 | Stuff Lesbians Like Part 10: The hand tuck!By Grace Rosen |
A couple of months ago Chu and I hosted a house party. We all had a blast and took tons of pictures. The pictures unveiled a common phenomenon – in most of the pictures our lesbian friends had their hands tucked in their pockets!
Ever since the party I’ve purposely kept my eyes open while out and about to see if this discovery is a widespread trend … and true it is … lesbians feel the need to tuck our hands in pockets. Perhaps it’s to keep our digits safe or warm? Who knows! [Grace Chu: I have another theory, except it isn't appropriate for this G-rated post.]
I have learned there are several techniques to the hand tuck!
The picture to the left demonstrates the single hand tuck with the thumb left outside the pocket. Sometimes there just isn’t enough room for the thumb, because you’re wearing tight jeans. When you have baggier jeans on, bring on the full tuck (see right).
One last variation of this technique is the thumb only tuck. The thumb can be hooked in either pocket, belt loop, or even the belt itself. This version is useful if you need easy access to your hand, say to shake hands or to switch the beer between hands.
Once you’re finished drinking for the night you may find both hands are way too free. So you may want to try the following approaches:
or
I have to say I am a big culprit of the hand tuck. On the rare occasions when I wear pants without pockets I often find I have no idea what to do with my hands so I tend to to talk more with my hands or cross my arms looking way more disgruntled than I really am!
Jackie Warner goes for the thumb tuck! Which technique do you prefer?
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March 20th, 2008 at 10:06 pm
In San Francisco, do we always have hands in pockets ’cause it’s constantly freezing cold, or because of the strong lesbian influence? Hmmm…
March 21st, 2008 at 8:58 pm
LOL… yeah, I’m guilty of that- mostly at concerts or in crowded rooms, though. I seem aloof enough as it is, so folding my arms wouldn’t help!
April 2nd, 2008 at 4:43 pm
Thumb tuck.
And I’m pretty sure it’s colder in NYC than in SF. But then, what do I know? I didn’t think it was cold at all in SF. Except maybe around 11pm in July or August–some month when it’s warmer everywhere else in the northern hemisphere (except Alaska).
April 14th, 2008 at 4:31 pm
dah i stay with the hand in the pockets. i usually do the full tuck because i wear loose pants.
May 4th, 2008 at 1:50 am
Does tucking your hand in your girlfriend’s pocket count?
I came here from ‘AfterEllen.com’ for a giggle, and I find myself going down the list saying “Yes, yes, OMG, yes, yes, hmmmm, yes…” –
Then I started thinking: Are these things we do naturally, or are we picking these habits up from others, and ‘Mirroring’ them?
Common mating signals – eye contact, you smile, she smiles; she brushes the hair off her face, you do too; take a sip of beer, so does she…followed by moving closer, touching her shoulder, hand, whatever – ‘First Contact’ – Smile? Yes! ….etc. Just a though at 1:49am, FWIW!
May 8th, 2008 at 5:56 pm
just alice: i totally agree with you! i keep nodding and laughing cause everything is completely true! ahh! i guess this counts for bisexuals too… me? i like the thumb tuck or the tuck without the thumb.
May 24th, 2008 at 1:43 pm
^^ haha so true! as i was reading i was thinking “haha this is so me. when i dont have pockets i dont know what to do with my arms and usually end up folding them like a creep”. and then the next line was ” On the rare occasions when I wear pants without pockets I often find I have no idea what to do with my hands so I tend to to talk more with my hands or cross my arms”
November 15th, 2008 at 5:42 pm
I do this ALL THE TIME. I alternate between the one-hand or two-pocket tuck with the thumb out and the two handed back pocket tuck.
In response to Just_Alice, I don’t think we’re mirroring other people–or at least I’m not. I know about three lesbians and I met them after I started hand-tucking, throwing house parties, and wanting to go to grad school.
September 27th, 2009 at 7:08 am
I’ve had some version of the hand/thumb tuck since I was very young, but I hate catching myself doing it because it reminds me of my brother [who also does it] and cowboys, and because I do it when I feel awkward and tell myself to ‘be myself’ – which later makes me feel even more awkward because if anyone reads body language then I had just shouted out my discomfort!
