So how does one *correctly* hug their fans?

[Cure Dragon 255]

ONLY if they start and NEVER before they give consent or after take it away.

EDIT: And no just no hugging minors. That's terrible.

[Kokonoe]

"With consent." -- Kendamu

"With consent." -- Kendamu's Wife.

Currently bar hopping with them, if anyone's wondering. I agree with them. ❤

But I like doing things without consent! Poopy.

[JulieYBM]

Who's Kendamu, now?

Long-time member of the forums. Super gay jiu jitsu girl who has been on the podcast.

I was alao hanging out with Ryan (Castor Troy). Pretty sure he agreed with us, too. Four votes for consent!

Seriously, how hard is it to ask someone before hand what their comfort zone is? Especially a stranger!

[KBABZ]

Seriously, how hard is it to ask someone before hand what their comfort zone is? Especially a stranger!

And in the case of a "known person", you can't assume that just because you've heard of each other you automatically have the right to a hug without asking first (this works both ways, VIC).

[JulieYBM]

Seriously, how hard is it to ask someone before hand what their comfort zone is? Especially a stranger!

And in the case of a "known person", you can't assume that just because you've heard of each other you automatically have the right to a hug without asking first (this works both ways, VIC).

It boggles my mind that there was no "hey, how do you want to position for this photo?" Like, fuck.

[Cursed Lemon]

One of the biggest idiot myths perpetuated by MRAs/alt-righters/etc. is the idea that physical interaction with other people, especially friendly strangers - namely women - is this bizarre and infinitely complex ritual that no man could ever hope to see all the way to the bottom of and for which all paths spiral over the legal event horizon toward a sexual harassment allegation.

It's not. It never fucking has been.

It is thunderingly obvious what kind of physical touch is warranted, and it is extremely easy to tell in an organic way when it is appropriate, where three pages of legal documentation is not required before proceeding. On occasion may you accidentally put your toe over the line (that is, not leaping across it whole-hog)? Possibly. Then you simply confer that you know what you did and apologize. It's not a god damn death warrant.

Return the sentiment given in proportion. It's. Not. Hard.

[PhoenixEX]

I honestly don't even hug new people that I meet anymore. You'll never know who you'll offend these days so I like to stick with just a nice handshake (well, unless it's someone I've known for a long time).

[Kodoshin]

As an older fellow I've always found the concept of a hug like this from, essentially, a complete stranger to be freaky at best. I guess it's a little different in a controlled environment like a convention, but I still cannot understand the appeal at all. I remember once, I was leaving a hockey playoff game where my team won in overtime and a young lady ran up and hugged me out of nowhere. My natural reaction? To cover my pocket to make sure she wasn't trying to steal my wallet. I guess I'm not the most trusting person around.

[ABED]

While fans are something like strangers, a celebrity meeting fans isn't the same context as random people. Plenty of people hug celebrities at conventions. As I and others have pointed out, it's simply a matter of basic etiquette. While I like Keanu Reeves as much as the next person, I don't think celebs need to go that far to treat their fans with respect and stave off potential lawsuits.

[WittyUsername]

While fans are something like strangers, a celebrity meeting fans isn't the same context as random people. Plenty of people hug celebrities at conventions. As I and others have pointed out, it's simply a matter of basic etiquette. While I like Keanu Reeves as much as the next person, I don't think celebs need to go that far to treat their fans with respect and stave off potential lawsuits.

I think it would be much easier if celebrities didn’t interact with fans at all. They don’t know these people. For all they know, they could be a bunch of weirdos, or vice versa.

[Gyt Kaliba]

I think it would be much easier if celebrities didn’t interact with fans at all. They don’t know these people. For all they know, they could be a bunch of weirdos, or vice versa.

I feel like that's very much not the answer either. For all of the bad that comes out of celebrities and fans meetings, there's also stories of really good things happening as well. I mean, if celebrities and fans absolutely, 100% never met, then what about things like the Make-a-Wish Foundation, which allowed a sick child to meet their idol Hellboy (Ron Perlman)? Or the smaller but no less important instances that Rob Paulsen has talked about a lot in his older podcasts, where people would come up to him and tell him how important Yakko or Raphael or Pinky were to them, because they were really sick/parents went through a divorce/etc. when they were young?

