The Weekly Mindfuck: Save the Popcorn For Later

There's a fantasy at the forefront of most bucket lists. Sitting in the back row of a dim theater, the projector illuminating the rows of chairs in a fan of soft light, only your silhouette is visible. People are around, of course, but scattered, all demurely sipping soda through their straws, eyes fixed intently on the screen. You recline slightly in your chair, your pants already slightly unzipped and folding over where denim meets the brass of your button. Anyone could turn around at any moment—the people seated at the end of the row would merely have to look to their left long enough for their pupils to dilate in the dark blue light—and still, she leans over slowly, a wicked gleam in her eyes and her heart audibly pounding. Her head starts bobbing gently, and you try to keep your eyes on the screen. You're hoping no one sees.

Or are you? 

Part of public sex is the thrill of being caught, of course. Part is the slight triumph you feel over the unwitting people seated mere rows away from you, having a significantly less enjoyable experience When you were younger, it was a matter of convenience. Hands clasped, you'd find the farthest corner of the theater, away from the ethereal red light of the projector. You'd whisper earnestly, ready to take advantage of the time you had away from the watching eyes of your parents and teachers. 

When you're older, movie theater sex is illicit and exciting in a way that a romp in the sheets or the shower just isn't. Kneeling down on the dilapidated floor of a bar bathroom still offers some privacy, and road head separates you from the masses with a thin layer of glass. When she's leaning over the scratchy red  of an armrest at a theater, the chances of someone witnessing the act are higher than the odds that they won't. 

So what is about a movie theater? Do we want to be seen? Of course we do. Voyeurism is just as much about being seen as it is seeing. It's knowing that anyone could witness what's usually reserved for bedrooms and showers and bathroom stalls. 

After all—there's no better place than a movie theater for a performance.