FROM: www.standard.co.uk
By
Liz Hoggard.
Barack
and Michelle Obama proved how to get it right when it comes to centre
stage kissing
Kissing
with confidence in front of 130,000 takes skill and daring. The image
of newly elected US President Barack Obama embracing his wife, Michelle,
in Chicago's Grant Park is arguably the first
great romantic kiss by a politician.
Study
the body language. He is gently brushing her nose with his lips. As
she leans in, their brows, nose, and chin fit perfectly. Both hands
support the small of her back. With her eyes closed, she is grasping
his shoulder. Their pelvises are locked. Isn't this the kiss we all
dream of? The underlying message is this couple is hot - despite being
married for 16 years, with two children.
Public
displays of affection in your forties are never easy. It's all very
well when you're young and hormonal. But woe betide the older couple
caught embracing in an alleyway. It tends to horrify the twentysomethings.
And
the dangers of "spinning" a long-term relationship are legion.
So many power kisses fail. Sam Cameron, a modern working woman, often
ends up having to throw herself diagonally at David. Sarah Brown embraces
Gordon like a beloved aunt. Cherie tends to graze Tony's chin (when
she can stop talking). Even French lothario Nicolas Sarkozy and his
supermodel wife Carla are mismatched, height wise.
Kissing
is a complex behaviour that requires significant muscular co-ordination:
34 facial muscles and 112 postural muscles are used during a kiss. No
wonder it so often goes wrong. And it's not just politicians. Prince
Charles, no stranger to passion, always manages to grip Camilla's shoulder
("Well done, you!") so she ends up exhaling his shirt. If
you look back at the pictures of Princess Di, he's doing the same thing.
And there is no greater indication of a failing relationship than the
kiss-grimace. Just ask Madonna and Guy.
Psychologists
tell us that kissing is so important to us because we can't see our
own faces. So we fixate on the beloved's lips - in a bid to find our
mirror image. To reclaim our lost self.
The
great thing about the Obama stadium kiss is that nothing about it screams
- "get a room!" It's hugely intimate
but unsqueamish. I can't help wondering if their friend,
the film director Spike Lee, had a hand in staging it. I, for one, would
happily watch the full-length Hollywood movie.
FROM:
www.standard.co.uk
