First Things has run more than a few articles on shifting conceptions of male identity in contemporary society, but this might be the funniest/scariest anecdotal evidence of erosion yet: Australian Ikea stores have introduced daycare centers for grown men , “modeled off the Ikea toddler-care area.” The concept, known in pseudo-Swedish as “Mänland,” apparently:
makes everyone happy—particularly the guys, who don’t seem to mind the suggestion that they’re essentially imbecilic toddlers who need to be dropped off and picked up like they’re still in preschool. [ . . . ] Women are given a buzzer to remind them to collect their significant other after 30 minutes of shopping. (Instead of arts and crafts, the guys play foosball and Xbox games, watch sports, and eat free hot dogs.)
The move, of course, is a calculated publicity stunt on the part of the furniture retailer, and has gotten a lot of attention in the Australian media. But part of the reason for the fascination undoubtedly stems from the fact that the chain’s marketing department has tapped into a reservoir of anxiety and uncertainty over the place of men and related issues of immaturity and responsibility. It’s a brilliant bit of marketing, because it doesn’t just hawk a product: it reveals a partial truth.
