Should Men Kiss Women In Greeting On A First Date?
Relationships
Should you greet your date with a kiss, or it too familiar? How about a hug? A wave? Niloufar Shafi investigates.
Kiss on the cheek, hug or handshake? Which one do you utilize when you first greet a woman on a date? I’m American, and there we go straight for the hug. In England, the first date greeting kiss is more complicated. I’ve come across all three greetings, but the kiss on the cheek seems to be most popular. However, can it be too forward? I put it to the crowd…
We asked: Should men kiss women in greeting on a first date?
“I would not. Because it’s the first date and I don’t just want to make her feel uncomfortable. I don’t know if it breaks her personal barrier. I would just greet her with a handshake”. Sandro, 26
“Yes, of course, and a hug! It’s not a guy to a girl or a girl to a guy thing. It works both ways. If you’re interested in the person you have to show it somehow and this is the first way”. Diana, 27
“Yeah, it shows that you’re warm. A lot of us Brits are cold here, aren’t we? So it’s a nice thing to do. But it’s not an actual kiss on the cheek. It’s more [mimes pursed lips and cheek touching cheek]. So yeah, maybe not kiss them on the cheek. It’s more like cheek on cheek”. Nick, 31
“For me, kissing on the cheek means friendship so if it’s a date it’s kind of distant. Kissing on the cheeks is for relatives or friends”. Betty, 39
“This is really strange for me. I prefer a handshake when I first meet because I am a formal person. If someone has introduced me to someone I’m more open to them, but I still like formality with a stranger. I find hugs and air kisses and one cheek kisses very awkward and a bit intrusive”. Hardeep, 28
“I go for two. It’s European. Until Brexit happens we do two kisses. But come March 2019 I’ll roll back to one”. Sam, 34
Read all 11 new rules for dating…
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