Take a second and think about a time when someone dragged you out shopping with them to a place you didn’t want to be. I can remember several; I was bored, anxiously awaiting the moment that I was able to leave and just couldn’t stand sitting around while they shopped. I’m sure I’m not the only one this has happened to. Fortunately, a new distraction is on the rise to make these bothersome errands more worthwhile.
I say it all started with little kids. Think about it, how difficult is it to take a four or five-year-old to the mall and do some shopping. They get antsy, attempting to wander off and a lot of the time they whine and complain. Very similar to the way a boyfriend acts when his girlfriend takes him along shopping. Not only does he get stuck carrying the bags, but the last thing he wants to do is tag along while you shop for household appliances. The second he can go look at a video game or head to the electronics section, he runs for it.
For kids, this problem was taken care of when playgrounds were put into malls. Now it seems like little kids don’t mind spending the day with mommy at the mall, as long as they get to run around in a mini play land.
Well guys, don’t fret, your time has come. For all the men who dread going shopping with their wives or girlfriends, your prayers have been answered (during furniture shopping anyway).
According to Yahoo.com an Ikea in Australia has just created “Manland.” This male wonderland is where men can get away from the burden of shopping and play Xbox, watch sports on flat-screen televisions, play foosball and get free hot dogs. Sounds perfect, doesn’t it? Sadly, this paradise is only temporary; there is a time limit of a half hour. Although the men are out of sight, they are certainly not out of mind. Ikea kindly provides their ladies with a beeper at drop off. It is set to sound after his 30 minutes of “man-time” are up. It’s very similar to a mini daycare, but for adult males.
They give him things to enterain himself, feed him and even help him make new friends. Pick-up time is not only disappointing for the guy, but for the woman as well. Manland is a benefit to both sexes. Everyone gets what he or she wants and no one leaves with a headache.
Although Manland seems like a blessing in disguise, not everyone is happy with it. There was a tweet to this Ikea from @RMurto calling their new creation “more sexist than funny,” yet @sillsmcgrills thought it was “genius.” For me, if I didn’t have to put up with my boyfriend complaining for a half hour while I picked out furniture, I’d be happy.
I don’t think there are many males that would find this fun-land to be an issue. They don’t want to be there and if they go, they’ll only complain. On the other hand, if they are getting something out of this dreadful experience then they are more likely to be cooperative.
Now I’ll be honest, I do find the wonderland to be sexist, but not in a bad way. It needs to appeal to men and what they typically want. The things in Manland are similar to what a guy would put in his “man-cave” at home (anything sports related, video games and food). Also, I’m pretty sure they aren’t too distraught over the fact that their significant other isn’t around and they don’t have to pick out coffee tables and kitchen sets.
They’re probably the most upset when their wife or girlfriend has to come back to get them and vice versa. Once they’re in, their inner child will come out and they’ll be the little kid that doesn’t want to go home and leave his new friends and all the fun toys.
Justin Greene, a freshman majoring in Sports Management, stated, “It‘s hard to just tell your girlfriend that you don‘t want to go shopping with her. If every place she wanted to go had a Manland, I would tell her I would offer to go with her but I‘d really be going just to sneak away and play some Call of Duty and get free food. It’s a win-win.”
This Manland needs to expand to other places and also think about crossing over to the female side. Men aren’t the only ones that want to get away from having to deal with monotonous life tasks, women do too. If I went to a sporting goods store and saw there was a “Womanland” where I could be pampered and just relax, I’d let my boyfriend drag me there anytime. He gets to do his thing while I do mine, and we don’t have to deal with each other.
The idea of a Womanland is definitely nice to think about.
This Australian Ikea has provided their society with such a gift. I think that if Manlands were present in the U.S., more men would willingly accompany their ladies on errands. Yes, it would be for selfish reasons, but it’s better than having them complain.
To say having a Manland is sexist and looked down upon is pushing it. Men don’t like shopping with women and vice versa. Most of the time we just feel like we need to include men in decisions, so we ask them to tag along, but chances are we can handle the task ourselves.
Manland allows women to feel as if they attempted to include men in the errands and sustain a clear conscious and men can somewhat enjoy these outings. This wonderland provides them with a little taste of freedom, although not long lasting; they get a little bit of their fantasy fulfilled and the couple survives a shopping trip.The only issue with a Womanland being created is that men are not as successful as women when it comes to getting someone to go somewhere they don’t want to go. Still, the idea of a Womanland is definitely nice to think about.
This Australian Ikea has provided their society with such a gift. I think that if Manlands were present in the U.S., more men would willingly accompany their ladies on errands. Yes, it would be for selfish reasons, but it’s better than having them complain.
To say having a Manland is sexist and looked down upon is pushing it. Men don’t like shopping with women and vice versa. Most of the time we just feel like we need to include men in decisions, so we ask them to tag along, but chances are we can handle the task ourselves.
Manland allows women to feel as if they attempted to include men in the errands and sustain a clear conscious and men can somewhat enjoy these outings. This wonderland provides them with a little taste of freedom, although not long lasting; they get a little bit of their fantasy fulfilled and the couple survives a shopping trip.
Dominique Barchus can be reached at Dominique.Barchus@spartans.ut.edu