How “Man Caves” Took Over America’s Basements
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How do you feel about the term, “man cave?” I have mixed feelings on it myself. One the one hand – like “girlfriend” or “foodie” – it's easy to use it colloquially since everybody has a general sense of what you mean when you say it. On the other, I haven't really worked out for myself all the connotations that come with its use, since it sometimes seems to me like it implies that one can't be a man outside of his man cave (or at least that its a necessary domicile of rejuvenation), Or that the rest of the home is then outside of his purview. Or, all spaces for men must be themselves a cave, involving sports memorabilia and beer signs. In that way, I mostly see the term “man cave” as potentially condescending. Now obviously that's a drastic oversimplification, but I've been thinking about the word recently a fair amount.
I then came across this article on the history of man caves and their terminology, and I'd love to hear what you guys think.
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How do you feel about the phrase, “man cave?” How do you feel about the idea of having a specific masculine space within your home? I'd also love to hear about your own man cave and what you like about it if so.