Once encouraged as a way to avoid pregnancy and sexually-transmitted infections, “heavy petting” is now a term that many middle- and high-schoolers have never heard and, one suspects, is not condoned by abstinence-only education. Fifty years ago, however, when the practice pervaded the vernacular of both teenagers and their parents, it epitomized a mid-century approach to teenage sexuality that combined pragmatism and hygiene with double-standards and repression. The uncertainties facing teenagers at the time are nicely outlined by a 1980s documentary entitled “Heavy Petting,” which intersperses period footage with interviews of B-list baby boomers. Definitely worth watching for those interested in sex education or youth culture!
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