Making out
Encyclopedia
In human sexuality
, making out is a sexual euphemism
of American
origin dating back to at least 1949, and is used synonymously with the terms necking, heavy petting, and hooking up to refer to non-penetrative sex
, though "hooking up" is also used in some cultures to imply casual sex
.
Studies indicate that at the beginning of the 20th century, premarital sex
increased, and with it, petting behavior in the 1920s. The Continental experience at that time is amusingly illustrated by 'a letter that Freud wrote to Ferenczi in 1931 playfully admonishing him to stop kissing his patients', in which Freud warned lest 'a number of independent thinkers in matters of technique will say to themselves: Why stop at a kiss? Certainly one gets further when one adopts "pawing" as well, which, after all, doesn't make a baby. And then bolder ones will come along who will go further, to peeping and showing - and soon we shall have accepted in the technique of analysis the whole repertoire of demi-viergerie and petting parties'.
Certainly by the postwar period, necking and petting became accepted behavior in mainstream American culture, as long as the partners were dating, and became the subject of numerous jokes: 'He: "Darling, I'm groping for words." She: "You won't find them there." (N.Y. 1940)'.
ing, including prolonged, passionate, open-mouth kissing (also known as French kiss
ing), intimate contact, including heavy petting, that is, skin-to-skin contact, or other forms of foreplay, but never the direct act of sexual intercourse
. Making out is usually considered an expression of affection
or sexual attraction
. An episode of making out is frequently referred to as a "make-out session" or simply "making out" depending on the speaker's vernacular.
s in which making out is the main activity as an act of exploration. Games in this category include seven minutes in heaven
and spin the bottle
.
Teenagers may have social
gatherings in which making out is the predominant event. In the United States, these events were referred to as "make-out parties" and would sometimes be confined to a specific area called the "make-out room".
Human sexuality
Human sexuality is the awareness of gender differences, and the capacity to have erotic experiences and responses. Human sexuality can also be described as the way someone is sexually attracted to another person whether it is to opposite sexes , to the same sex , to either sexes , or not being...
, making out is a sexual euphemism
Euphemism
A euphemism is the substitution of a mild, inoffensive, relatively uncontroversial phrase for another more frank expression that might offend or otherwise suggest something unpleasant to the audience...
of American
American English
American English is a set of dialects of the English language used mostly in the United States. Approximately two-thirds of the world's native speakers of English live in the United States....
origin dating back to at least 1949, and is used synonymously with the terms necking, heavy petting, and hooking up to refer to non-penetrative sex
Non-penetrative sex
Non-penetrative sex is sexual activity without vaginal, anal, or oral penetration, as opposed to the penetrative aspects of those activities...
, though "hooking up" is also used in some cultures to imply casual sex
Casual sex
Casual sex or hooking up refers to certain types of human sexual activity outside the context of a romantic relationship. The term is not always used consistently: some use it to refer to any extramarital sex, some use it to refer to sex in a casual relationship, whereas others reserve its use for...
.
History
The sexual connotations of the phrase "make out" appear to have developed in the 1930s and 1940s from the phrase's other meanings of "to succeed". Originally, it meant "to seduce" or "to have sexual intercourse with".Studies indicate that at the beginning of the 20th century, premarital sex
Premarital sex
Premarital sex is sexual activity, including vaginal intercourse, oral sex, and anal sex, practiced by persons who are unmarried. Although it has always been practiced, in the West it has increased in prevalence since the mid-1950s...
increased, and with it, petting behavior in the 1920s. The Continental experience at that time is amusingly illustrated by 'a letter that Freud wrote to Ferenczi in 1931 playfully admonishing him to stop kissing his patients', in which Freud warned lest 'a number of independent thinkers in matters of technique will say to themselves: Why stop at a kiss? Certainly one gets further when one adopts "pawing" as well, which, after all, doesn't make a baby. And then bolder ones will come along who will go further, to peeping and showing - and soon we shall have accepted in the technique of analysis the whole repertoire of demi-viergerie and petting parties'.
Certainly by the postwar period, necking and petting became accepted behavior in mainstream American culture, as long as the partners were dating, and became the subject of numerous jokes: 'He: "Darling, I'm groping for words." She: "You won't find them there." (N.Y. 1940)'.
Characteristics
Making out covers a wide range of sexual behavior, and means different things to different age groups in different parts of the U.S. It typically involves kissKiss
A kiss is the act of pressing one's lips against the lips or other body parts of another person or of an object. Cultural connotations of kissing vary widely. Depending on the culture and context, a kiss can express sentiments of love, passion, affection, respect, greeting, friendship, and good...
ing, including prolonged, passionate, open-mouth kissing (also known as French kiss
French kiss
A French kiss is a kiss in which one participant's tongue touches the partner's lips or tongue and usually enters his or her mouth. A French kiss is a slow passionate kiss which is usually considered intimate, romantic, erotic or sexual...
ing), intimate contact, including heavy petting, that is, skin-to-skin contact, or other forms of foreplay, but never the direct act of sexual intercourse
Sexual intercourse
Sexual intercourse, also known as copulation or coitus, commonly refers to the act in which a male's penis enters a female's vagina for the purposes of sexual pleasure or reproduction. The entities may be of opposite sexes, or they may be hermaphroditic, as is the case with snails...
. Making out is usually considered an expression of affection
Affection
Affection or fondness is a "disposition or rare state of mind or body" that is often associated with a feeling or type of love. It has given rise to a number of branches of philosophy and psychology concerning: emotion ; disease; influence; state of being ; and state of mind...
or sexual attraction
Sexual attraction
Sexual attractiveness or sex appeal refers to an individual's ability to attract the sexual or erotic interest of another person, and is a factor in sexual selection or mate choice. The attraction can be to the physical or other qualities or traits of a person, or to such qualities in the context...
. An episode of making out is frequently referred to as a "make-out session" or simply "making out" depending on the speaker's vernacular.
Make-out parties
The perceived significance of making out may be affected by the age and relative sexual experience of the participants. Teenagers sometimes play party gameParty game
Party games are games that some people play as forms of entertainment at social gatherings. Party games usually involve more than one player. There are a large number and styles of party games available and the one selected will depend on the atmosphere that is sought to be generated...
s in which making out is the main activity as an act of exploration. Games in this category include seven minutes in heaven
Seven minutes in heaven
Seven minutes in heaven is a teenager's party game first recorded as being played in Cincinnati in the early 1950s. Two people are selected to go into a closet or other dark enclosed space and do whatever they like for seven minutes. Sexual activities are allowed; however kissing and making out are...
and spin the bottle
Spin the bottle
Spin the Bottle is a party game in which several players sit/stand/kneel in a circle. One player spins a bottle and must kiss the person to whom the bottle points, who then spins the bottle in turn...
.
Teenagers may have social
Social
The term social refers to a characteristic of living organisms...
gatherings in which making out is the predominant event. In the United States, these events were referred to as "make-out parties" and would sometimes be confined to a specific area called the "make-out room".
External links
- How to Make Out
- Art of Making Out