New Delhi: What is it about kissing in public that makes most Indians cringe? Well, despite being the land of Kamasutra, public display of affection or PDA has never been accepted in Indian society. Forget kissing, even holding hands or embracing is frowned upon.
Newlyweds kissing in front of the whole ‘biradri’ is pure blasphemy unlike in the west where it is almost a part of the wedding rituals.
A Twitter user openly expressed that she finds it “cringe” when people kiss during Indian weddings. “Call me old fashioned but lip lock pictures in Indian weddings look cringe. Stop copying west please,” the tweet read. The tweet led to divided opinions.
Call me old fashioned but lip lock pictures in Indian weddings look cringe. Stop copying west please.
— S (@MissSingh04) October 21, 2022
Some social media users let the original Twitter user know that it is not the West that came up with this form of PDA. India was not always conservative, to begin with. Others said that it is a matter of personal choice. If a young couple is happy engaging in PDA, it is their choice. A Twitter user wrote, “But isn’t it, their choice? If they like something from western culture and adopt it, it has to be an individual choice. There are many aspects of our traditional wedding which many of us might find cringeworthy.”
Another user wrote, “Honestly this is the cringiest thing I read today. You need to grow up. Everything is not perpetuated by the West. Or else stop doing everything that’s labelled western. Wearing western clothes, western food.”
However, not everyone was sailing in the same boat. A third comment read, “Seriously… It’s pure cringe to see young couples kissing in front of all the elders of the family… Witnessed one…My stomach turned upside down, with all my brothers and all standing there. Guess I am too old-fashioned.”
A few mentioned that it would be better to stick to the traditions and be original rather than copying the culture from the West. One user, however, perfectly summed up the entire debate. For her, some couples enjoy PDA, others like to keep it more private. To each their own.