If you haven’t read Men Are From Mars, Women Are From Venus, you should probably pick up John Gray’s comedic take on relationships between men and women, and the communication barriers that both parties bring into the mix. However, it’s an antiquated metaphor which only emphasizes an age of misplaced hierarchy.
Today’s digital age has presented what seems to be an endless number of possibilities for two people to come together. Hell, just look at the viral impact that Clubhouse has had. The invite-only social media app has helped in fostering a culture of collaboration for users who are able to get on the platform, according to Entrepreneur’s Jeremy Knauff.
If you’re new to Clubhouse, Knauff is the person to follow, as his thought-piece on Entrepreneur, was one of the most visited articles on the media outlet at the time of the app’s release. Some are even using this as another avenue for dating too.
Back to the Men Are From Mars mindset, it’s time to switch gears. While men (still) like to think they understand women, they don’t. But the same can be said about women, right? What if you could figure out what was going on in that martian-like head of your man, or date who drives you bonkers?
Yeah, good luck. Or not?
Now, thanks to the “Men Are From Mars, Women Are From Venus” mindset that MaleRoom follows, “selectively unattached” women and women can now travel through the minds of the men that drive them bonkers, in real-time.
Our Flawed Media Landscape Alienates ‘Selectively Unattached’ Women
Today’s flawed media landscape portrays “single women” as an “either-or.” Dogmatic thinking such as the “career-focused woman who doesn’t have time to date” or “crazy cat lady that probably shouldn’t date” is what hinders effective conversations that could be happening, but don’t.
And where’s the in-between here? Where do all other single women fall, especially those who understand their worth, and are still holding out for the perfect man? Selectively unattached women are not just an underserved market, but they are under-valued and under-appreciated.
So, who are these women? They are mostly women—a mix of small-town and city girls, single, and divorcees—an “independent new breed of women,” as Kaplan describes. Now all you need is real dialogue and valuable conversation.
Unfortunately, the media thrives off chaos. There’s a reason the media focuses so much of its time on the gossip and drama which surrounds romantic fallouts or marital affair scandals. All of which bring nothing to the table. It’s time that real dialogue comes into the mix; a valuable discussion that challenges men in a fun and entertaining way.
From an ongoing video series and a podcast, to live Twitch events and virtual speed dating, it’s time for market research and men to do the talking.
I spoke with Mindie Kaplan, the CEO, founder, and “Messenger” of MaleRoom about why she wanted to “recreate the conversations she was having with her guy friends” with prospective dating candidates.
Kaplan considers herself to be “selectively unattached” also, falling under the mission MaleRoom helps instill.
For those who are unfamiliar with the ‘Men Are From Mars’ metaphor, it’s a metaphor emphasizing the often mysterious behavior of the male “species.” But how is a platform like MaleRoom able to get inside the mind of these men to provide honest and often entertaining feedback from their guests for their audience?
“Our formula is to have a mix of all different types of guys to get various perspectives and tribal knowledge,” Kaplan says. “A ‘Player’ type might give smoother answers, while the nice guy can show us all that we just might need that type of guy in our lives. We also have a variety of celebs, athletes and everyday guys to represent the masses. We’re all non-experts which is also the beauty and a differentiator.”
One of MaleRoom’s most recent show segments, “Text Translations,” is even more exciting and quite the nail-biter. “We put our guests in the ‘hot seat’ to have them translate texts for women. We have our viewers send them to us anonymously and it’s like having your guy friends there to give their unbiased, honest advice. The difference in how men and women think can definitely be entertaining and insightful which is what we’re bringing to our audience.”
Defining “Selectively Unattached” Females
In understanding MaleRoom’s approach in catering to this new “breed” of “selectively unattached” females, Kaplan refers to this group as the age-old “hopeful romantics,” who “don’t have 8 cats and are not desperate or bitter towards the opposite sex; they just have higher standards in all areas of their life and aren’t willing to settle.”
But what Kaplan wants to make sure the media industry understands, is that the perspective of how traditional media portrays single women, of either having to be overly independent (a career woman who rarely dates) or the damsel in distress who shouldn’t date — that needs to stop.
“We’re here to change the conversation,” Kaplan emphasized.
For first-time viewers, Kaplan wants the show to be relatable, comical, and inspirational to encourage women to stay the course.
“This can either be therapeutic, educational or just entertaining in their adventures too. Secondarily, I think this topic appeals to anyone who has been single before and wants to relive their glory (or non glorious) single days too.”
And for all you men out there, don’t think you don’t have a role to play in this. “We’ve also found that a lot of men are watching too out of curiosity of what other guys are saying and the pure entertainment value around this topic. We also want people to meet this way! We have trading cards of single guys on our IG and are now starting to do contests for virtual dates with our guests too!”
Kaplan revealed her inspiration behind MaleRoom, wanting to “recreate conversations that [she] was having with [her] guy friends.”
“Whether we want to hear it or not, the advice that men give is simple, straightforward and direct. On the other hand, as women, we want to support each other and will often give the worst advice in that quest…try him again, maybe he’s just really busy or even intimidated, which can often be urban legends. Some of the best lessons have been first hand and I’ve definitely learned a lot along the way too.”
As for us millennials, MaleRoom hasn’t forgotten about us.
“Funny enough, one of our next episodes will be a Grandpa, a Gen X and & Millennial to talk generational dating. We wanted to hear from them how things went from bringing flowers to sending an emoji bouquet and if romance is alive and well even now. Millennials have an interesting take on dating since it’s mostly been digital for them, so, we’ll be getting into transactional dating, temptation and if game playing is outdated!