(no subject)

[sanpaku_backup]

The perils of Amtrak: the entire car I'm on is filled with English mid-teenagers from Stratford on a school trip to Boston. Nonstop chattering about "going to the baseball pitch" gave way to three girls in the seats across from me gently caressing each other and. Now one is curled up with her head on the other's chest. Dear Penthouse... Seriously, is this some kind of newly acceptable platonic teenage girl behavior nobody told me about?

I miss the Acela.

Comments

[alsoname.livejournal.com]

I remember it being a lot more socially acceptable to be physically affectionate with my other female friends when I was a teenager, but then again I didn't run with a "mainstream" crowd, and I'm not sure what exactly you're implying with the unfinished "and." So if you're saying that they were full-on making out, then, well, no, I didn't do that with my friends. But holding hands and little kisses, sure. I actually am bummed about the radical reduction in hugs that I have experienced since my teen years.

[sanpaku.livejournal.com]

The "and" was a stray. But they were pretty thoroughly all over each other, for two people not kissing. I'm not talking about holding hands or hugging. This was laying in the other person's lap/chesticular region while being caressed all over. E informs me that British girls often have a "pash" who they have platonic same-sex crushes on, though the Internets lack verification. I can't claim to be an expert on teenage girls, but I've never seen anything like it.

[chanaleh.livejournal.com]

When we were in Israel on Livnot five years ago, we noticed that our b'not sherut (frum girls doing civil service in place of army service), who were all shomeret negiah, were WAY more snuggly with each other than we were used to seeing in any non-dating context. Leading kalessin to the observation "It's a fine line between shomer negiah and homoerotic."

[alsoname.livejournal.com]

I'm sure they would be quite pleased that they scandalized an old fogey. Bwahaha! ;)

[gansje.livejournal.com]

Well, I'll qualify -- in British literature about public school, it's a common theme up until the 1950s (http://www.jstor.org/pss/3173613). As for current behavior, I can't find anything either, but I think it's safe to say that exploration of sexuality among middle class girls has historically centered on a tension among expression, social safety (reputation, for example) and restraint, and that there is a difference between desire and act, such that desire can be channeled in a "socially safe" way into either sanctioned or semi-deviant act -- deviance within limits being an acceptable way for girls to explore desire without appearing sluttish by exploring desire with boys or men. In the past, deeply affectionate friendships between British public school girls were within the acceptable expressive range, but yeah, I keep finding squat about current acceptable queer-ish behavior among British schoolgirls. And it may have many more motivators beyond the traditional cocktail of expression, social safety and restraint, if restraint is now less necessary owing to the shifting mores of the middle class (I'd imagine it is but it isn't but it is...)

Again, I can't find anything either. Wah. But we should investigate this, now I'm intrigued!