Kissing 101

On Sept. 19, Temple students whipped out Chapstick and puckered up. Over 400 students crammed into the Owl Cove in Mitten Hall to learn the art of kissing from expert Michael Christian.

Christian, a retired Boston College professor holds seminars on kissing techniques across the country. He has authored four books on the subject, which have been translated into 18 languages.

Under Christian’s supervision, student volunteers demonstrated kissing techniques. With mellow music and romantic lighting, two couples were brought on stage to the rowdy cheers of the crowd.

“Kissing is a safe way to get to know your partner,” said Christian.
He told the crowd it takes practice to become a great kisser. He said that it’s helpful to practice on anything available; whether it’s a picture, a doorknob, or even your own hand. The important thing is not to be embarrassed or nervous because “when you’re so close to a person that you’re kissing them, it doesn’t matter if you’re not beautiful. You’re out of focus.”

Christian’s comments made the crowd laugh, but the student volunteers had their attention elsewhere.

The couples were getting hot and heavy, oscillating and rolling out of their chairs as they demonstrated the various techniques. One technique, called the “Lip-o-suction,” involved a man kissing the upper lip and the woman kissing the bottom lip, with a pulsating action. No tongue is involved with this kiss; however, a lack of tongue was a rarity for the evening.

As Christian put it, the night was about teaching how to “put some finesse into frenching.”

Another fun technique, “The Candy Kiss,” involved the man placing a piece of candy on his tongue, and the woman trying to get it from him.
Clarissa Edu and Markcus Goode, one of the couples, who have been together almost two years, said they enjoyed the experience and weren’t embarrassed at all to be on stage.

In fact, audience members enjoyed the spectacle as well. Jason Clarke, a freshman, said he came to the program, for “pure voyeuristic delights.”

Main Campus Program Board coordinated the enjoyable and educational event. The turnout was remarkable due to the efforts of students in getting the word out, said Coordinator Joan Elsasser.

Christian found interesting tidbits from his independent survey of over 100,000 people.

Women like to be kissed on the neck 10 times more than men. 67 percent of men don’t mind the taste of lipstick. 66.3 percent of women dislike stubble.

Students left with complimentary “Life Savers” dissolving in their mouths, and whether they learned something new or not, they undoubtedly had a great time.

For more information on kissing and author Michael Christian, check out www.kissing.com.