# History behind raising foot when kissing **URL:** \ **Category:** Factual Questions\ **Created:** [August 5, 2002, 5:47am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/history-behind-raising-foot-when-kissing/122392 "2002-08-05T05:47:18Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 12\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![mrkelley](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/f07891/32.png) [@mrkelley](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/mrkelley)\ **Post date:** [August 5, 2002, 5:47am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/history-behind-raising-foot-when-kissing/122392/1 "2002-08-05T05:47:18Z")
In movies and such people raise thier foot when kissing. What is the origin of that practice or is it just something that caught on from some movie way back when? ---
**Author:** ![Turpentine](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/ecd19e/32.png) [@Turpentine](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Turpentine)\ **Post date:** [August 5, 2002, 6:10am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/history-behind-raising-foot-when-kissing/122392/2 "2002-08-05T06:10:16Z")
It’s always the woman who raises her foot while kissing, and I think there’s no particular reason for it, except that it was fashionable in old movies and caught on (though now it would look trite). I’m just guessing that perhaps raising one’s foot made the woman appear more delicate or dainty. ---
**Author:** ![ski](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/bbe5ce/32.png) [@ski](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ski)\ **Post date:** [August 5, 2002, 6:27am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/history-behind-raising-foot-when-kissing/122392/3 "2002-08-05T06:27:47Z")
Maybe something to do with the fact that with the one foot raised, she’d be relying on the man for some support/balance. So it might be some kind of a “submission” thing that came out of the 50’s. ---
**Author:** ![Mort\_Furd](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/8e8cbc/32.png) [@Mort\_Furd](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mort_Furd)\ **Post date:** [August 5, 2002, 9:19am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/history-behind-raising-foot-when-kissing/122392/4 "2002-08-05T09:19:43Z")
In my experience, Mrs. Furd does it when ever a good hot kiss gets the juices flowing. She squeezes her upper thighs together to keep things from getting messy. When standing, this means she has to raise one leg a little which results in her standing on one leg - although she doesn’t usually raise the foot in question up as high as they did in the old movies. ---
**Author:** ![scm1001](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/c4cdca/32.png) [@scm1001](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/scm1001)\ **Post date:** [August 5, 2002, 11:30am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/history-behind-raising-foot-when-kissing/122392/5 "2002-08-05T11:30:36Z")
Is it for balance? A short girl would have to stand on tiptoes to kiss the leading man, thus sticking her leg out would provide a counterbalance. ---
**Author:** ![fierra](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/58956e/32.png) [@fierra](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/fierra)\ **Post date:** [August 5, 2002, 12:02pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/history-behind-raising-foot-when-kissing/122392/6 "2002-08-05T12:02:13Z")
I raise my foot almost all the time when kissing Anthracite, and she’s the same height as me, so that makes that one less likely. Mort Furd, I have no idea about the thighs thing, but I will say that all kisses from Una are good… :D. ---
**Author:** ![Hemlock](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/c5a1d2/32.png) [@Hemlock](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Hemlock)\ **Post date:** [August 5, 2002, 12:12pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/history-behind-raising-foot-when-kissing/122392/7 "2002-08-05T12:12:07Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by Mort Furd \* > \*\*In my experience, Mrs. Furd does it when ever a good hot kiss gets the juices flowing. She squeezes her upper thighs together to keep things from getting messy. When standing, this means she has to raise one leg a little which results in her standing on one leg - although she doesn’t usually raise the foot in question up as high as they did in the old movies. \*\* I’ll never watch another 1950s movie without this imagery coming into my mind… ---
**Author:** ![Johnny\_L.A](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/johnny_l.a/32/1084_2.png) [@Johnny\_L.A](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Johnny_L.A)\ **Post date:** [August 5, 2002, 12:14pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/history-behind-raising-foot-when-kissing/122392/8 "2002-08-05T12:14:21Z")
I have no evidence, but IMO **Mort Furd** got it. I think it’s a subconscious reaction to joy. ---
**Author:** ![Futile\_Gesture](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/f05b48/32.png) [@Futile\_Gesture](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Futile_Gesture)\ **Post date:** [August 5, 2002, 1:15pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/history-behind-raising-foot-when-kissing/122392/9 "2002-08-05T13:15:46Z")
**scm1001** has it. It’s balance. Go take something off the the top shelf, stand on your toes and lean. You automatically use a leg to counter balance. All the film makers did was to amplify this natural action to emphasis: - the female is significantly smaller than the male and therefore more feminine. (Stereo-types ahoy!) - the female is leaning into the male and is therefore actively enjoying things and may have even leant so far that she is relying on the (big, strong) male for support. So it started out as a deliberate, cleverly observed and subtle, emphasis of body-language. Then developed into a bit of a cliched over-the-top filmatic shorthand. Now it’s more parodied than used seriously. ---
**Author:** ![CalMeacham](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/calmeacham/32/35_2.png) [@CalMeacham](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/CalMeacham)\ **Post date:** [August 5, 2002, 1:49pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/history-behind-raising-foot-when-kissing/122392/10 "2002-08-05T13:49:47Z")
In the movie **The Naked Gun** , one of the jokes is that Leslie Nielsen and Priscilla Presley _both_ raise one leg when they kiss. ---
**Author:** ![Mort\_Furd](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/8e8cbc/32.png) [@Mort\_Furd](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mort_Furd)\ **Post date:** [August 5, 2002, 2:42pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/history-behind-raising-foot-when-kissing/122392/11 "2002-08-05T14:42:51Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by Futile Gesture \* > \*\ ***scm1001** has it. It’s balance. Go take something off the the top shelf, stand on your toes and lean. You automatically use a leg to counter balance. > > - the female is significantly smaller than the male and therefore more feminine. (Stereo-types ahoy!) > > - the female is leaning into the male and is therefore actively enjoying things and may have even leant so far that she is relying on the (big, strong) male for support. > > \*\* I don’t think so. Most of the times I’ve seen it done, the man is leaning down to the woman. In fact, sometimes the woman is tilted over backwards - which would tend to make hash of the balance argument. Besides, what kind of asshole makes the woman stand on tip-toe for a kiss? I stand by the “leak stop” theory. ---
**Author:** ![Mort\_Furd](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/8e8cbc/32.png) [@Mort\_Furd](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mort_Furd)\ **Post date:** [August 5, 2002, 2:57pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/history-behind-raising-foot-when-kissing/122392/12 "2002-08-05T14:57:11Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by Johnny L.A. \* > \*\*I have no evidence, but IMO **Mort Furd** got it. I think it’s a subconscious reaction to joy. \*\* Not subconscious. More like “Oh, my God! No maxi-pad, no tampon! If this leaks out, its gonna look like I peed my pants.” Mrs. Furd has told me this on one occassion. She also informed that it was a shame there weren’t at least a few bushes to hide behind at the time. It just wouldn’t have done to drop drawers and bump fuzzies on a public street without at least making SOME attempt at privacy.