Pucker: Smoochers kiss and tell
Mike Carson and Holly Hatfield, of Kansas City, say the perfect kiss requires a balance of not too much or too little.
Jane and Rex Rogers, of Overland Park, have been married for 37 years. Jane says there’s no such thing as a bad kiss if you love someone.
After nine years of marriage, Jeff and Stacy Schmidt still have that spark.
KU students weigh in on first kisses
There’s nothing quite as exciting, and sometimes terrifying, as that first kiss.
For some Kansas University students, the techniques used for that first kiss range from the passive to the bold.
Andrew Nicol, a KU junior, prefers a subtle approach. He says he likes to read the situation and makes his move “when the moment is right.”
Senior Denver Porter also likes to play it cool. Maybe a little too cool. When asked if he makes the first move, he says, “Only if I have to.”
Jessica Campbell, a junior, also prefers to let the someone else make that first move. “I let the guys do the work,” Campbell says.
But how do you know when the moment is the “right moment”?
David Ugarte, a senior from Chicago, finds that it can happen naturally. He says he waits for a “long quiet moment,” then looks them in the eyes and goes for it.
Other kissers, such as junior Rye Musgrave, opt for a more brazen approach to that first kiss. Musgrave uses what he calls the “surprise attack.” He says he doesn’t think too much about it and simply goes for it.
His success rate? About 50 percent, he says.
A kiss. A simple act between two people conveying emotion and affection. Nothing more than two sets of lips connecting.
But, of course, that’s not the whole story when it comes to a kiss. And aside from the obvious good kiss killer — bad breath — there are many aspects of a kiss that define the quality of a kiss, such as timing, technique and length, all of which are subject to the preferences of the particular kisser.
With perhaps the biggest kissing holiday, Valentine’s Day, coming up, we set out on a recent Friday evening on Massachusetts Street to discover what makes a good kiss in the eyes and lips of some local kissers.
Passion
The comments by local kissers reveal the delicate balance involved in the many aspects of the perfect smooch.
A kiss is, after all, a display of emotion, and having some strong feelings behind a kiss is a necessary element, according to Anthony Blue, a Kansas University alumnus vacationing in Lawrence.
“It’s got to have some passion behind it,” says Blue, adding that the passion increases during those tense moments of build-up before going in for the kiss.
Another way to up the passion level? It’s in the eyes, says Lawrence resident Luke Adams.
“Good eye contact helps,” Adams says.
For KU freshman Terri Downs, a good kiss needs passion, but not too much, adding that one of her big kissing pet peeves is those who come in too aggressively.
“You’ve got to be smooth,” Downs says.
Lips and tongue
When it comes to the lip and tongue movement of a kiss, it’s a balancing act between too little and too much.
Mike Carson, of Kansas City, says soft lips are the key, while his girlfriend, Holly Hatfield, cautions against too much spit and too much biting.
Zach Buescher of Overland Park says that in addition to “warmth,” the right amount of pressure involved in that magic lip lock, what he calls a “good seal,” is also key in a good kiss.
Timing
But a kiss, with just the right amount of tongue, pressure and passion, means nothing without timing, says Lawrence resident Brandon Bowman.
So when was the right time for Bowman to make that first move on his wife, Casady? He admits that it was while watching the horror film “The Texas Chainsaw Massacre” — showing that timing, and what makes a good kiss, is open for interpretation.
The person
Jane and Max Rogers of Overland Park have been married 37 years, and have exchanged quite a few kisses in nearly four decades together. They brush off any talk about the mechanics and techniques involved in a good kiss, and said it comes down to love.
“I don’t think there’s a bad kiss if you love each other,” Jane Rogers says.