Issue date: 2/14/08 Section: News

Media Credit: File - The Battalion [Click to enlarge]

A kiss can take on many different roles. It's not just a pucker of the lips or a romantic gesture. A kiss can be a glad "hello" or a sad "goodbye," full of passion and heat or simply a tasty treat. A kiss can speak when words are not enough. The options are infinite. However, in light of Valentine's Day, The Battalion has narrowed life's most monumental kisses into a few categories.

Kid Kiss

The Band-Aid didn't quite do it. The only way to make those tears disappear was a kiss from mom to doctor the "boo-boo." And in the days when cooties couldn't be cured, we couldn't help but sing along with The Little Mermaid's crab companion in the catchy tune Kiss the Girl.

Cool Kiss

Spin the Bottle and Seven Minutes in Heaven were the games that opened the eyes - and mouths - of curious youth. The French kiss was definitely the upgrade from innocent pecks. Kisses are rated good or bad, not enough tongue or too much. And speaking of tongues, the legendary and lengthy tongue of Gene Simmons rocked the world of Kiss fans across the country.

Sweet Kiss

It could be your first kiss, a butterfly kiss or maybe a goodbye kiss. Besides giving your main squeeze some "sugar," Hershey's kisses may be the most appetizing. Hershey's has been filling mouths with milk chocolate since 1907 and, it's easy to say, it was love at first taste. In Candyland, Hershey estimates that it sells 1.5 billion of its famed chocolate kisses each year on Valentine's Day.

Contemptible Kiss

Beyond the embarrassing bumping of braces or unnecessary tonsil hockey, the shame of a hickey can keep you wearing collars and turtlenecks for days. Everyone knows you didn't burn yourself with the curling iron. The ultimate burn, the satisfaction comes from speaking your mind. The simple words that are commonly used in a fight - kiss my…well, you know.

Creepy Kiss

Al Gore officially grossed audiences out when he kissed his wife for an uncomfortable amount of time at the Democratic Convention in 2000. Needless to say, the ostensibly impromptu kiss didn't help his campaign. To top that, Michael Jackson and Lisa Marie Presley had a moment on stage at the MTV Music Awards. The kooky kiss to prove to the world they would last, only proved them to be the weirdest couple in history.

Fairy Tale Kiss

The princess kisses the frog and he magically becomes her prince. The infamous tale told by the Brothers Grimm has been shape-shifted throughout pop culture but the idea of finding true love hasn't changed. The moment when it's said fireworks occur, a kiss of true love is the most magical. After the "I do's" have been exchanged, one tender kiss seals the deal.

Silver Screen Kiss

Hollywood stages some of the most predictable and covetable kisses in film history. When Mary Jane kisses Spiderman in the rain, she pulls down his mask while he's upside down without revealing his face. It's not that he's a superhero or that he's upside down. Rain is a key element that has worked in many ways to steam up some of the most memorable kisses. And let's not forget the ultimate chick-flick song used in many a soundtrack, Kiss Me by Sixpence None the Richer.

Festive Kiss

You stand strategically in the doorway and wait for that obligatory kiss. The mistletoe is the best excuse to get a kiss from your crush during the holidays. Christmas also brings the anticipation of gifts. A kid's biggest surprise might be to see Mom kissing Santa Claus. But the ultimate celebratory kiss might be the one that counts down to a new year.

Candid Kiss

There are many pictures of couples kissing, but one is classic. The staple kiss captured on Aug. 14, 1945, in Times Square was an unexpected triumph of photographer Alfred Eisenstaedt. He snapped the picture in the middle of V-J Day celebration and it was published in Life magazine. To this day, no one can confirm the identity of the sailor kissing the swooning nurse, Edith Shain. The historic embrace is almost better left a mystery.

Compiled by Chelsea Lankes and Nicole Alvarado

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