Waving Goodbye to Latino’s Kiss-and-Hug Culture

With the uptick in social distancing guidelines and public health measures, Hispanics are experiencing a drastic shift in their ingrained customs, particularly in the traditional “kiss-and-hug” culture. Though greeting each other from afar may seem like a feasible alternative, Latinos across the country—from Miami to New York City to Los Angeles—know that the abrazo and beso rituals are so natural they are done without thinking. Some wonder whether these cultural shifts are permanent and will affect the social fabric of generations to come. How are Latinos adapting? Is their fundamental language of connection lost for good? I traveled from coast to coast, interviewing a Univision reporter, two New York University Professors, and a University of Southern California student along the way, to answer these questions.