The new word for the spring of 2009 is “bromance” (sometimes also known as a man crush). Okay, it’s not exactly a new word, but it just suddenly seems to be used everywhere.
The editor of the Big Brother skateboard magazine apparently coined the word in the 1990s to describe the cosy male relationships that develop between skaters (sk8rs) who spend a lot of quality time together.
It’s combo of the words “brother” and “romance”. (Combination words like this, incidentally are known as a portmanteau, in the world of linguistics). Bromance is defined as a close, but non-sexual relationship between two men – homosocial intimacy.
I just started hearing it a lot since the I Love You Man movie was released, though there have been plenty of Hollywood bromance movies before this. There’s also an MTV reality show called Bromance, starring Brody Jenner.
Movie and TV bromantic couples talk about their feelings, hug a lot, cry a bit, tell each other they love each other, are often more loyal and committed to each other than they are to the women in their lives.
Outside of Hollywood though, do bromances actually exist? For sure I’ve known women who have a bond like that, but I’m not sure I’ve ever known guys who were that close. I’ve known some heterosexual guys who seemed to have big crushes on other guys, but it never developed into a relationship.
It was facinating to watch though.
If you’re a guy, have you ever had a bromance or crushed on another guy in a platonic sort of way? And, women, how do you feel about men, specifically your man, being emotionally intimate with another man?
LET’S DO A POLL!
