this post was submitted on 18 Jun 2024
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[โ€“] neatchee@lemmy.world 63 points 6 months ago (3 children)

No, it's not socially acceptable. Yes, I wish it were. I don't know if I'd go for full on snuggling but I come from a physically affectionate family and in general wish people were more comfortable with that kind of thing

[โ€“] lechatron@lemmy.today 16 points 6 months ago (1 children)

Interesting. I come from a family that wasn't very physically affectionate, and I hug most of my friends every time I see them.

[โ€“] neatchee@lemmy.world 9 points 6 months ago

I go for the hug when I see friends I haven't seen in a long time, or when I'm parting ways with someone I know I won't see for a while. But it's definitely not a regular occurrence

[โ€“] fmstrat@lemmy.nowsci.com 7 points 6 months ago

I mentioned in my other reply that my hiking group hugs when we meet, which started as a joke when the women did, then stuck. Now, when someone new joins you can feel the emotion of missing out when they arrive, and the acceptance when it happens as they leave.

Next time a mixed gender group meets, and the women hug the women and men, etc, start a ridiculous laugh and pretend to hug one of the dudes. If he does, you may have started a trend.

[โ€“] TranscendentalEmpire@lemm.ee 6 points 6 months ago (1 children)

No, it's not socially acceptable. Yes, I wish it were.

Like, does this mean you are afraid of other people you don't know judging you, or that you or your friends find it socially unacceptable?

Either way that seems to be more of an individual problem rather than a social one. I am physically affectionate with my friends and have never been confronted about it by a member of the public , not that I would really care if I were. People be dumb, I'm not going to let someone else's projected homophobia dictate my friendship.

[โ€“] neatchee@lemmy.world 5 points 6 months ago (1 children)

That it would be viewed as awkward and unwelcome by the other participants. Consent is key, yo

[โ€“] TexasDrunk@lemmy.world 5 points 6 months ago

That's a good view. You'd be surprised who is down for a hug, though.

My friend group usually goes for the handshake hug. This led to things like when someone is having a hard time we hug it out.

We also compliment each other a lot. It's nice. Some of these guys didn't get compliments until our group started doing it to each other. You can watch someone who doesn't get a lot of compliments change their body language from closed off to confident just by letting them know you like their shirt or that their haircut looks great.

Start easy with the handshake back pat. Easing into it can overcome some of the awkwardness that causes people to shy away from physical contact. Not everyone will be down for it, and you're right that consent is key. Maybe it won't work, but you're not out anything by giving it a shot.