Basic Trope: A male character doesn't like hugs or other forms of affection.
- Straight: Bob pulls away when hugged.
- Exaggerated: Bob will go into complete catatonia when hugged.
- Downplayed: Bob stiffens noticeably when hugged.
- Justified: Bob's culture doesn't encourage men to give or receive affection.
- Inverted:
- Bob is a tough, heroic man, and is very tender and emotional.
- Bob's discomfort with physical affection belies his cowardice and emotional weakness.
- Gender-Inverted: Alice doesn't like displays of affection.
- Subverted:
- Bob pulls away when he's hugged ... but he quickly tells the other person that he was exposed to a plague on the last quest and he doesn't want them to catch it.
- Bob pulls away when he's hugged... by a stranger. He's okay with being hugged by his family members.
- Double Subverted: But Bob more tolerates than enjoys hugs normally anyway.
- Parodied: Bob has a literal allergic reaction to the slightest form of affection.
- Zig-Zagged: Bob is more comfortable with some forms of affection and/or that conveyed between himself and certain people and/or at some times than others.
- Averted: Gender has no impact on feelings about affection.
- Enforced: "Boys want manly heroes, not huggers!"
- Lampshaded:Alice: Do all guys have an aversion to affection, or is it just you?
- Invoked: Bob's father spent his childhood shaming him for any display of affection or tenderness.
- Exploited: Alice manages to put Bob out of commission by unexpectedly higging him.
- Defied:Bob: I don't care what the stereotype is. I'm a guy and I'm a hugger.
- Discussed: ???
- Conversed: ???
- Deconstructed: Bob ends up lonely and sad because he hates affection.
- Played for Laughs: Bob goes to comical lengths to avoid situations where he'll be expected to show affection.
- Implied: Bob, the guy who exhibits the most symptoms of Testosterone Poisoning, is also the most frequently absent from family events.
Well, um, great talk. How about we go back to Real Men Hate Affection now?
