Reflection on LOTR 20 years after the fact. I don't know how many of you experienced this, but I was 11 when the first movie came out, and I actually think those movies normalized platonic physical affection among my friends.

There was a lot of "no homo" happening in central Indiana, but hey, Aragorn's the coolest guy you've ever seen on TV, and he kisses his bros on the forehead. Why not snuggle your girlfriends while you're hanging out?

The movie is a tremendous outlier in that it shows honorable, badass adults who kids very much want to be like. These adults also all completely comfortable with strong emotions, tears, and physical affection.