U.S. teenagers big on hugging

Published: May 30, 2009 at 2:44 PM

NEW YORK, May 30 (UPI) -- Hugging among U.S. teenagers has become so prevalent some schools say they've banned the embrace or imposed limits on how long they last.

"Touching and physical contact is very dangerous territory," said Noreen Hajinlian, principal of George G. White School, a junior high school in Hillsdale, N.J., which banned hugging. "It wasn't a greeting. It was happening all day."

Hajinlian's school is among those from New Jersey to Bend, Ore., that have clamped down on hugging, The New York Times reported Saturday.

Ritual hugging has become so popular that students feel pressured to partake, said Gabrielle Brown, a freshman at Fiorello H. LaGuardia High School in New York.

"If somebody were to not hug someone, to never hug anybody, people might be just a little wary of them and think they are weird or peculiar," Brown said.

The phenomenon reflects how physical boundaries have changed, said Amy Best, a sociologist at George Mason University.

"We display bodies more readily, there are fewer rules governing body touch and a lot more permissible access to other people's bodies," Best said.

© 2009 United Press International, Inc. All Rights Reserved.
Any reproduction, republication, redistribution and/or modification of any UPI content is expressly prohibited without UPI's prior written consent.

Order reprints




Additional News Stories
Essence to honor Cicely Tyson (33 min)
Billboard asks if Bush is missed (37 min)
Daniel Kerrigan's death ruled a homicide (51 min)
Sudan, Chad mending fences (56 min)
Ex-police officer jailed on murder charge
McCarthy escorted out of Ethiopian church
Kings of Leon set for Bonnaroo fest
fark
Armed robbery suspect who continually threatened to kill employees described as 'nicely dressed'...
This First Amendment thing - it does not mean what you think it means
Photoshop this dapper gentleman on a loopy couch
Teacher hits student with clipboard. Student allegedly sustained bodily injury, shock, and injury...
Study shows older women have higher risk of having autistic children.... because the vaccines multiply...
Those body-scanners, which will in no way invade your privacy, are being used to invade the privacy...