How “Man Caves” Took Over America’s Basements

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.

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.