Perhaps depending on your relationship status or your personality, you either hope to get put on a kiss cam at a sporting event… or you’ll be dreading the moment you begin to hear Sixpence None The Richer’s “Kiss Me” playing over the speakers.
Kiss cams have been around since the early 1980s, where it was first seen at a baseball game in California. A social pastime, kiss cams have proved to be at least a little entertaining as we get to see people kissing — maybe even getting proposed to — or getting rejected. However, is it time to kiss this dynamic goodbye?
Individuals who are placed on kiss cams are obviously expected to kiss, but what if public displays of affection (PDA) aren’t your thing? What if you’d rather kiss your significant other in private — or are at the sporting event with a friend and not a romantic partner and get put on the kiss cam? What are you to do then?
Not everyone likes being put on the spot, especially surrounded by hundreds of strangers — and specifically to partake in an act that can be seen as so personal. Kiss cams create an expectation and enact a social pressure, which is something we should pull away from.
In an interview with The Ringer, a sports and pop culture network, Melissa A. Fabello, a sex researcher who studies how people make meaning of their experiences with touch, explains that “[during kiss cams, you’re] creating a social situation [where] there is an expectation to engage in touch — both suddenly and publicly… The socialization aspect — the disappointment of the watching fans, the awkward interaction with the person next to you, the stereotype of being uptight — makes this more difficult. When we feel forced… into touch, even under the guise of harmless fun, it can make us feel uncomfortable.”
Not only can the individuals placed on the big screen find themselves uncomfortable and pressured to kiss, but in a way, we’re playing with consent. Let’s say one individual wants to kiss and the other doesn’t. What then? Rejection feels horrible and being rejected in front of so many people feels so much worse, but one should never feel forced to kiss someone, especially in the eyes of unknown people who might not even care.
Now, some people love kiss cams. They love the spotlight and perhaps are so in love with their partner that they just want the whole world to see. That’s okay too, but what about those watching? How do they feel about seeing a bunch of complete strangers kissing? Is it something to be enjoyed or is it just awkward?
The love or hate for kiss cams boils down to how comfortable the individuals are with seeing themselves on the big screen. At its core, kiss cams can promote assumptions and stereotypes — totally not cool.
At the end of the day, it all depends on your personal opinion on the subject. All I have to say on it is that no one should feel forced or pressured into something they don’t want, especially at the eyes of thousands of people who came out to watch a game — not to watch people kiss
