Consumerism and the Disappearance of Gendered Spaces: My NYT Letter to the Editor
My response to a piece by Virginia Heffernan in the December 9, 2007 issue of The New York Times Magazine on gendered spaces (in this case - "man caves") was published today in the Letters section:
"In his book ‘Where Men Hide,’ James B. Twitchell further explores what Virginia Heffernan touched on in her article: what ‘man caves’ represent and how consumerism has hastened the disappearance of gendered spaces. While traditionally the idea was for men to have sacred, no-girls-allowed rooms that might be about collecting, hunting, woodworking or other hobbies, it has now become more about sitting/being entertained/buying — and the guys aren’t necessarily averse to letting the women in their lives help design the space (and occasionally hang out there, too). Anthropological consideration of such spaces serves as a fascinating lens through which to observe gender relations, in what feels like a major cultural shift of our time."