*sigh* I also use the back-pocket tuck when talking to a crush or feeling particularly attractive [aside from really being the most comfortable hand-tuck in existence ^_^ ].
January 9th, 2010 at 2:05 am
I’ve done the hand tuck from the time that my parents first put jeans on me. My niece does it too. Guess I better let my sister know. nahh
June 16th, 2010 at 1:11 am
This is hilarious because I found myself this morning trying to tuck in my athletic shorts–no pockets. But I couldn’t stand there and not tuck, so I just stuck my thumb in my waistband. Whew.
August 26th, 2010 at 7:38 pm
LOL!! I guess I am still a babydike, but reading this website, I constantly think: I do that too! ESPECIALLY the hand tuck, even when I am walking. I hate when I cannot tuck my hands in any pockets…
So I guess it’s not a case of mirror-behaviour…
November 8th, 2010 at 2:38 pm
I just about always have my hands in my pockets.
I live in FL so its not even cold. lol
Even sitting down I find a way.
If I have on a jacket I end up with my hands in there.
I cant say I mirrored this behavior since I dont have any older lesbian friends. Small southern town, not much openness. Altho I may have picked it up from my guy friends.
November 24th, 2010 at 10:22 am
[...] Stuff Lesbians Like: The Hand Tuck – The lesbian stance. [...]
December 9th, 2010 at 2:33 am
This is all very amusing. I’m addicted to the hand tuck and even do it when I am walking. For me, when I’m just standing around, one hand in a pocket is casual, two hands means I’m listening and you have my attention.
December 10th, 2010 at 5:31 pm
I just found this post today, but this quote seems to work sooo perfectly.
This is from one of my favourite plays, called “Age of Arousal” by Linda Griffiths. The character who says the line is a woman who has recently discovered (in the midst of Victorian-era England) that she prefers to dress as a man, and feels more comfortable that way. The quote, which is probably one of my all-time favourites, goes like this:
“Oh, the wonder of pockets! My hands, being confined, felt free!”
I think that says it all, don’t you?
December 26th, 2010 at 7:29 pm
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January 2nd, 2011 at 6:44 am
I did the hand tuck when I was in high school and there were rumors I was a lesbian. (I didn’t know until later that I was!) kept my hands in my pockets so that those afraid I would try to touch them could see that I couldn’t. Now I sometimes do the hand tuck in work situations where I can see someone is uncomfortable once they “know” and I don’t want to be accused of anything. I’m out and I’m proud, but I also live in PA, a state where there isn’t a law to protect you from getting fired for being homosexual. sigh….
March 5th, 2011 at 9:43 pm
Kristen Stewart does The Hand Tuck
http://justkstew.tumblr.com/post/1132548451
March 16th, 2011 at 2:16 am
to respond to the question of do lesbians do this, or is it just seeing this is what lesbians do so they mirror it:
i think, that when you are a babydyke, like me, it is all like woah. omg i didnt know that was gay. omg, so many gay tendencies. i think all of the things i do (hands in pockets, chapstick, purse as little as possible, over the shoulder/messanger bag, gay porn, overly competative about things that dont matter, american eagle, do it yourself stuff, aviators….) the point is that i did all of these things before knowing they were gay
things i do now because i know theyre gay are like wear plaid, and wear a rainbow bracelet, and minor clothing changes. it would be something like cutting my hair or watching the l word or listening to tegan and sara, and things of that sort..
i think that over time you get confused what is you and what you became, but in the end as long as youre happy it doesnt matter
April 4th, 2011 at 3:33 pm
Busted. Guilty as charged.
I think I was doing the thumb tuck in the delivery ward.
June 16th, 2011 at 10:36 pm
@name will NOT be required
Alaskas’s actually pretty warm in July and August. Even then, I’m still guilty of doing the hand tuck :p
October 30th, 2011 at 4:01 pm
SO true. I did read once that this is actually a flirting thing straight guys will do to show they’re available – subconciously, obviously – so I don’t know if that’s something there…
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