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“Can you imagine in America if a bunch of dudes touched each other at work? Freakin’ lawsuits left and right.”
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There are a lot of stereotypes that the rest of the world associate with Australians. Some of them are true — like us being generally laidback people who love Vegemite and use a shit tonne of slang in our everyday conversations. Others, like the whole “put a shrimp on the barbie” line and that every animal is out to kill us, are outdated fluff.
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But one thing I wasn’t aware people associated with Aussies is that we’re big fans of platonic affection — or, put simply, we love hugging our mates.
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This was brought to my attention by Brit (@ivereachedanewlow), who grew up in the American Midwest and now lives in Sydney, Australia.
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In one of her TikToks, she describes Australians as being “so physically affectionate” and that it’s commonplace to see men, in particular, showing affection to one another.
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With Brit hailing from the States, she explains that this is a huge culture shock for her because there’s a distinct lack of platonic affection in the USA — especially between men.
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She gives the example of her boyfriend, who was sunburnt on his chest and back, being worried about his work mates hugging him and pushing him around.
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Meanwhile in the US, that same sort of behaviour, according to Brit, simply does not exist in a work environment. “Can you imagine in America if a bunch of dudes touched each other at work? Freakin’ lawsuits left and right,” she said.
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In the comments, Australians were flabbergasted and took pride in their bromances.
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Brit did acknowledge that her shock at Australians being affectionate with one another could be due to her upbringing — but those same sentiments were shared by another American TikToker.
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In his own video, Moon (@thekimchiking) — who is Korean-American and lived in Australia for a year and a half — said it was “one of the biggest culture shocks” seeing Aussie men interact with one another.
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Like Brit, Moon believes that American men are typically more conservative when it comes to showing affection, whereas in Australia we just don’t give a fuck because that’s how we show camaraderie.
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As an Aussie, I find this so interesting and have never considered it to be something that’s unique to Australia because platonic affection, regardless of your gender, is so normalised here.
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Whether it’s at work, between good mates or when you’re meeting someone new, we’re a nation of huggers. That doesn’t mean we don’t respect personal boundaries though — especially when meeting a stranger. Usually, after the introductions, you can gauge whether it’s appropriate to go in for a hug or a handshake.
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But I’ll tell you that nine times out of 10, it’s going to be a hug because we, as Australians, love to do that.
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There’s also the cultural difference, which Moon pointed out. With him being Korean, he explained that in Korean culture men are typically more conservative — which is why it was such a huge culture shock for him.
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Interestingly, in the comments on his TikTok, some pointed to First Nations and Polynesian culture as the reasoning behind why Australians are more physically affectionate with one another.
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Overall, I just think it’s really sweet how a large majority of Australian men are comfortable enough in their own identity that they’re able to be physically affectionate with one another. It’s one of the good parts about Australian culture (it’s far from perfect) and it’s something that shouldn’t be shocking, you know? Hug who you want, as long as they’re comfortable with it.
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Australians, do you think this is an accurate representation of you and your mates? And for the non-Aussies reading this, is being physically affectionate common with men in your neck of the woods? Let us know in the comments.
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