‘Miranda Sings’: Colleen Ballinger Gets Flak for Stopping Hugs During Tour: Here’s Why It’s Okay

YouTube star Colleen Ballinger uploaded a video on her vlogging channel recently addressing her upset fans. Based on her vlog, there have been supporters of the Miranda Sings creator who are upset that Colleen has decided to stop hugging fans during meet-and-greets.

Ballinger first mentions the prohibition on hugs in her vlog titled Stressed. In the July 9 video upload, the YouTuber shares how overwhelmed she felt during a recent meet-and-greet session. She expresses her state of mind as she deals with her pregnancy, the beginning of her tour, and the release of her book.

Early on in the vlog, she talks about her doctor’s recommendation to avoid hugging anyone who might be sick. Ballinger immediately recognizes that avoiding hugs could be difficult because she is set to attend meet-and-greets during the promotion of her book and tours.

Despite her doctor’s prescriptions against hugs, however, Colleen is seen hugging her fans during her first meet-and-greet, as seen on her vlog on July 12 titled My First Talk Show As A Pregnant Woman! The day after her first meet-and-greet, the YouTuber posted a vlog from her bed, sharing with her fans how sick she feels. She expresses that she hasn’t felt this sick during pregnancy before. The YouTube star eventually concludes that her doctor may have been right and decides to follow the “No Hug” policy.

Based on Colleen’s July 14 vlog, some fans were upset with the star’s new “No Hug” policy. With her To The Fans Who Are Upset With Me vlog, the YouTuber further explains why she has decided to follow her doctor’s advice. One of the reasons is closely tied to her family. During the vlog, Colleen shares intimate information about one of her brothers. The YouTuber linked her brother’s hearing impairment to her mother’s illness during pregnancy.

ITS A BOY! ?????? pic.twitter.com/p4IltYwd1i

— Colleen Ballinger? (@ColleenB123) July 14, 2018

There have been scientific studies which prove that pregnancy does effect a woman’s immune system. In fact, immune suppression seems to be an integral part of a safe pregnancy, based on a study published in Nature.

According to The Unique Immunological and Microbial Aspects of Pregnancy, suppressed immunity allows a woman’s body to welcome the baby’s body. Otherwise, the new tissue and/or cells of the baby could be rejected by the mother’s body. Given this study’s findings, Ballinger’s doctor was correct in stating that a woman’s immune system is indeed weaker during pregnancy.

There are also some studies that may shed a bit more light on the no hug policy during meet and greets, reported Medical News Today. Some studies have found tat microbial species were found in babies that could have been transferred prior to birth, meaning within the womb. Scientists have yet to learn if any of these microbial species transferred en-womb could affect fatal development.