December 2, 2005

The Kiss Seen 'round the World

My favorite photo of all time was taken before my mother was born.

Famed Life Magazine photojournalist, Alfred Eisenstadt, captured an unsuspecting sailor as he passionately kissed a less suspecting nurse on August 14, 1945 in Times Square: VJ Day, The Kiss.

I always assumed that they were the love of one another's lives. That kiss is what made me ever want to kiss someone. It has shaped the intensity I feign when I kiss someone if I'm not feeling all that passionate in the moment. It's THE KISS.
Now, it turns out the nurse and the sailor were complete strangers, whose paths only crossed for as long as their lips were locked.
The E! True Hollywood story of the kiss.

I'm hurt. Crushed. I feel like someone just told me that Santa wasn't real--worse, that Santa's always been "Uncle So-and-So" in a rented costume.

USPS to capitalize on the wedding market, no doubt, has a stamp out. I've taken the bait, going to collect as many as possible to put on my mothers' wedding invitations. If I'm planning this wedding, I'm going to have a say in the details. In Mom's world, Maid of Honor means Wedding Planner.

3 comments:

Anonymous said...

i always thought it was a 'greeting' kiss of separated lovers... i too was a little disappointed to learn the truth.

but VERY cute stamp choice for the wedding invites!

Sweet & Vicious said...

Sensing this is a man vs. woman debate...

Women want it (in this case, the kiss) to MEAN something and dudes want it to JUST BE IN THAT ONE MOMENT.

argh vargh!

Sweet & Vicious said...

I don't think it has as much to do with childbirth as the role childbirth plays in the socialization of girls who become women. This is an important distinction to make.

Also, women can and do appreciate and understand nihilism and randomness just fine--they just don't adopt it as a means of being, for the most part. It's notabout viewpoint, it's a lifestyle choice.