A kiss on the l--cheecks!

[Kuya]

This may seem kinda stupid, but how do you people in America greet females? Here we greet them with a kiss on the cheecks, even if you are strangers. I have seen TV and obviusly its not a perfect view of what Americans are like, but ive never seen males kiss a female, save family members.

i got no idea why this game up

Edit: By the way tell me if you personaly greet girls this way, why you think its the right thing to do, or why you think its inapropiate.

[Ryko]

lmfao I rarely even shake their hand, a wave if theyre lucky, a nod usually.

[SephYuyX]

Americans usually do not great at all, depending.

If its a person you see every day, you may wave, if that. If its your father or mother, maybe a hug or kiss. If its a friend, maybe a hand slap or something like that. If its a business meeting, a handshake, if that. If its someone you ahvent seen in awhile, possibly a hug.

Generally I think people do more goodbye gestures than hello ones.

But males kissing females? No, rarely, even if theyre friends, a hug at most, and even thats kinda rare, just depends on how much you see the person.

My grandparents adopted a cuban child long ago, hes now 50, married with kids, theyre full cuban, but live in florida. The 2 girls are a few years older than me (and fucking hot, id go incest on them for sure), and when they come visit they always do the two cheek kiss thing. Its really odd, im not quite used to it, but as long as it involves a hotty, its okiedokey.

Guess it just depends on how your raised, dunno.

[Kuya]

Americans usually do not great at all, depending.

If its a person you see every day, you may wave, if that. If its your father or mother, maybe a hug or kiss. If its a friend, maybe a hand slap or something like that. If its a business meeting, a handshake, if that. If its someone you ahvent seen in awhile, possibly a hug.

Generally I think people do more goodbye gestures than hello ones.

But males kissing females? No, rarely, even if theyre friends, a hug at most, and even thats kinda rare, just depends on how much you see the person.

My grandparents adopted a cuban child long ago, hes now 50, married with kids, theyre full cuban, but live in florida. The 2 girls are a few years older than me (and fucking hot, id go incest on them for sure), and when they come visit they always do the two cheek kiss thing. Its really odd, im not quite used to it, but as long as it involves a hotty, its okiedokey.

Guess it just depends on how your raised, dunno.

I think it may be a latin thing, thou im dont know if the Mexicans, Spanards(sp?), and South Americans do it to.

LOL at the fact that if i did this in America id be considered a perv.

[Ryko]

Not so much a perv but I guess a tad different, if that. People vary, the people at my church are mostly all puerto rican and that stuff happens all the time and in social gatherings I see it a lot, but I guess I'm just the stand offish type.

[miokomioko]

Ironically, people in more metropolitan areas of the US (SF, NY, LA, etc) seem to be a bit more xenophobic and thus, a more stand-off-ish when greeting others. The denser the population, the more defensive people become about their 'personal space.'

No way in hell in any average American culture would you give a kiss on the cheek to any female as a greeting if you did not know them. Well, I should say... no way in hell any average American woman will be ok with strangers kissing their cheek when they greet. (of course this type of greeting seems to be common with the elderly and families, or when elderly meet friends of the family. Then again, the elderly are pretty often came from another country)

I shake hands, personally. I think a double-handed handshake is a good way to greet a woman. (you know, handshake, then with the left hand, eveloping the back of their hand a bit. imagine someone shaking the hand of someone famous and they are excited... with two hands)

[Kuya]

Do you guys find it personaly disgusting, or do females find it personaly disgusting? Or does it just seem wrong? Its most certainly a cultural diference, but id like to probe this a little bit more if you let me.

[Anyway]

I kiss any girl I know on the cheek.

A girl that I'm just meeting, probably just a "How you doin"

[SephYuyX]

Edit: By the way tell me if you personaly greet girls this way, why you think its the right thing to do, or why you think its inapropiate.

Oh, didnt see this, but for me, hmm. My actual friends that ive know for like.. 7+ years now, we hug. But lets say, my friends girlfriends and buddys I have at school, I just say hey. My mom I hug now and then, and hug my grandparents when ever I see them, or whenever I see an aunt. I dont hug my sisters though, yet, were still all at the, omg were family get away from me! they so immature D:

Random girls though? just a small smile.

[Ryko]

It just doesn't happen often. With all the negative connotations a male that's too touchy-feely gets you'd have to lay the accent on thick for a woman to be more "huh, guess that's just the way they are" rather than "oh god he's trying to fondle me" >_>

I assume the worst though and assume people assume the worst of me in return so it's probably not as bad as I'm making it out to be.

