11-06-2025
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.'
