Since last month, a trend has been brewing in China before going viral on Rednote (Xiaohongshu) and other platforms. The trend in question is young Chinese women paying for a 5-minute hug from “man mums” (男妈妈), usually referring to tall and broad-chested (with large pecs) gym bros.
The curious and borderline risqué trend took Rednote by storm when a postgraduate entrance exam candidate posted on the platform that she had too much stress and was willing to pay 50 RMB (6.95 USD) for a 5-minute hug with a “man mum”. Not only did the post go viral, but copycats asking for hugs and gym bros taking the opportunity to show off their bodies with the hashtag quickly gained traction. The trend is now called “拼好抱” (share a hug, “拼好”-something is a term often used in carpool and group buys).
Many attribute the trend to the “loneliness epidemic” in China, where people yearn for affection and intimacy but are afraid of relationships and commitment. Others refer to the “男色消费” (female gaze consumption), where women pay for content of good-looking men dancing, hiring male dates for dinner or even just photo-ops, or the most recent “paid hugs”.
However, there is a strong likelihood that much of the related hug with “man mums” content is riding the viral wave on Chinese social media for traffic, and it must be said that in such transactions, women are in a more vulnerable position than the gym bros. The virality suggests that the “transactional” nature of modern affection does have a place in China.