Back around the time I attended Griffith Jr. High School in E.L.A., I recall that Hickeys were all the rage. A sort of Red Badge of Dishonor if you will. Some kids would wear them proudly,…
others would face the anxiety of trying to hide and cover them up to avoid the often dire consequences of the “bustâ€, and all of the judgmental finger pointing associated with coming to school “markedâ€. More often they were seen as “The Mark of Possesion.” Among my peer groups I’d hear about the various emergency remedies to be used should you need to get rid of them in a hurry, these included:
• The cold spoons
•   Ice packs
•   Heat packs
•   Massage
•   Cover up with make-up
At that age, a hickey could make or break someone’s reputation. To some, they looked “dirty†and “cheapâ€. Others wore them proudly, (including the full “necklaces†and the oh so naughty one’s you couldn’t see but were told about) and they were also proven to be damning telltale evidence of infidelity. The cause of many an adolescent fight and break-up. The scandalous details later becoming the stuff of school hallway “chÃsmes†to be whispered at recess.
We boys often heard lurid tales of groups of girlfriends practicing their hickey skills on each other during clandestine slumber parties. The mere thought of such escapades drove us out of our dorky minds.
These days, I don’t see them around as much. Have they faded into the taboo practices of the past?
Or do the younger generations keep this Love Vampire legacy alive today? I wonder.
Want some “Instant Coolness?” stick a few of these on yourself, get a funky haircut, pay for some tattoos, and start telling everyone you live on “The Eastside“.
Hey Al, when I was a teenager they used to call them “monkey bites”, any idea on why? I never dug them but the girls always wanted to mark a vato up for some reason, I never thought they felt good either, there were many other cosita’s that would, as they used to say, “get you all hot”.
I still see them, the hickey is not dead. It’s also a way for a person to be marked with a claim stake. “This here chico/a is with someone, stay away!”
These marcas, brands, are still around. It was one of my most disliked facets of middle school — seeing people with hickeys. I never had the displeasure of seeing the necklace.
Hickeys are and should be a one way ticket to chanclazos.
ever had a girlfriend who’d do her initials on you in hickeys? I remember that was a big trend, especially amongst more dramatic couples.
Nowadays I only see hickeys on teens and trashy cholo type folks.
How about the lipstick kiss neck tat?
The hickey never dies. I saw a woman driving around yesterday with a huge one all over the left side of her neck.
I guess it’s like tagging. Just don’t try giving the bus a hickey.
They are called ” hater marks” these days lol..why b/c usually the person who does it is claiming thier territory like the prev comments say… When I was younger like 12 or 13 we used to play a stupid game called hicky fight a group of our friends (boys and girls) would always hang out at the park and the boys would chase the girls and tackle them down to give them a hicky lol it was a stupid ass game and usually the boys that liked certain girls would chase after that particular girl.
when i was in 9th grade, i saw a girl giving her bf one on the forehead, it was nasty and funny cuz he didnt get rid of it for 2 days. i’ve always thought of them as nasty and unnecessary, but if you must, keep them under the shirt, or pants.
I work at Lincoln High School. The hickey or “chupón” is alive & well; for better or worse.
My girlfriend burned me with her hair straightener.
How?, you ask…
She was in the restroom straightening her hair, I walked up behind her to scare her and she burned me.
That’s my story and I’m sticking to it.
Elyery, I’ll stay quiet on what I’ve seen…
Elyery,
Remember,…
“What happens in the Eastside, Stays in the Eastside”……
😉
Damn…I remember those days. My boyfriend used to place his initials on my chest sometimes on the back of my neck…..Those were the days.