[miokomioko]

Do you guys find it personaly disgusting, or do females find it personaly disgusting? Or does it just seem wrong? Its most certainly a cultural diference, but id like to probe this a little bit more if you let me.

I'm going to go ahead and say that the average American female is going to find it extremely awkward to be kissed on the cheek by a stranger when they meet. I doubt any guy is going to find it disturbing unless said woman is a beast.

[Axil]

I dont know, they dont talk to me

[SephYuyX]

Do you guys find it personaly disgusting, or do females find it personaly disgusting? Or does it just seem wrong? Its most certainly a cultural diference, but id like to probe this a little bit more if you let me.

Im sure the females see it as odd, as their thinking, wtf are they going for the lips or the cheeck or what? And its wierd for guys cuse, well, I dunno theyre probably thinking the same, they dont know what the girl is thinking. And if the girl has a boyfriend, im sure the guy wouldnt be very happy.

[Kuya]

Do you guys find it personaly disgusting, or do females find it personaly disgusting? Or does it just seem wrong? Its most certainly a cultural diference, but id like to probe this a little bit more if you let me.

Im sure the females see it as odd, as their thinking, wtf are they going for the lips or the cheeck or what? And its wierd for guys cuse, well, I dunno theyre probably thinking the same, they dont know what the girl is thinking. And if the girl has a boyfriend, im sure the guy wouldnt be very happy.

Its kind of funny, the cheecks and the lips here have two totaly diferent meanings, one is courtesy and the other is sexual. Most guys here dont mind strangers kissing their girlfriends on the face. Of course there are exceptions, for example kakos(latino versions of wiggers) would shoot you just by looking at their bitch in a club, but these guys are extreme cases (imagine what they would do to you if you kissed them on the cheeck). But these people are considered insane, and very insecure assholes.

[miokomioko]

My practices~

Meeting a female I've coresponded with: handshake

Meeting a friend's female friend: handshake

Meeting a female friend: hug or high-five

Meeting a female family member: hug

Meeting a friend's female family member: handshake


For most people I know, that's how it goes. I've got some serious social anxiety problems, but in my attempts to overcome those, I go for the handshake when it's physically possible. Kissing on the cheek just isn't a US thing. I can confidently say that's not how we do it here. The hug is there, just to touching of the mouth to the cheek, or cheek to cheek for that matter.

[archibaldcrane]

When I went to grad school in Miami, I learned the two kisses on the cheek thing very quickly. It's extremely common there, even for someone you just meet.

Everywhere else I've lived, Madison and Milwaukee, WI, and Los Angeles, CA, it's extremely rare. I'm a fan though, it breaks down some of the awkwardness of meeting someone for the first time. Not sure why exactly, but it works for me.

[SephYuyX]

Can we make it so society is comfortable with greeting girls with ass slaps and boob grabs.

[Lasitha]

Ironically, people in more metropolitan areas of the US (SF, NY, LA, etc) seem to be a bit more xenophobic and thus, a more stand-off-ish when greeting others. The denser the population, the more defensive people become about their 'personal space.'

I don't think density plays a role in it. Mexico City is about... what? 23ish million people now? And we say hi with a kiss. Guys with guys don't say hi with kiss, but every other combination works. Guys that are friends usually say hi with a hand shake and a brief hug with a strong "slap" on the back. I don't know about Europe in general, but I think the french do say hi with a kiss, at least the girls. And Greece and Italy say hi with a kiss. Spanish, all I've met say hi with a kiss too. But that may just have been coincidence.

You can't confuse going for the lips with going for the cheek, but I guess the fact that it's already embedded in our way of saying hello that we know if a guy is approaching us when saying hi, it's obviously for a kiss on the cheek. Guys don't get jealous nor girls because it's the normal way of saying hello.


(By the way, kiss is only informal. You don't kiss someone for an interview or you don't kiss the doctor for example.)

Oh and between family, guy guy kissing on the cheek is perfectly normal though not usually done a lot in public. My father says hi to all of us with a kiss, even to my brothers.

[Kuya]

Ignoring cultural facts, is it a bad idea to greet women with a kiss on the cheecks, does it lead to degradation of women, or does it help foster familiarity and unity among members of that society. In other words is it a good idea to greet with a kiss?, and this is without even considering guys kissing guys on the cheeck to greet(i hear some cultures do this).

[Ryko]

I dont think it could be considered degrading by any stretch of the imagination.