Public Displays of Affection - What is Acceptable in Public?

Ever gone down a busy street or been in a restaurant to see that two people are being extremely kissy face or worse? You're not the only one who feels agitated by these love-sick couples, but what is too much of a PDA (aka: Public Display of Affection)? A long time ago any display of affection outside the home was entirely frowned upon. Now it seems everyone has their own sense of what is and isn't proper in public. So here's a rundown of common PDA's that you see all the time and how I feel they rate on the acceptable/unacceptable scale.

Holding hands is acceptable anywhere. After all, parents have to hold their children's hands in order to assure safety. I suppose in some way adults hold hands to feel secure and not alone in many ways that children do. Holding hands doesn't offend anyone as far as I know and is acceptable virtually anywhere. While you don't have to be an exclusive couple to hold hands, it can sometimes be easier to stay together in public if you are holding hands. How many times have you lost a significant other in a crowd at christmas-time to some window display? Holding hands isn't just for lovers, you know.

Honestly, I find it cute to see older couples walking hand in hand somewhere. Truth be told I wouldn't mind seeing more of it - that goes to show that as you age you can still love, be loved and be proud OF being in love. Too many people keep that simple gesture hidden and it makes people look unhappy to me. I've never honestly seen a couple holding hands looking sad. Unless of course it's for emotional support in a very difficult time, but that's not a display of affection. That's human compassion.

Now, I think it's downright cute to see a couple steal a kiss when they think nobody is looking. These people seem almost child-like in the innocent sort of way. Truthfully, a small kiss doesn't bother me, however constantly stopping to meet lip to lip several times for a small makeout session can be somewhat agitating to others around. There comes a point when a simple kiss (like the one kiss at a wedding or at the reception every time a glass is clanged) can become annoying.