Keanu Reeves fans have spotted something in photos of the “John Wick” star who is already known for his humility and generosity: what appears to be very old-fashioned gentlemanly respect towards woman.
In photos taken with female fans, Reeves—who became a heartthrob decades ago with films such as “Point Break,” “The Matrix,” and “Bill and Ted’s Excellent Adventure”—can be seen avoiding placing his hands on their waists.
Instead of allowing his fingers and hands to wrap around their waist, he opts for an open-handed posture, keeping the friendly and warm overall pose, but avoiding contact.
A collection of images posted by Kemoy Lindsay on Twitter picked up over 380,000 views in three days.
“Keanu Reeves marches to his own music,” wrote one fan. “Unique.”
Another wrote,“1 of 1,234,765 reasons why I love Keanu Reeves.”
For some commentators, however, Reeves isn’t being gentlemanly, but playing it safe amidst the confusion over the social rules on consent following the “Me Too” movement.
In short, he’s trying to avoid a lawsuit.
But other fans think Reeves is just being himself.
The open-handed gesture isn’t a new thing. It has a name: “hover hands.”
This term has a derogatory connotation, suggesting the person is a nerdy individual with limited experience of the opposite sex who is not confident to touch women in social situations.
However, some people point out that in South Korea, the same gesture is called “manner hands,” and has a more traditional association of respectful and appropriate conduct between members of the opposite sex.
In traditional Korean culture, physical contact between sexes is traditionally limited to close relatives.
As with Reeves, a close look at photos of Korean celebrities with fans and public figures often reveals that despite the warm looking embrace, a “manner hand” gesture ensures propriety is unquestionable.
