A side hug is a display of affection in which a person

hug A hug is a form of endearment, universal in most human communities, in which two or more people put their arms around the neck, back, or waist of one another and hold each other closely. If more than two people are involved, it may be referre ...

s another by putting one arm around their shoulders, rather than both arms around them. This can be useful for example when posing for a photograph, or if an ordinary hug for some reason is considered too intimate for the situation.

Religious attitudes to physical intimacy

Abstinence-only movement

Public displays of

physical intimacy Physical intimacy is sensual proximity or touching. It is an act or reaction, such as an expression of feelings (including close friendship, platonic love, romantic love or sexual attraction), between people. Examples of physical intimac ...

between

intimate partner An intimate relationship is an interpersonal relationship that involves physical or emotional intimacy. Although an intimate relationship is commonly a sexual relationship, it may also be a non-sexual relationship involving family, friends, o ...

s in romantic relationships are discouraged by many religious organisations that seek to discourage

sexual intimacy Human sexual activity, human sexual practice or human sexual behaviour is the manner in which humans experience and express their sexuality. People engage in a variety of sexual acts, ranging from activities done alone (e.g., masturbation) t ...

. ''Brio'' magazine (published by

Focus on the Family Focus on the Family (FOTF or FotF) is a fundamentalist Protestant organization founded in 1977 in Southern California by James Dobson, based in Colorado Springs, Colorado. The group is one of a number of evangelical parachurch organizatio ...

) advised readers to refrain from front hugging members of the opposite sex in 2007.

2009 rap song

A rap song was performed by Ryan Pann as a skit at the 2009 Encounter Generation (EG) evangelical youth conference, hosted by The Fathers House church in

Vacaville, California Vacaville is a city located in Solano County in Northern California. Sitting approximately from Sacramento and from San Francisco, it is within the Sacramento Valley. As of the 2020 census, Vacaville had a population of 102,386, making it th ...

. A video of this became a YouTube

meme A meme ( ) is an idea, behavior, or style that spreads by means of imitation from person to person within a culture and often carries symbolic meaning representing a particular phenomenon or theme. A meme acts as a unit for carrying cultural i ...

in 2009 and was remarked on by such blogs as ''Feministe'' and ''

Feministing Feministing.com was a feminist blog founded in 2004 by sisters Jessica and Vanessa Valenti. It had 1.2 million unique monthly visitors at its peak. The blog helped to popularize the term '' slut-shaming'' according to its directors Lori Adelman ...

'' and from there the mainstream press. The song's lyrics include such phrases as "This ain’t no front hug zone" and "Jesus never hugged nobody like that." Pann has said the song was satirizing the Christian habit of side hugging.

Avoiding accusations of child sexual assault

Many volunteer organizations including faith-based organizations like churches mandate that adult staff members and volunteers not fully hug children in their care. They encourage the use of side hugs as a rule for adults and staff members, especially when dealing with people of the opposite sex or children. This allows for intentions to be evident. While a normal hug may be preferable between close friends neither person truly knows the desires of the other . In situations with children and youth this distinction is very important. If an adult employee or volunteer of a church does not use a side hug they may be accused, rightly or wrongly, of inappropriate advances. These rules are intended to protect both the potential victims and the potentially wrongly accused.

References

{{Reflist Interpersonal relationships Internet memes introduced in 2009