Free hugs for UT students bring smiles on the Drag

The Free Hugs Campaign, a social movement that promotes giving free hugs to strangers in public places, made its way to Austin’s Paul Mitchell Beauty School on Wednesday.

Students of the National Cosmetology Academy promoted the school by standing outside the University Co-op offering hugs to passersby.

The campaign began with Australian Juan Mann, who decided to reach out to strangers by offering hugs to them. Mann gave out the first hugs in the Pitt Street Mall in Central Sydney on June 30, 2004, according to the Free Hugs Web site.

In the months prior to Mann’s campaign, he said he suffered from feelings of depression and loneliness until he got a hug from a stranger, according to the Web site.

“I went out to a party one night and a completely random person came up to me and gave me a hug,” Mann told Australia’s Who magazine last year. “I felt like a king! It was greatest thing that ever happened.”

About 45 students from the Paul Mitchell school offered up free hugs on the Drag for students, professors and other passersby.

“I think the whole world needs free hugs, and I am here to receive my share,” said John Paul DeJoria, chairman and CEO for the school.

The campaign aims to counter the lack of communication between people. The idea is to reach out to people and to let them know that there are people who understand them and that they are not alone.

“We are out here to make some [people] feel good, [and] by giving hugs it may brighten up someone’s day,” said beauty school student Amour Davidson.

Davidson said communication with people is at a disconnect and there is a lack of social connection and human contact in the world.

School owner Laura Valdez said the promotion was a good way to reach out to the community,

“We are out here to let the community know that they are not alone,” Valdez said.

Comments

Be the first to comment on this article!

Add comment


I am not posting spam. I understand posting spam or other comments that are unrelated to this article will cause my comment to be flagged for deletion and possibly cause my IP address to be permanently banned from this server.

Enter the characters in the image above: