MILF

For other uses, see MILF (disambiguation).

MILF (/mɪlf/, as if read as "milf") is an acronym that stands for "Mature (or Mother) I'd Like to Fuck".^[1][2][3] This abbreviation is used in colloquial English, instead of the whole phrase. It connotes an older woman, typically one with children, considered sexually attractive.^[1][2][4][5] A related term is "cougar", which suggests an older woman in active pursuit of a sexual relationship with younger men.

History

 

Jennifer Coolidge, whose character in American Pie helped popularize the term “MILF”

Linguist Laurel A. Sutton states that MILF was one of nine terms for "attractive women" collected from undergraduates at a large linguistics class at Berkeley in the spring of 1992. Stereotypical users would be "college students from East Contra Costa, California".^[6] The term was widely popularized by the film American Pie (1999), where John Cho's character (simply credited as 'MILF Guy No. 2') used the term to refer to Jennifer Coolidge's character Jeanine Stifler.^[7][8] American Pie screenwriter Adam Herz stated that he did not invent the phrase.^[9]

A 2007 article in New York magazine stated the evidence that the term had become mainstream included "25,000-plus MILF-branded mugs and tees on Café Press to a rash of hot-mama books (The Hot Mom's Handbook, Confessions of a Naughty Mommy, The MILF Anthology), television shows (Desperate Housewives, The Real Housewives of Orange County, the forthcoming contest 'Hottest Mom in America', and a pilot in development called MILF & Cookies), and, of course, a concomitant porn genre".^[10]

Some media outlets found the expression offensive to women, and suggested replacing it with WHIP, which stands for "women who are hot, intelligent and in their prime".^[11][12]

Similar terms

The term yummy mummy is also used along with MILF. The Oxford English Dictionary defines the term as "an attractive and stylish young mother".^[13]

Although not yet as widespread in popular culture at large, the forms DILF (for "Dad/Daddy I'd Like to Fuck") or FILF (for "Father I'd Like to Fuck") are used among androphiles to refer to a sexually attractive older man^[14] who is likely a father.

The terms GILF^[15] (for "Granny I'd Like to Fuck") and silver fox refer to attractive, highly-sexual older women (55+), regardless of child-bearing status. Silver fox can refer to any gender.^{[citation needed]}

In popular culture

In 2002, a resident of the U.S. state of Washington applied for a vanity license plate reading "GOTMILF", a parody of the "Got Milk?" advertising slogan. This plate was approved (the applicant claimed MILF meant "Manual Inline Lift Fluctuator"), but it was later cancelled after complaints were filed against it.^[16]

In December 2007, low-cost carrier Spirit Airlines ran a controversial advertising campaign, using MILF(s) to promote their tropical destinations, based on a different acronym: "Many Islands, Low Fares".^[17] In January 2009, Spirit ran the campaign again.^[18]

In 2013, an apparel company, True & Co., parodied the phrase in advertising for its line of brassieres, converting it to "Mom I'd Like to Fit". The campaign garnered negative attention for the San Francisco, California, U.S.-based company.^[19]

A 2014 article in Playboy magazine by Purdue University, sex educator and researcher Justin Lehmiller referenced the work of Sigmund Freud and Alfred Kinsey to explain the fascination with the MILF phenomenon.^[20]

SMILF is an American comedy television series starring, created, written and directed by Frankie Shaw on Showtime. It is based on Shaw's short film of the same title.^[21] The series' name, SMILF, is a play on the term "MILF", with the "S" standing for "single"^[22] or "Southie" (a nickname for South Boston, Massachusetts), or both.^[23] The series was cancelled on March 8, 2019, after two seasons.^[24]

In 2016, Fergie released the song "M.I.L.F. $" as well as an accompanying video featuring numerous famous mothers.^[25][26]

The 2018 French comedy film MILF is about three childhood friends who become MILFs, seducing three young men.^[27]

In the video game Friday Night Funkin', a song called "M.I.L.F." is named after the same phrase.

