Typically, “Netflix and Chill” means sex. But “Cuddle Party and Movie” means, well, cuddle party and movie. Literally. You can go to parties where you cuddle. There are people there to make sure everyone is being respectful and that all touching is consensual and non-sexual. It’s just… cuddling.
Cuddle parties are apparently a thing. Admittedly, this is not entirely news to me; I had read about a place called The Snuggery in Rochester, NY — where you can pay for cuddle time. (I actually grew up on Rochester, NY and the first thing I thought when I heard about The Snuggery is that would be useful in the winter.) But now there are organizations that train people to run cuddle parties.
Now, this is not sexual in any way. The Cuddle Party FAQ explicitly states that, saying, “Cuddle Party is specifically designed to leave the sexual kinds of touch off the menu, so that the more inclusive, non-sexual kinds of touch have a chance to be found and enjoyed.”
The no sex rule probably also keeps the parties from being busted for prostitution, since money changes hands. But I digress.
I can kind of see the point of wanting a place to go for the most simple type of human contact. In a world shrunken down to the size of a phone screen, we don’t always even connect with another person’s eyes. Going someplace to touch and be touched might reaffirm our humanity.
The way I see it, there’s zero harm to cuddle parties so long as everyone consents, so cuddle on!
