Signs of a Gentleman

Today's word is Baisemain. I used this word once in my past blog, but I love the word so much I think I'll write about it again. A Baisemain is literally a kiss on the hand. Obviously, the word is latin in origin. The spanish word for kiss is besar and the word for hand is mano. A very close resemblance.

I've seen many, many movies and read many, many more books in which - upon meeting - a man will take a woman's hand ever so gently and kiss the back of it. Usually, this sparks a whirlwind romance - because the woman is always virginal enough that she's never experienced something quite so erotic - and there are secret meetings between the star-crossed lovers; and unhappy families; and reconciliations between said families; and jealous friends who will try to destroy the relationship, but it is undestroyable because the relationship was meant to be; and spawn-of-Satan siblings who will try to destroy the relationship due to the lady's less-than-spectacular dowry and upbringing, but again, the relathipship is undestroyable because the couple is in it for the long haul; oh.....and weddings. And, all of this is due to that one little baisemain.

Even though the description above is a bit melodramatic, the life-altering power of one little kiss to a very innocent place is still quite viable, I think. Humans, as a rule, are centered around physical contact. When a girl in high school sees her friends in the morning, she will hug each of them, establishing and reaffirming friendships. When a football player scores a touch down he high fives or knocks chests with a team mate. When two people meet for the very first time, they shake hands in order to relay to the other person trustworthiness (to some people, this tradition is even meant to mingle energies). At a very early age, we seek comfort through hugs, kisses, and other physical contact. And, let's not even go into the more intimate ways in which adults seek comfort.

We are a very physical species, and imagine the effects of a baisemain to a young woman who has been sheltered her entire life - a woman who is starving for attention from the opposite sex. A young woman whose hormones are completely off-the-charts-out-of-this-world raging? It would be devastating. I imagine this little gesture contributed to a LOT of swooning, in the age of corsets, although among the Ton, the baisemain was more or less frowned upon. A gentleman was expected to bow over a lady's hand. But, anyway....

Nowadays, the baisemain is seen as quaint, sweet, and even somewhat weird to some (Unless of course the gesture is accompanied by a tall-dark-and-handsome man with an accent. Then it is no longer quaint, but is WOW.) I find it sad that the baisemain has gone out of style. It was a custom that allowed a woman to be a lady by gracefully accepting a gentleman's praise, and it allowed a man to be a gentleman by bowing to a lady, and showing her that she is desirable and worthy of his attention all in one swift move. I'd love to see a revival of the baisemain. It might even make the world a nicer place!