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A new and strange trend is spreading rapidly in the big cities of China. This is called ‘man mum’ trend. In this trend, young boys, who do good workouts in the gym and have a strong body, console the girls by hugging them. This hug is not for love or romance, but only for emotional relief. That means it is a kind of friendly therapy. Girls are troubled by the heavy stress of studies or job. To find some peace, she books a 5-minute hug with these boys. For this they give 20 to 50 yuan (about 250 to 600 Indian rupees). It all started on Chinese social media. Now it has become a big small business. People book it on chat apps and get the service by paying money. But now the question arises that how did it start?

A college girl felt a lot of stress regarding her thesis (research work). She posted on social media that she hugged a friend and immediately felt better. More than one lakh comments came on this post. People started liking it. At first, free hugging started among friends. But within a few weeks it became a paid service. Now people do it regularly.

Who is this ‘man mum’?

‘Man Mum’ used to refer to the strong boys who went to the gym earlier. Now it is called those boys who are broad shouldered, calm natured, kind and patient. They are strong, but soft in conversation and respectful. While choosing a service, girls look at their body, face, warmth of conversation and good behavior. Sometimes tall or sports girls also do this.

Where do people meet?

Girls prefer to meet in public places, like parks, metro stations or shopping malls, for safety. A girl told that she was tired after working 3 hours of overtime at her job. She hugged me with ‘man mum’. The boy touched her shoulder, listened to her problems and made her feel very light.

What do the service providers say?

Many boys say that they don’t do it just for the money. They feel good that they are reducing someone’s mental problems. This gives them a purpose in life. A boy’s name is Zhou. He served 34 times and earned 1,758 yuan (about Rs 21,000) in a short time. Another boy said that this work gives him confidence. He realizes that he can be useful to someone in difficult times. Many boys stand on the roadside. He has a placard in his hand, in which it is written – 5 minutes hug, only 50 yuan. They do it as part-time work along with studies or job.

Why loneliness among China’s youth?

Young people in China are very connected online, but feel lonely in real life. Inflation is increasing, job is not permanent, burden of studies is heavy. All these together have worsened mental health. Many girls also give coffee, snacks or small gifts as a thank you after the hug.

criticism is also being received

Not everyone likes this trend. Some people say that it is wrong to call body touch a ‘treatment’. This may blur the boundaries. A lawyer warned that bad people could take advantage of this. They may make this excuse to hide inappropriate behavior. Every day hundreds of posts about this come on social media. ‘Man Mum’ has now become a big symbol of the loneliness and emotional emptiness of the youth in Chinese cities. This shows how much stress and loneliness people are facing in modern life.