Pda, A Scene?

Public displays of affection – just how much is too much?

- Hannah Choo

THE WAR WAS JUST OVER. A young nurse, swooped up by a sailor by surprise, shared what looked like a passionate kiss. According to her, “it wasn’t that much of a kiss”. But it had been caught on camera, on V-J Day, 14 August 1945, by Alfred Eisenstaedt, and what was meant to capture the jubilance people felt at war’s end, went on to draw fame through the 20th century. It didn’t become iconic for nothing. Rumours swirled. Many saw it as nothing worth celebrating, while many others felt it was a depiction of sexual assault.

Al Gore and his ex-wife, Tipper, weren’t particularly known for their romantic restraint. Before their separation, their 40 years of marriage were peppered with plenty of hugs and kisses. When he drew Tipper in for a kiss after accepting his party’s nomination for president in 2000, it backfired. What should have been a I-couldn’t-have-done -it-without-you kiss looked more like a can’t-wait-to-get-back-to-the-hotel-room variety.