See also

• Age disparity in sexual relationships
• Cougar (slang)
• Gerontophilia
• MILF pornography
• Oedipus complex

References

1. . Oxford Dictionaries. Oxford University Press. Archived from the original on 14 October 2016.
2. "MILF Meaning". Cambridge Dictionary. Cambridge University Press. from the original on 5 August 2018.
3. Press, Cambridge University (10 April 2008). Cambridge Advanced Learner's Dictionary. Cambridge University Press. ISBN 9783125179882 – via Google Books.
4. Dash, Rajendra Kumar (1 December 2015). Professional Learner'S Dictionary of Spoken English. PHI Learning Pvt. Ltd. ISBN 9788120352254 – via Google Books.
5. Dalzell, Tom (25 July 2008). The Routledge Dictionary of Modern American Slang and Unconventional English. Routledge. ISBN 978-1134194780 – via Google Books.
6. Sutton, Laurel A. (1995). "Bitches and Skankly Hobags". In Hall, Kira; Bucholtz, Mary (eds.). Gender Articulated: Language and the Socially Constructed Self. Routledge. pp. 279–296. ISBN 978-0-415-91398-0.
7. "John Cho: John, 'MILF' Guy #2". IMDb. Retrieved 11 January 2019.
8. Bonner, Mehera (31 October 2011). . Wetpaint. Archived from the original on 12 January 2019. Retrieved 11 January 2019.
9. Yahr, Emily (30 January 2023). "The story behind 'MILF Manor,' the reality show that seems like a fever dream". Washington Post.
10. Em & Lo (24 October 2007). "Of MILF and Men". New York. Retrieved 12 January 2018.
11. Ruiz, Michelle (28 August 2017). "This Just In: WHIPs Are the New MILFs". Vogue. from the original on 12 September 2022. Retrieved 12 September 2022.
12. Hosie, Rachel (29 August 2017). "WHIPs: The new empowering acronym to take on MILFs". The Independent. from the original on 12 September 2022. Retrieved 12 September 2022.
13. . Oxford Dictionaries. Oxford University Press. Archived from the original on 2 January 2014. Retrieved 16 July 2016.
14. Mills, Simon (27 April 2016). "How to Be a DILF". GQ. from the original on 3 November 2022.
15. "Dating an older woman". The Montreal Times. 18 May 2022. Retrieved 12 September 2022.
16. "End of Road For GOTMILF License Plate". the smoking gun. 21 July 2004. from the original on 22 October 2023. Retrieved 19 June 2012.
17. "Fort Lauderdale's Spirit in the sky". anna.aero. 15 August 2008.
18. "Over the Line?". The O'Reilly Factor. 11 December 2007. Fox News Channel. .
19. Moran, Lee (2 May 2013). "Lingerie chain's 'MILF'-themed ad campaign sparks anger". Daily News. New York. from the original on 25 July 2015. Retrieved 2 March 2015.
20. Lehmiller, Justin (24 August 2014). . Playboy. Archived from the original on 1 April 2018. Retrieved 2 March 2015.
21. Petski, Denise (8 August 2017). "'White Famous' & 'SMILF' Get Premiere Dates On Showtime – TCA". Deadline. from the original on 8 August 2017. Retrieved 8 August 2017.
22. Barsanti, Sam (11 May 2017). "The 'S' stands for 'single' in new Showtime comedy SMILF". The A.V. Club. from the original on 14 August 2022. Retrieved 21 October 2017.
23. Wilson, Adam (12 November 2007). "The Southie in 'SMILF,' a Very Boston Comedy". The New Yorker. from the original on 15 July 2018. Retrieved 15 July 2018.
24. Andreeva, Nellie (8 March 2019). "'SMILF' Canceled By Showtime After Two Seasons". Deadline Hollywood. Deadline Media; Penske Business Media, LLC. Retrieved 8 March 2019.
25. Van Amburg, Jessie (5 July 2016). "Fergie, Chrissy Teigen, Ciara and Other Moms Just Redefined 'MILF'". TIME. from the original on 3 December 2021. Retrieved 3 December 2021.
26. Stone, Natalie (1 July 2016). "Watch Fergie's "M.I.L.F. $" Music Video Featuring Kim Kardashian, Ciara". The Hollywood Reporter.
27. Mintzer, Jordan (29 June 2018). "'MILF': Film Review". The Hollywood Reporter. Retrieved 27 January 2019.

External links

 

Look up MILF in Wiktionary, the free dictionary.