What is the difference between the following?
A) She likes to be looked at.
B) She likes being looked at.
Could you please elaborate your explanations? The more detail, the better.
Answer
As @Joe says, in most such contexts there's no discernible difference in meaning. But in some contexts there is a possible distinction between infinitive/gerund (or simple/continuous tense). For example,...
Always tell the truth, but don't always be telling the truth.
...which could be mirrored by something closer to OP's example, such as...
I want you always to tell the truth, but not always to be telling the truth.
In such constructions we're forced to acknowledge that the -ing versions emphasise continuously doing something (in this case, the intended sense is that whenever you do say something it should be true, but sometimes it would be better not to say anything at all).
But in OP's example it would be stretching a point to suggest that the first version means if she happens to be aware that people are looking at her, she likes it, and that the second version carries more the implication that she's only really content when people are looking at her.
It's also worth noting what happens if we substitute a different verb...
1: She wants to be looked at.
2: ?? She wants being looked at.
3: She wants looking at.
...where #2 wouldn't normally be considered grammatically acceptable, and #3 would almost always be interpreted as an idiomatic format meaning [objectively speaking] it would be better if she were looked at. Some people would allow that interpretation for #1, but it would more naturally be seen as equivalent (or at least, extremely similar) to both OP's examples.
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