In polite formal Western society, it is incumbent upon a woman to lift her hand making it available for shaking when meeting someone. It has been considered rude for a man to grab a woman’s hand when meeting her without her first offering it for a handshake. This little bit of etiquette is pretty much now ignored in Western business and society, however, it still exists.
Still, touching a hand with a quick public handshake is in no way considered intimate, and is merely polite.
In (very)casual groups—say at a party with friends—it’s not unusual in for a woman to hug a man when greeting—although this is a new practice, coming out of the ‘60s—still, while very casual, no sexual intimacy is understood by it.
What country would you be from where in public a woman meeting someone new with a formal handshake is considered impolite or vulgar?
I’m coming from the Middle East in general, I suppose. Israel/Lebanon.
Among our relatives & friends of the same gender, we greet each other with two kisses & any kind of hugs or affection you want. Men give two kisses to other men as well. I’ve not tried to kiss any non-Middle Easterner’s cheek while in America ‘cause I have it understood that Westerners don’t do this. Almost everyone I hang around with in America is Arab/Armenian/Mizrahi/Turkish/Berber anyway, so we use greeting kisses at will.