The Unspoken Line As COVID-19 fades and dances and social life come back, the student body and administration are posed with the question of what types of PDA is acceptable. What is crossing the line when there is no line? WORDS by HANNA MASRI and MADELEINE NICKS ART by OLIVIA DAVENPORT
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DA: Public displays of affection. Hugging, kissing, hand-holding. While it’s a part of everyday life, PDA remains a complex and controversial topic when in a professional setting. While people usually limit the idea of professionalism to the workplace, it can also apply to school life. If school is preparing us for a professional setting, why do we feel it is socially acceptable to put our relationships on display at school if it’s not tolerated in the workplace? Dating is almost entirely synonymous with high school. Stories in movies and TV have always favored the idea of finding love while at school. In “High School Musical,” the film is focused on romance, dancing, and singing. Gabriella, the brainiac to end all brainiacs, did precisely one chemistry lab that stunned the entire student body (and, of course, made Troy Bolton fall in love with her). Movies such as this, “Grease,” “10 Things I Hate About You,” and “Clueless,” created an idealized image of what high school is about: dramatic displays of public affection. “I have actually had more issues with students before they’re a couple than when they’re a couple. When people are metaphorically feeling each other out, and flirting seems to be much worse right before they become a couple than when they become a couple,” said science instructor Katie Pointer. “Coming to the States, I thought that it was going to be like in the
32 • OPINION
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