27. ^ Jump up to: a b c Hales, Linda (2006-01-07). Sporting Up the Man Cave. Washington Post. Retrieved 2008-12-27. ^ Jump up to: a b c Jones, Scott (2008-12-09). Gifts Guaranteed To Keep Your Gamers Thumbs Warm. Hartford Courant. Retrieved 2008-12-27. ^ Jump up to: a b Divine Design redesigns a basement. Star Tribune. 2008-12-16. Retrieved 2008-12-27. Jump up ^ Such as the basement or garage or attic or office, or outside the house such as a wood shed or tool room ^ Jump up to: 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 youll know it when you see it. The Boston Globe. Retrieved 2011-02-02. Jump up ^ Collier, Joe Guy (2005-10-08). Man Cave: A place to call his own. Seattle Times. Retrieved 2008-12-27. ^ Jump up to: a b Breckenridge, Mary Beth (2007-12-15). Quick, to the man cave. Akron Beacon Journal (Ohio). Retrieved 2008-12-27. ^ Jump up to: 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. Jump up ^ Carly Baldwin (March 21, 2008). The 13th Street firehouse is a Man Cave (again). Newark Star-Ledger. Retrieved 2011-02-02. ^ Jump up to: a b Hiestand, Michael (2004-01-29). Want a Super ticket? Invest in sports futures. USA TODAY. Retrieved 2008-12-27. ^ Jump up to: a b c Publishers Weekly, 2006, James B. Twitchell, Author, Ken Ross, Photographer, Where Men Hide, Accessed July 10, 2013 ^ Jump up to: 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 genders favorite hiding spots, Accessed July 10, 2013 Jump up ^ Evans, Roni (2004-01-26). Urban Dictionary: man cave. urbandictionary. Retrieved 2009-01-26. External links[edit]
Posted on: Tue, 28 Oct 2014 19:39:32 +0000
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