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, [4] media room, [6] den, [7] basement, [7] [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]
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]
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] [2] 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:
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.
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." [18]
In 2005, Paula Aymer of Tufts University suggested it was the "last bastion of masculinity". [10]
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, [5] [19] [20] vending machines, [6] [19] putting greens, kegerators, [4] giant TVs, [4] musical instruments and gear, [8] [10] pool tables, boxing rings, [17] entertainment centers, bars, and sports memorabilia such as trophies. [10] [14] [21] Upscale sports-themed furnishings are available to outfit a man cave. [6] The room may be large enough to accommodate a big screen television, often used for watching sports games with male friends. [10]
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. [22] According to Twitchell, some public male-only spaces, such as the barbershop, are declining and being replaced by spaces such as the "grimy garage." [22] The book suggests that "men make their own spaces for good or ill." [22]
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. [23] 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." [23]
One man redecorated his space to look like a replica model of the bridge of the Starship Enterprise from the TV show Star Trek , [17] while another man spent over two years and $120,000 to make his man cave into a Batcave. [24]
Garages have typically been a male space since they "present a guy with an opportunity to disappear for hours while never leaving the premises." [2] In 2007, it was common for men to "lavish time, money and attention on fixing this spot up", [2] with the intention of making it more welcoming. [17]
Women have created similar spaces in which they can relax and pursue hobbies. These have been referred to as "she-sheds" and "girl-caves". [25] Some analysts have described the manosphere as an online counterpart to the man-cave. [26]
There have been several examples of man caves in pop culture, including:
The Batcave is a subterranean location appearing in American comic books published by DC Comics. It is the headquarters of the superhero Batman, whose secret identity is Bruce Wayne and his partners, consisting of caves beneath his personal residence, Wayne Manor.
Men Are from Mars, Women Are from Venus (1992) is a book written by American author and relationship counselor John Gray. The book states that most common relationship problems between men and women are a result of fundamental psychological differences between the sexes, which the author exemplifies by means of its eponymous metaphor: that men and women are from distinct planets—men from Mars and women from Venus—and that each sex is acclimated to its own planet's society and customs, but not to those of the other. One example is men's complaint that if they offer solutions to problems that women bring up in conversation, the women are not necessarily interested in solving those problems, but talking about them. The book asserts each sex can be understood in terms of distinct ways they respond to stress and stressful situations.
Wayne Manor is a fictional mansion appearing in American comic books published by DC Comics. It is the home of Bruce Wayne, owner of Wayne Enterprises, who is also the superhero Batman.
A public toilet, restroom, bathroom or washroom is a room or small building with toilets and sinks for use by the general public. The facilities are available to customers, travelers, employees of a business, school pupils or prisoners. Public toilets are typically found in many different places: inner-city locations, offices, factories, schools, universities and other places of work and study. Similarly, museums, cinemas, bars, restaurants, and entertainment venues usually provide public toilets. Railway stations, filling stations, and long distance public transport vehicles such as trains, ferries, and planes usually provide toilets for general use. Portable toilets are often available at large outdoor events.
Batman: KnightGallery is an American comic book published in 1995 by the DC Comics imprint Elseworlds. Written by Doug Moench, and features the art of Thomas Grummett, Michael Manley, Vincent Giarrano, James Balent, Bret Blevins, Graham Nolan, Norm Breyfogle, Neal Adams, George Pérez, Stephen De Stefano, Tom Lyle, Gary Frank, David Taylor and Nigel Phelps.
Warren Towers is one of the three Boston University dormitories traditionally intended for underclassmen, the others being The Towers and West Campus. The building is located at central campus, next to the College of Communication (COM) and across from the College of Arts and Sciences (CAS). Housing approximately 1800 students, it is the second-largest non-military dormitory in the country, behind Jester Center at The University of Texas at Austin. The closest MBTA stop is Boston University East on the Green Line B branch, located directly in front of B and C Towers, in a center reservation on Commonwealth Avenue.
The Batcave was a weekly club-night launched at 69 Dean Street in central London in 1982. It is considered to be the birthplace of the Southern English goth subculture. It lent its name to the term Batcaver, used to describe fans of the original gothic rock music, who would adorn themselves in Batwing coffin necklaces to distinguish themselves from other goth clubs.
Florin Court is an Art Deco / Streamline Moderne Grade II residential building on the eastern side of Charterhouse Square in Smithfield, London.
"What Goes on Tour" is the ninth episode of the HBO comedy series Flight of the Conchords. This episode first aired in the United States on Sunday, August 12, 2007.
Twelve Angry Men is an American courtroom drama written by Reginald Rose concerning the jury of a homicide trial. It was broadcast initially as a television play in 1954. The following year it was adapted for the stage. It was adapted for a film of the same name, directed by Sidney Lumet, and released in 1957. Since then it has been given numerous remakes, adaptations, and tributes
The Myth of Male Power: Why Men are the Disposable Sex is a 1993 book by Warren Farrell, in which the author argues that the widespread perception of men having inordinate social and economic power is false, and that men are systematically disadvantaged in many ways.
Batman Beyond is a comic book series featuring the fictional character Terry McGinnis as Batman and based on the animated television series of the same name. It has appeared in various DC Comics publications, including a six-issue miniseries from 1999, a 24-issue series running from 1999 to 2001, the "Hush" arc by DC Comics in 2010, and an eight-issue miniseries in 2011. A short-running series titled Batman Beyond Unlimited was later released, followed by Batman Beyond 2.0 in 2013.
Mark Andrew Twitchell is a Canadian filmmaker convicted of first-degree murder in April 2011 for the murder of John Brian Altinger. His trial attracted particular media attention because Twitchell had allegedly been inspired by the fictional character Dexter Morgan.
Man Caves is a home renovation reality television program hosted by former NFL defensive tackle and Super Bowl winner Tony Siragusa and licensed contractor Jason Cameron, broadcast by DIY Network.
Women's parking spaces are only in certain cities globally. They are specially designated and identified parking spaces in parking garages and parking lots to be used by women. They are usually much larger than normal parking spots to reduce accidents and near exits to increase the safety of women, to facilitate parking, or to facilitate walking to shopping or employment destinations.
A bromantic comedy is a comedy film genre that takes the formula of the typical "romantic comedy" but focuses on close male friendships.
The Central Power Station of the Brooklyn Rapid Transit Company building, commonly known as the Batcave or Gowanus Batcave, is a former transit power station at 153 Second Street in Gowanus, Brooklyn, New York City by the Gowanus Canal. It was built between 1901 and 1904, while the Brooklyn Rapid Transit Company was expanding its rapid transit and streetcar service. It stopped operating in 1972 and sat abandoned for more than two decades, becoming home to a community of squatters in the early 2000s. The owners, who were planning to redevelop the site, building condominiums called "Gowanus Village", had the squatters removed and increased security in 2006. The Gowanus Village plans did not materialize and after a short time it became a popular space for graffiti and underground events.
Amazing Interiors is an American reality television series on Netflix that focuses on homes with unusual interiors. The show's first season of 12 episodes was released on Netflix on July 20, 2018.
Hobby tunneling is tunnel construction as a pastime. Usually, hobby tunnelers dig their tunnels by hand, using little equipment, and some can spend years or even decades to achieve any degree of completion. In some cases tunnels have been dug secretly, and only discovered by chance.
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