A Senior Capstone Experience by Celia Long ’26
Submitted to the Department of Sociology and Communications & Media Studies
Advised by Dr. Meghan Grosse & Dr. Erin Anderson
Contributor Biography: Celia graduated summa cum laude from Washington College with a B.A. in
Sociology and Communication & Media Studies and a minor in Justice, Law, and Society. At
graduation, she received the Eugene B. Casey Medal, which faculty award to a senior woman
outstanding in scholarship, character, leadership, and campus citizenship. Celia also received the
Margaret Horsley Award, given to the sociology major who has shown the clearest understanding
of human social behavior. Two grants from the Libby and Douglas Cater Society of Junior
Fellows funded her thesis research. While at WC, she played on the field hockey team, was a
Presidential Fellow, served as webmaster for the American Marketing Association chapter, and
tutored through the Office of Academic Skills. She was inducted into Phi Beta Kappa and Alpha
Kappa Delta and studied abroad at Royal Holloway, University of London. Celia is currently in
Prague, pursuing a Master’s degree in Society, Communication, and Media at Charles University
Short Description: Public displays of affection can look like private moments, but this
SCE treats them as social acts that communities shape and regulate. Drawing on field
observation and resident surveys in Madrid, New York City, Philadelphia, Tokyo, and Taipei, this
thesis compares how often couples show affection in public, which gestures count as acceptable,
and whose relationships are welcome in shared space. Madrid emerged as the most openly
affectionate, the United States fell in the middle, and East Asia was the most reserved. Using
symbolic interactionism and cultural studies, it argues that Madrid’s openness comes from its
post-Franco political history, while restraint in Tokyo and Taipei reflects collectivist norms more
than religious belief. In all five cities, same-sex couples were less visible, which suggests that
legal recognition of a relationship does not guarantee social acceptance.
Read Celia’s SCE below:
