think that you should shake a person's hand the same regardless of whether they are a man or a woman...

[Iamblossom]

....and not save a special, limp, weak handshake for when you are shaking hands with a woman?

I have to shake hands a reasonable amount when I meet new people through work, at meetings etc - I still feel (perhaps old fashioned?) that a proper, firm handshake gives a good impression. I teach both my sons to shake hands properly.

Yet so often I get these really pathetic waste of space handshakes from other women, and I am pretty sure some men give me the "female" version of what would be their normal shake.

AIBU?

Urgh yes, the dead wet fish handshake =- why bother?

It actually feels creepy when they lay their dead clammy hand in yours. EEEK!

Can't stand handshakes full stop

YANBU. This drives me mad!

I had someone (a man) give me a really limp hand-shake this morning. Horrible! I'm always told I have a vice-like handshake

If I'm honest, I really really hate shaking hands. I work in agriculture and don't always have time to find a running water supply before I meet someone so often (in the playground standing in my stinky mucky farm boots beside a mangles rusty farm truck) someone will go this is x - y's mum and the person will stick out their hand.

I then look at mine with muck and manure and sometimes the odd bit blood or products of delivery shall we say (at lambing and calving time) and not know what to do - do I shake hands and just let them get on with their day or do I say what I normally do and say oh I just came from the field so as to give them the chance to recoil in horror. can we have a different greeting other than a handshake?

I remember shaking hands with my DSs teacher he said at last a descent handshake!

I always give firm handshakes, with a little squeeze to be friendly. :) It just starts things off on the right foot.

I hate limp handshakes and I hate sweaty hands. I hate the two handed hand shake as well, but it also depends on the context.

I also hate handshakes and wish they would be dropped as a greeting.

Stand in any public toilet and you can't tell who washes their hands afterwards, keep your piss etc (shudder) drops to yourself, ta very much.

Xcountry Babywipes in rusty farm truck? Saying you came directly from the field would be enough to waylay them though. It shows willingness to shake, which is just as good.

Xcountry - you could try the French way. I'm living in rural France at the moment and shaking hands is compulsory.
If one of the people has 'farmer's hands' they offer their forearm which is clutched by the person with clean hands.
If both people have dirty hands they touch forearms.
It works well and seems friendly.

I'm afraid that most female handshakes in my experience are a bit too dainty. No need for bone crushing from either gender, but this is a place for a little assertion.

tricky thing to practice, though!

it does appear to be a dying custom. But PLEASE don't replace it with kissing!

I'm afraid I almost certainly have a limp handshake, but that's because I really, really don't want to hold hands with you!

Stupid custom.

I think they way a hand is offered as much as the firmness of the grip. If it's presented with a limp wrist & hesitation I feel very uneasy.
hoiks judgy pants

I save my specially firm handshakes for those who are trying to patronise me.

A limp handshake is very annoying and (sorry, SquigglySquid ), a squeeze is creepy!

The prize for worst handshake ever though goes to one of the vicars at my church- a tow-handed shake, but then instead of just letting go, he used it to sort of pass me along, as if I was holding up a vast queue of people all desperate to shake his hand...

I offer my hand palm down so that the other person has to turn their palm up.

It is a habit I got into when I was a twat who read wanky books about dominance and assertiveness and I have never managed to train myself out of it

Hecate that's a bit 50 shades....

Ah, the Palm Down shake! That's when the two-hander comes in handy useful. The other hand comes in from the top to turn the whole threesome over, rendering the deliberate dominator into the handshake submissive.

Then we all go to pee on lamp posts and read 50 Shades of Grey together

I agree about the gender divide. I work in senior management and shake a lot of male hands (amongst a few other things!) and feel I get a substandard, weak version from some men. When I get a full on hard shake I feel it's almost always comment-worthy

In fact on reflection a man's attractiveness is directly proportionate to how hard his handshake is. The two hander is positively begging for sex...

I once went on an assertiveness course that included a shaking hands session. It was really good, and I have felt confident in my handshake ever since.

From 1:05 if you don't want to watch the whole clip (why you wouldn't though, I don't know! :) )

Ringleader that is hilarious

The way I shake hands depends on whom I'm meeting. Sometimes, I offer my hand with the back of the hand upwards and sometimes straight out with little finger at the bottom. We were taught at school how to tell people who / what you were

I get fingershakes off men, like they're scared their big manly hands will crush my weak girly ones

would rather have a limp handshake than a kiss on cheek from anyone except my dog just say hello FFS

I've always thought a handshake says a lot about a person and when it comes to limp handshakes, I've yet to be proved wrong.

I've also never considered that those males with limp handshakes have saved those for the females, I've just assumed it's how they shake hands with everyone!