Latest news with #hugs
News.com.au
01-07-2025
- Entertainment
- News.com.au
People are only just learning what the ‘Disney Hug Rule' is
If there's anything that can heal your inner child, it's watching compilations online of kids hugging their favourite characters at Disneyland. They really get you every time, but if you look closely, you might notice a familiar pattern – the Disney character will keep hugging the child until they break off the hug. While it's not an officially mandated rule (although many others exist … more on that later), it's an informal guideline that many Disney theme park staff have embraced, so it's now become a standard practice. The adorable guideline helps ensure that the child feels their beloved character isn't pulling away. According to the Disney fan site Inside the Magic, the practice dates back to Walt Disney himself, who apparently said, 'You never know how much that child may need that hug.' TikTok features countless videos of this rule in action, including one heartwarming clip from @flickdash, showing a montage of kids hugging the characters for as long as they wish, and the characters patiently hold on until they let go. In another clip by @mccallcook, liked by 3.3 million people, a girl called Hazel is seen running up to Anna from Frozen and refusing to 'Let It Go' for more than two minutes. The character is seen chatting with Hazel and asking her questions endlessly until her parents finally manage to guide her away. 'I THINK SHE BROKE THE RECORD WHAT DO YOU THINK?' Hazel's mum wrote in the caption. 'I think Hazie would've sat there all day long if there wasn't a line behind us.' In the comments, people were getting teary over the adorable moment. 'This is so pure and innocent,' said one. 'I'm sorry, but how do you not break down crying every time this happens?' another asked. However, some wondered whether the parents should've stepped in to break the hug sooner and let another child have their turn. 'As a parent, I would have stopped it earlier,' said one. 'The parents should know that the hug went on for way too long as they put the Disney worker in an awkward position,' added someone else. Other official rules at the parks include that characters must never eat in public, tattoos need covering, staff must be able to sign autographs as their character, and no staff member can say 'I don't know' in response to a question. Also, if a staff member wears glasses and their character doesn't, they'll need to wear contact lenses to keep it authentic. For guests, no one over 14 is allowed to wear costumes so they aren't mistaken for real characters, and guests staying at the Disney Hotel aren't permitted to hang wet towels, swimmers, or clothes off their balconies.
Daily Mail
11-06-2025
- Business
- Daily Mail
Why women are paying £1 per minute to get muscly men with a 'maternal' side to hug them in train stations
Young, lonely women in China are paying money to 'man mums' promising them stress-relieving hugs. Muscular gymgoers have been charging 50 yuan (£5) for five-minute embraces, combining traits like 'gentleness' and 'patience' with their impressively brawny physique. Social media groups have praised the services, according to South China Morning Post, admitting they have sought out cuddles at places like underground stations and shopping centres to cope with daily stresses, including bad bosses or hectic academic schedules. One woman's post garnered more than 10,000 comments, the outlet reported, with a search for the term 'man mum' bringing up call outs from women seeking hug-services. But not just anyone can qualify. These men must have a particularly 'maternal' temperament and buff body type. Women often ask to speak with them before a physical meeting. As per SCMP, sometimes 'tall, athletic women' are sought out too. Costs range from 20 - 50 yuan (£2 - £5) for five minutes. In one social media account, a user explained how she purchased a coffee and book for her 'man mum'. After their 'brief hug', they simply chatted. Social media groups have praised the services, according to South China Morning Post , admitting they have sought out cuddles at places like underground stations and shopping centres to cope with daily stresses, including bad bosses or hectic academic schedules 'What made me happier than the hug was the warmth from a stranger,' she reportedly explained. Elsewhere, a 'man mum' himself added that he got a 'sense of self worth' from his work, while another - who earned 1,758 yuan (£180) in one month from hugs - said it allows him to soothe others' anxiety. He also admitted that while he works hard to ensure a good 'experience' - putting on make-up and perfume to elevate the hug - charging money helps him maintain a healthy emotional distance. In the same vein, women using the services expressed that keeping the service transactional helps avoid lines being blurred and boundaries becoming crossed. Online opinion has been divided - social