Christian side hug
Encyclopedia
The Christian side hug is a term for a display of affection in which a person hug
s another by putting one arm around their shoulders, rather than both arms around them, "to avoid the uncontrollable temptation that hugging face-to-face – and therefore crotch-to-crotch – would lead to."
in 2009 and was remarked on by such blogs as Feministe and Feministing
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." The song's video includes gunshot sounds, sirens, and performers dressed like street thugs. A critic at the Boston Globe pointed out that the lyrics contain a mixed message in the line "I'm a rough rider teamed up with Christ."
Pann has said the song was satirizing the Christian habit of side hugging, but another mock rap video from the conference reinforces the Christian Side Hug song's message,.
(published by Focus on the Family
), advising readers to refrain from front hugging members of the opposite sex as far back as 2007.
Hug
A hug is a form of physical intimacy, that usually involves closing or holding the arms around the neck, back, or waist of another person; if more than two persons are involved, this is referred to as a group hug. A hug, sometimes in association with a kiss, eye contact or other gestures, is a...
s another by putting one arm around their shoulders, rather than both arms around them, "to avoid the uncontrollable temptation that hugging face-to-face – and therefore crotch-to-crotch – would lead to."
Origin of the term
The term first gained notoriety in a rap song by Ryan Pann, performed as a skit at the 2009 Encounter Generation evangelical youth conference (EG), hosted by The Fathers House church in Vacaville, CA. A video of this became a YouTube memeMeme
A meme is "an idea, behaviour or style that spreads from person to person within a culture."A meme acts as a unit for carrying cultural ideas, symbols or practices, which can be transmitted from one mind to another through writing, speech, gestures, rituals or other imitable phenomena...
in 2009 and was remarked on by such blogs as Feministe and Feministing
Feministing
-Purpose and audience:Valenti began Feministing in 2004 while working at the NOW Legal Defense and Education Fund, where she felt that young feminists were being excluded from feminist discourse. She describes Feministing's purpose as "a way to get through the mommy filter" and make feminism more...
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." The song's video includes gunshot sounds, sirens, and performers dressed like street thugs. A critic at the Boston Globe pointed out that the lyrics contain a mixed message in the line "I'm a rough rider teamed up with Christ."
Pann has said the song was satirizing the Christian habit of side hugging, but another mock rap video from the conference reinforces the Christian Side Hug song's message,.
The Christian side hug within the abstinence movement
EG is not the only religious youth organization to encourage side hugs over front hugs, with Brio magazineBrio (magazine)
Brio is an American teen magazine. It was first published by Focus on the Family, an American evangelical group, and edited by Susie Shellenberger. The magazine is aimed at teen girls, and presents topics typical of other teen magazines from an evangelical Christian perspective.Brio magazine was...
(published by Focus on the Family
Focus on the Family
Focus on the Family is an American evangelical Christian tax-exempt non-profit organization founded in 1977 by psychologist James Dobson, and is based in Colorado Springs, Colorado. Focus on the Family is one of a number of evangelical parachurch organizations that rose to prominence in the 1980s...
), advising readers to refrain from front hugging members of the opposite sex as far back as 2007.