Hugs For Free Brandy Yuen
You might have heard of the Free Hugs Campaign held in Lan Kwai Fong in June – but long before that a lovelorn Brandy Yuen was already giving out free hugs to mend his broken heart.
HK: How did you get the idea of giving out hugs?
Brandy Yuen: I heard about Juan Mann’s [founder of the original free hugs campaign] free hugs movement. I was on bad terms with my girlfriend and I was really fragile, so the idea got my attention, but I didn’t dare do it because I thought people would think I was a pervert. Finally in May, I decided that I needed a change, so I just did it!
HK: Do you remember your first day?
BY: Of course. We started our campaign in Causeway Bay, just outside Sogo. We decided to do take action on the MTR, partly because people couldn’t run away from us. We went from carriage to carriage, with our arms open and a cardboard sign with “free hugs” written on it.
HK: Any luck?
BY: Yes! I remember the first free hug recipient was a man holding a Bible. Like Jesus to a child, he held me lightly and granted me the courage to keep going, despite the fact that soliciting in the MTR is illegal. We didn’t hear about that by-law until much later...
HK: So what did you learn during the campaign?
BY: That the joy of hugs is infectious. Whenever I hugged a person, people around us got excited too. But some girls felt like they were sacrificing something by giving out hugs. I heard a women saying, “It would only be fair if he paid ME for the hug!” The fact is, hugs cost nothing and no one person’s hug is more expensive than any other’s. We should start wondering why people are so parsimonious about giving hugs.
HK: Did you attract a lot of girls?
BY: Girls tended to ask for their boyfriends’ approval before hugging, and there was a Korean guy who pulled his girlfriend away from me. Female hug campaigners usually get more hugs, because girls feel more secure hugging a girl. And of course, guys prefer hugging girls.
HK: Are you afraid of free hugs turning into free sex?
BY: We were very careful to follow the code of conduct: you never give out or ask for numbers. You never just grab a person and hug – you wait until they come to you. Also, we tend to keep watch for the female volunteers – especially the pretty ones. A small leak can sink the ship, so we are very careful about our image.