media users have hit out at the practice, claiming that it was just a way to conceal 'physical desire'. Many also questioned why you would seek out a stranger's embrace - rather than that of a family member or loved ones. Another added that the trend was just 'a good example of monetising everything'. Others felt sympathy for those looking for hugs from strangers, writing: 'Jokes apart but I think half of the population in this world need hugs which they never get.' Online opinion has been divided - social media users have hit out at the practice, claiming that it was just a way to conceal 'physical desire'. Stock image used 'I would love to join this because knowing the situation each and everyone passing through the world really needs a hug,' another added. It comes following new research that suggests Gen Z are turning their back on traditional relationship styles. In December, it was revealed that the amount of young couples getting married has dropped by almost a third since the 1960s amid a 'deeply troubling' fall-off in matrimony, campaigners say. And trends indicate that fewer than six in ten of those born between 1997 and 2012 will ever tie the knot. Projections from the Marriage Foundation suggest that 58 per cent of women and 56 per cent of men in that 'Generation Z' age bracket will say 'I do' at some point in their lives. It compares with up to 67 per cent of millennials [born between 1981 and 1996], up to 82 per cent of Gen X [born between 1965 and 1980] and up to 96 per cent of the baby boom generation [born between 1946 and 1964]. Separate research suggests the decline of marriage among the young could be even more dramatic, with figures showing that only 15 per cent of men and 23 per cent of women have been married by the age of 30 – compared with 64 per cent and 77 per cent, respectively, in 1960. The Marriage Foundation – a charity set up 'in response to the epidemic levels of family breakdown' – says their figures reveal a 30 per cent in decrease in marriage among younger age groups since 1960. Its report, part of a study called The Collapse Of Marriage Among Gen Z, also notes that the UK now has the highest rate of marital breakdown since records began, with almost half of all children not living with both of their biological parents. It found that 80 per cent of couples stay together if they were married before their child was born, 68 per cent stay together if they married later on, and only 39 per cent remain together if they never marry. Researchers said: 'The trend away from marriage has profound consequences for stability and children's outcomes. 'We already have the highest level of family breakdown in recorded UK history. Nearly half of all teenagers are not living with both natural parents.' Sir Paul Coleridge, founder of the Marriage Foundation and a former High Court judge, said: 'If the current government really wants to improve the lot of 'working people' this is the area they should focus on. The effect would be very significant for individual couples, children and also on the Exchequer.'
BBC News
11-06-2025
- Entertainment
- BBC News
Father's Day 2025: What's the best thing about your Dad?
What's the best thing about the father figure in your life? Father's Day 2025 is on Sunday - June 15 - and is a day for people to celebrate their dad, stepdad, granddad or any important father figure in their might have already sorted a card or a present to show them your love and appreciation or you could be planning to show them in another way?We want to know what it is that makes them so special to they give the snuggliest hugs or make the tastiest pancakes or maybe they can do super cool tricks at the skate it is, let us know in the comments below. You can tell us about your plans and why you appreciate your dad too!
South China Morning Post
04-06-2025
- General
- South China Morning Post
‘Man mums' in China sell 5-minute hugs for US$7, gain popularity among lonely women
A growing number of young women in China are shelling out 50 yuan (US$7) for five-minute stress-relieving hugs from 'man mums'. Advertisement The so-called man mums are a trending group on mainland social media. The term originally described muscular gym-goers but it now refers to men who combine physical strength with traditionally feminine traits like gentleness and patience. A stressed-out student recently posted online that she wanted to pay for a hug from a kind, fit 'man mum' to cope with thesis pressure. 'I was hugged once in secondary school and felt safe. We can just hug for five minutes at an underground station,' she wrote. One woman said she wanted a hug from a kind, fit man to cope with the stress of her studies. Photo: The post went viral, racking up more than 100,000 comments.
CTV News
15-05-2025
- General
- CTV News
‘I'm going to miss the hugs': Transcona teacher's fond farewell after 44 years
Teacher Wendy hugs some of her students on May 13, 2025. (Daniel Halmarson/CTV News Winnipeg)