Hell, even just smaller moments like getting to talk to people that are in your favorite things via Twitter or the like nowadays can be a bit of a thrill sometimes.

Entertainment can be an incredibly important factor in a person's life, and it can feel good to get to tell the people responsible for bringing that to you what they've done for you. Likewise, it can be incredibly heartwarming for someone in an entertainer's position to hear such things. Can it go too far and give the person an ego sometimes? Or allow bad people into positions they really shouldn't be in because it too easily allows them to abuse their power? Of course, but that's life. It can happen with anyone in any position. The bad out there should never be allowed to outweigh the good.

[WittyUsername]

I think it would be much easier if celebrities didn’t interact with fans at all. They don’t know these people. For all they know, they could be a bunch of weirdos, or vice versa.

I feel like that's very much not the answer either. For all of the bad that comes out of celebrities and fans meetings, there's also stories of really good things happening as well. I mean, if celebrities and fans absolutely, 100% never met, then what about things like the Make-a-Wish Foundation, which allowed a sick child to meet their idol Hellboy (Ron Perlman)? Or the smaller but no less important instances that Rob Paulsen has talked about a lot in his older podcasts, where people would come up to him and tell him how important Yakko or Raphael or Pinky were to them, because they were really sick/parents went through a divorce/etc. when they were young?

Hell, even just smaller moments like getting to talk to people that are in your favorite things via Twitter or the like nowadays can be a bit of a thrill sometimes.

Entertainment can be an incredibly important factor in a person's life, and it can feel good to get to tell the people responsible for bringing that to you what they've done for you. Likewise, it can be incredibly heartwarming for someone in an entertainer's position to hear such things. Can it go too far and give the person an ego sometimes? Or allow bad people into positions they really shouldn't be in because it too easily allows them to abuse their power? Of course, but that's life. It can happen with anyone in any position. The bad out there should never be allowed to outweigh the good.

If characters an actor plays mean so much to certain people, that’s great, but the actors don’t need to know about that, do they? As for Twitter, I personally think it’s a genuinely terrible platform that does significantly more harm than good.

[omegacwa]

As for Twitter, I personally think it’s a genuinely terrible platform that does significantly more harm than good.

I wholeheartedly agree. Twitter is awful and should be deleted.

As for the topic at hand all I can say is that I was at one point a low level "celebrity". I was in a moderately known local band and I was also a somewhat popular indie wrestler, so I took pictures with fans on occasion. Basically I did the Keanu but would usually put my hand on the person's shoulder or something. Never their lower back or side.

[ABED]

While fans are something like strangers, a celebrity meeting fans isn't the same context as random people. Plenty of people hug celebrities at conventions. As I and others have pointed out, it's simply a matter of basic etiquette. While I like Keanu Reeves as much as the next person, I don't think celebs need to go that far to treat their fans with respect and stave off potential lawsuits.

I think it would be much easier if celebrities didn’t interact with fans at all. They don’t know these people. For all they know, they could be a bunch of weirdos, or vice versa.

That's excessive. It goes beyond caution to plain paranoia.

[MasenkoHA]

I think it would be much easier if celebrities didn’t interact with fans at all. They don’t know these people. For all they know, they could be a bunch of weirdos, or vice versa.

I feel like that's very much not the answer either. For all of the bad that comes out of celebrities and fans meetings, there's also stories of really good things happening as well. I mean, if celebrities and fans absolutely, 100% never met, then what about things like the Make-a-Wish Foundation, which allowed a sick child to meet their idol Hellboy (Ron Perlman)? Or the smaller but no less important instances that Rob Paulsen has talked about a lot in his older podcasts, where people would come up to him and tell him how important Yakko or Raphael or Pinky were to them, because they were really sick/parents went through a divorce/etc. when they were young?

Hell, even just smaller moments like getting to talk to people that are in your favorite things via Twitter or the like nowadays can be a bit of a thrill sometimes.

