Public displays of affection aren’t at all uncommon. Love and amazing sexual chemistry can be like blinders on a horse. You’re out with your significant other, and all you can see or focus on is them. That’s a wonderful feeling to be sure, but you have to be careful about just how far you go when you’re out in public. This is not only because no one really wants to be that inappropriately gross couple, but also because you never know who might be around.
If you’re dry-humping on a blanket in the park and your boss or your grandmother happens to stroll by and see you, you are going to be in for some major embarrassment. Consider your surroundings and the likelihood of such a scenario occurring before you start getting hot and heavy.
Location, Location, Location
Engaging in appropriate levels of PDA is not unlike purchasing real estate—it’s all about location, location, location. There are loads of questions to ask yourself when you’re out with your S.O. and feeling frisky.
- Are you somewhere that relatives or co-workers of yours often frequent?
- Is the location the kind of place where lots of children will be around, like a playground or amusement park?
In these scenarios, it’s probably best to go no further than some hand-holding and the occasional kiss or two. Your company’s friends and family picnic is hardly the appropriate place to make out with your boyfriend or girlfriend for an hour.
On the other hand, if you’re out dancing at a club, you’ll be much more likely to get away with lots of kissing and getting handsy. If you’re on some tropical getaway where you don’t know anyone, you can feel free to indulge yourselves as well. As long as you’re not doing anything that might get you arrested if you get caught, there’s really no need to worry.
Even if someone walks down the beach at night and sees you fooling around on a lounge chair, the odds that you’ll ever encounter that person again are slim-to-none.
How Dark Is It?
Light levels are another important factor to take into consideration. If you’re out in broad daylight or in a well-lit room surrounded by people, everyone will know exactly what you’re up to. If you’re in the last row in a dark movie theater or the back corner booth at a bar with low-lighting, most of your antics will be obscured from the general population’s view.
It’s even better if you can make sure that you’re located out of the sightline of most of the people in the space you’re in. Again, the last row in a dark theater works if there’s really no one sitting near you. If the theater is packed, you might want to keep your activity to a minimum. You probably wouldn’t want to be sitting directly next to a strange girl giving her guy a handjob if the situation was reversed, so show the people sitting near you the same respect.
The Defining Question….
Perhaps that’s the most important factor to consider. If you were out and about and saw a strange couple doing what you’re about to do, how would you feel about it? When we’re head-over-heels, it can be difficult to keep a grasp on what’s acceptable or not.
It’s easy to feel that we’re different—an exception to the rule. So pull yourself out of the situation for a minute and imagine if you were the accidental observer of the movie theater blowjob or the heavy makeout session at the mall. Showing others the courtesy that you would expect will typically help you from going too far when it comes to PDA.