Man date is a neologism of the 2000s that is used to describe a social situation where two men spend time together one-on-one. The men may be any mix of heterosexual and homosexual. However, "man date" refers to a platonic social encounter, not sexual implied or actual. The term was first spread by a New York Times article by Jennifer 8. Lee published in 2005, and was the basis for the 2009 film I Love You, Man.
As The New York Times article defined:
A man date is two heterosexual men socializing without the crutch of business or sports. It is two guys meeting for the kind of outing a straight man might reasonably arrange with a woman. Dining together across a table without the aid of a television is a man date; eating at a bar is not. Taking a walk in the park together is a man date; going for a jog is not. Attending the movie "Friday Night Lights" is a man date, but going to see the Jets play is definitely not.
Along with metrosexual and bromance, the term is part of a growing set of neologisms that address modern-day masculinity.
Appearances of the term
The term was first brought to popular attention by an April 10, 2005 article in The New York Times Sunday Style section.
Aside from the 2009 film I Love You, Man, man dates have appeared in popular culture, including in a season 3 episode of Scrubs in 2003 called "My Journey", in a Season 7 episode of The Gilmore Girls called "Knit, People, Knit!" and a Season 4 episode of Rescue Me.