Entertainment can be an incredibly important factor in a person's life, and it can feel good to get to tell the people responsible for bringing that to you what they've done for you. Likewise, it can be incredibly heartwarming for someone in an entertainer's position to hear such things. Can it go too far and give the person an ego sometimes? Or allow bad people into positions they really shouldn't be in because it too easily allows them to abuse their power? Of course, but that's life. It can happen with anyone in any position. The bad out there should never be allowed to outweigh the good.

If characters an actor plays mean so much to certain people, that’s great, but the actors don’t need to know about that, do they? As for Twitter, I personally think it’s a genuinely terrible platform that does significantly more harm than good.

A lot celebrities, especially ones that either work in low paying work like anime dubs or haven’t done anything in forever, make a lot of their money at cons so that’s never going to happen.

[gokaiblue]

Going back to the OP's question, it's simple: With consent.

For example: When I recently met Brittany Karbowski, she asked if she could hug me after doing a line request.

[Bebi Hatchiyack]

Aside from the VIC topics that I don't know in the slightest the subject (I'm French) I'm baffled and sad that in todays era we are to make thread to ask how does one "correctly" hug ? We went well down !

(It's obvious that you hug someone with consent)

But it was as expected I suppose ? PC + Social Media + SJW have made a lot of people scared to act normally. We are in a era that even asking someone for the time can label you as harrassing people (true story)

Our society has become too much psychological in my opinion.

[VegettoEX]

But it was as expected I suppose ? PC + Social Media + SJW have made a lot of people scared to act normally. We are in a era that even asking someone for the time can label you as harrassing people (true story)

I dunno, maybe it was all the assault that did it?

Are you for real? Are you seriously saying this in all seriousness as a serious person? If this isn't just failed performance art, it's extremely concerning.

See Cursed Lemon's response above:

One of the biggest idiot myths perpetuated by MRAs/alt-righters/etc. is the idea that physical interaction with other people, especially friendly strangers - namely women - is this bizarre and infinitely complex ritual that no man could ever hope to see all the way to the bottom of and for which all paths spiral over the legal event horizon toward a sexual harassment allegation.

It's not. It never fucking has been.

It is thunderingly obvious what kind of physical touch is warranted, and it is extremely easy to tell in an organic way when it is appropriate, where three pages of legal documentation is not required before proceeding. On occasion may you accidentally put your toe over the line (that is, not leaping across it whole-hog)? Possibly. Then you simply confer that you know what you did and apologize. It's not a god damn death warrant.

Return the sentiment given in proportion. It's. Not. Hard.

[Kunzait_83]

But it was as expected I suppose ? PC + Social Media + SJW have made a lot of people scared to act normally.

PROTIP: If your definition of "acting normally" consists of suddenly and without warning hugging, kissing, groping, bodily rubbing up against, and soliciting the phone numbers of most every young girl you happen to meet or come into contact with (particularly underage girls), then guess what? You're NOT in fact actually acting anywhere within the faintest ZIPCODE of "normal". And if that somehow isn't INSTANTLY and immediately self-evident to someone, then they should seek immediate professional help, ASAP.

That SO many people (that are ostensibly grown-ass adults) even NEED to be told these fundamental barebones basics of social interaction, and that so many of these same people indeed act as if these are somehow byzantine, arcane rules and wildly shifting goalposts that are impossible to keep up with... its nothing short of staggering, depressing, and pathetic.

But I mean really: what does anyone seriously expect from a fan community that's as filled to the brim as this one is with so many socially inept and emotionally-stunted introverts whose near ENTIRE framework and conception of social interaction often tends to stem largely and overwhelmingly from vapid, godawful harem and ecchi anime that exist almost solely as bizarre and creepy jerkoff fantasies for developmentally crippled Otaku?

[JulieYBM]

Hey now, let's not drag Otaku shit down here. Your average Otaku who beats it to doujinshi and hentai will be the first one to be polite to strangers. It's the socially isolated from community and social responsibility western fans that do the bitching and moaning about "duh essjaydubblews" making their lives oh-so hard. There aren't that many Otaku in the west, anyway. >_>