The nude on nude hugs are tricky. The men are more stand sideways, or off center to keep genitals from bumping into one another. It helps if one party is clothed or partially covered.
At the sweat, I'd rather not be hugged sometimes when a slime, oil detoxing person comes from the sweat and wants to rub it on me before they shower, or scrape it off.
Some people, we know each other well enough, full on long and loving whether clothed or nude. Others, not so much. Clothed hugging is the same.
It gets to be something like Japanese bowing. You learn the subtleties and correct as needed. Women who don't hug, I don't trust. They can even react negatively, they can jump to assumptions easily and act on them. This is tell tale about them generally. They are not healthy people, nor can I trust them. I can easily discard these people and stay weary of them.
Guys who don't hug, are often homophobic, or just not used to this new thing of hugging a guy. I understand them, I've been there before. Rare, but some women are like that.
Having grown up in the military and staunch Kansan Victorian stiffness, not able to express, or even be my true self, my emotions, I worked through to liberation. I fought hard to learn to trust and hug, by doing what I was raised to be incorrect, or even crude behavior, as revolution, as mom an dad certainly wouldn't. I enjoy my liberation. When that becomes threatened by a sick individual who is either still back there or has been damaged by some jerk, I resent and feel threatened by them. When they start to make social rules instead of keeping their own problems to themselves, I'll react even verbally and clearly, "Don't make me sick like you."
As the article states, hugs are health and good for a system, natural. It is kind of like being naked around others. You must learn to trust people, when to trust people, know that you may get hurt, but the risk is worth it and it is how you learn to not repeat the mistake. Hugs and other intimacies are a part of the complex human interaction, not to be dumbed down denigrated, or diminished with a black and white social rule of thumb.
To all the sickos, go f** yourself, it is your choice to do such. Just don't impose your shortcomings upon the rest of us. Kind of like being naked isn't it?
The girl scouts are full of SH*T! Sometimes you have to take a kid and drop her into the pool, to get her to trust water. It is harmless. Children don't always know what is best for them, that they are learning bad habits. Going off into a corner alone isn't a choice in independence for a child. You have to coerce them out. Anyone can hug and learn that your body is still yours. If a kids is reluctant to hug, then someone needs to tell them how they feel about that, which maybe hurt, left out, no trust in the relationship, rejection, or a host of other consequences. Then they kid learns to give empathy, give of themselves, love and caring for another. Boundaries and defense should not be taught as so cut and dry. It is teaching them to be unhealthy less outgoing human beings.
The Boy Scouts are a problem for body acceptance, nudity issues. I've had personal dealings with this. For all the good, there are some lousy unwritten rules in the staff, enough to keep a kid away from them, or monitor closely what they are teaching my kid.
AND
, handshakes pass viruses, sweaty palms. I often wash my hands after a handshake. With hugs, I don't have that concern.
Maybe, nothing says friendship better than I hug.
Jbee
