Men’s rights activists and organizations are derided and laughed at, while the women and men who take up the helm are critiqued for what is perceived as their reactionary views. When men jump on board with practices that are traditionally feminine, they are lauded, applauded, and signal boosted. Enter the male-only cuddle party, the men, and the psychologists who love them.
YES, PEOPLE DO NEED TOUCH
Chick flicks, sitcoms, and jokes about post-coital practices would have us believe that cuddling is entirely the purview of women, but we know for sure that human beings need to be touched, meaning men, too. It’s a basic human need. For those in solitary confinement, or the elderly, the hunger is more pronounced, and the lack of touch debilitating. For men without partners, spouses, or sexual contact, a demographic a recent Washington Post article revealed is on the rise, this lack of human contact can contribute to feelings of isolation.
Perhaps that’s why an educator at Pennsylvania’s Lehigh University recently jumped into the fully clothed cuddle pile in support of the local Men’s Therapeutic Cuddle Group in Plymouth Meeting, Pennsylvania. Dr. Christopher Liang, who teaches a gender, race, inclusion, and trauma lab at Lehigh, believes that men’s cuddle groups can redefine masculinity. This statement is predicated on the assumption that masculinity itself is problematic, and needs redefinition.
Cuddle parties have been a mainstay of the intimacy industry for years, making waves and rolling eyes from Silicon Valley to Brooklyn. Touted by Cuddle Party as "a playful social event designed for adults to explore communication, boundaries and affection," a cuddle party is decidedly non-sexual, and rooted in the idea that human beings crave to touch and be touched. But is touch so far from the realm of masculinity that for men to engage in it is to redefine the term?
