THE VIRGINIAN-PILOT
Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: Friday, July 7, 1995 TAG: 9507070599
SECTION: DAILY BREAK PAGE: E11 EDITION: FINAL
SOURCE: BY JENNIFER RIDDLE, HIGH SCHOOL CORRESPONDENT
LENGTH: Medium: 61 lines
SEDUCTIVE STARES and alluring smiles. Little giggles and quick pick-up lines. A stomach full of butterflies and quivering hands. It's all a part of what experts deem the most popular and controversial form of teenage communication - flirting.
Flirting is a natural part of being human, almost as common as breathing. Unfortunately, in teenage society, it can also lead to a reputation of being promiscuous.
For Karmonie Hearturig, a rising junior at Oscar Smith High School, being called names for flirting was a rude awakening.
``I hate the fact that just because you flirt with someone, others joke you and dislike you for it,'' Karmonie said. ``I feel flirting is just part of life and that everybody does it, whether they admit it or not.''
Brad Vera, a recent graduate of Lake Taylor High, agreed, saying: ``I think when you are naturally comfortable around the opposite sex, you tend to flirt. But it's just a playful way to communicate. What I don't understand is why people condemn you for it.''
Because there have not been many studies done on the art of flirting, people are left to make their own judgments of what flirting is.
Frances J. Hassencahl, a communications professor at Old Dominion University, said that flirting includes a ``broad spectrum in which a non-verbal communication is used in order to show interest or attraction.''
Hassencahl, who is teaching a course on communication between the sexes, feels that flirting for teenagers can be the easiest way of communication with each other.
``At the teenage level, flirting is a way to communicate feelings and emotions for those who are not completely developed in oral communication,'' Hassencahl said. ``For teenagers who are not yet comfortable with approaching someone of the opposite sex, a smile or catching someone's eyes can seem to be a much easier route.''
Friendly flirting as a form of communication has good and bad points. Flirting between friends can be seen as either a compliment or as an intentional hint of attraction. For teenagers like Sharon Greene, a rising senior at Princess Anne High School, flirting with friends is a way to show affection.
``Friendly flirting is the best kind of flirting, because it can help to keep the spark in a platonic friendship and is a way of saying you are a special friend to me,'' Sharon said.
Friendly flirting does, however, have it's down side.
``People say that I am a natural flirt and that I do it without even realizing it,'' said James Robb, a 1995 graduate of Norview High School. ``Sometimes your friends might take it the wrong way and think that you are interested in them for more then friendship.''
Hassencahl believes that intent is the important element in friendly flirting. ``It's only when people get their wires crossed that problems arise,'' she said. ILLUSTRATION: Photo
Jennifer Riddle is a rising senior at Lake Taylor High.
by CNB