So, I have a very dumb question.
I have a friend who used to partake a lot in the muscle furs fandom, but because of a lot of things, they don’t really interact much. They just told me how one of the things that made them stop interacting was people finding it weird that he liked to be hugged by a big muscular dude.
I know some people might have personal space issues, but, is that a weird thing? Cause I read that and think “what kind of people were you talking to that they hate hugging others?”
i like hugs. hugs from big muscley men are good too!
If i could get over my hypochondria and social anxiety, i’d get myself in the TIGHTEST hug with a big muscular hunk!
From my experience, it’s just the insecurity talking
He felt weird being hugged by muscular dudes? Sounds like he hasn’t adjusted or processed the feeling if he did like it, but felt weird is really it, in my opinion!
I love being hugged by muscular guys, of course. It’s a dream, last person who ever hugged me was one, actually!
I think the key thing here, if I’m reading this correctly, is that your friend said that OTHER people thought it was weird that he enjoyed it.
It seems to me that the healthier and more self-affirming reaction to learning that would have been to, at best, ignore those friends altogether and, if he wanted to introspect on the matter, question what led to those friends (assuming they’re outside the fandom) learning this about him, yeah.
It looks like his “FRIENDS” told him THEY thought it was weird
I don’t think it’s weird at all! Just as long as both parties want to hug.
No, it’s other guys that felt weird that HE wanted to be hugged by THEM.
Wait, the friends who thought it was weird are also the ones he wanted to hug?
I feel like that’s just a general red flag on the interaction, not any particular party. If they just didn’t want to be hugged for personal space reasons, that’s one thing. Telling him it’s weird is taking it one step further than it should have gone. The only possible constructive critique I could give is a play on the last part of my original answer which is “okay they said it’s weird but what was the context in which they became aware of this”
Like, vibes and moods misread or ignored can immediately take something we’d all thing was perfectly healthy and normal and make it creepy and off-putting as all hell. Not trying to “both-sides” it but just hearing that he said his friends said it was weird feels…like an incomplete picture.
Ah okay, I misunderstood XD 
Well, might be a them issue I guess
I think we need more info to be honest
Sorry, let me try again.
My friend loves getting hugged by muscular folks, but other muscular folks found it weird, and called him weird.
So if the people who told him it’s weird are not ppl he was trying to hug, it’s likely those people are the assholes. The only way i can imagine your friend being at fault is, again, if he was “weird” about it. If that makes sense? Like it’s something i’m VERY familiar with as someone who was an undiagnosed autistic until the end of high school and never got truly good therapy or counseling even after that. Sometimes you can be innocently in earnest and just…miss a 40 foot billboard telling you to back off. That being said, hot guys who are used to being hot irl can deffo be jerks.
When you’re hugged by a man in his big arms, and his divine pecs, you’ll feel safe like you’re in heaven.