I spent a good part of my day yesterday making chocolates. Now before you judge, it just happens to be something that I do that relaxes me. I don’t eat all (or even that many) of them, and I don’t have a girlfriend who I’m trying to fatten up. I just make candy to make it and give to people. And yes, you can see a picture of the peanut butter truffle bars, piña colada macadamia mounds and blueberry jellies that I assembled with my own two hands by clicking here (I’m really bad at making food porn; sorry).
The reason that I tell you this is because it is one of several hobbies and character traits that put me in a relatively new category of men: the domesticated bachelor.
Born out of the ashes of the (regrettable) Metrosexual movement, a domesticated bachelor is a dude who seems like he’s in a relationship even though he isn’t – he cooks, cleans, can dress and groom himself in a socially presentable way, and is interested in activities usually reserved for couples (farmer’s markets, museums, brunch, etc). This sounds like it goes in direct opposition to the definition put forth on The Domesticated Bachelor, but the number of guys in this group are on the rise.
Sure, we occasionally like lounging around in sweatpants, but who doesn’t? Watching the game with friends is not mutually exclusive to having a beer gut or slopping around in old and ragged clothes. We know how to cook more than just barbeque. We can sort-of distinguish between wines. Heck, you might see us unironically attending cooking classes.
The Domesticated Bachelor seems to be the male response to the hookup culture – a man developing the self-sufficient techniques and capabilities that used to be obtained through being in a relationship. A domesticated bachelor has adapted all of the necessary skills and traits of a man who is in a relationship, only without having a girlfriend. As a result, there can be a bit of a perception versus reality gap that occurs when we actually DO get ourselves involved romantically.
As gender roles continue to redefine themselves and the very structure of relationships begins to change, men and women find themselves becoming parts of new groups. The Domesticated Bachelor is but one of the first.
