This pose was made popular by the 1997 epic romance and disaster film, Titanic. The film depicts the longing of freedom and the love between first class Rose and third class Jack. Even though there was a major difference in social class, they managed to find their own freedom and fall in love.
Many people can sense that same feeling when doing that pose, and it is universally known. You could find numerous photos of people embracing that pose everywhere, from boats to chairs :)