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MILF (/mɪlf/, as if read as "milf") is an acronym that stands for "mother I'd like to fuck". This abbreviation is used in colloquial English, instead of the whole phrase. It connotes an older woman, typically one with children, considered sexually attractive. A related term is "cougar", which suggests an older woman in active pursuit of a sexual relationship with younger men.

History

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. Typical users would be "college students from East Contra Costa, California". 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. American Pie screenwriter Adam Herz stated that he did not invent the phrase.

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".

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".

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".

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 who is likely a father.

The terms GILF (for "granny I'd like to fuck") and silver fox refer to attractive, highly-sexual older women (55+), regardless of child-bearing status.

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.

In December 2007, low-cost carrier Spirit Airlines ran a controversial advertising campaign, using MILFs to promote their tropical destinations, based on a different acronym: "Many Islands, Low Fares". In January 2009, Spirit ran the campaign again.

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.

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. The series' name, SMILF, is a play on the term "MILF", with the "S" standing for "single" or "Southie" (a nickname for South Boston, Massachusetts), or both.

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

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

See also

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

References

1. ^ "MILF, Definition of MILF in English by Oxford Dictionaries". Oxford Dictionaries. Oxford University Press. Archived from the original on 14 October 2016.
2. Press, Cambridge University (10 April 2008). Cambridge Advanced Learner's Dictionary. Cambridge University Press. ISBN 9783125179882 – via Google Books.
3. "MILF Meaning". Cambridge Dictionary. Cambridge University Press. Archived from the original on 5 August 2018.
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). "Flashback Video: Jennifer Coolidge as a MILF in American Pie". 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. Archived 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. Archived from the original on 12 September 2022. Retrieved 12 September 2022.
13. "yummy mummy". 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. Archived 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. Archived 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. Over the Line?.
19. Moran, Lee (2 May 2013). "Lingerie chain's 'MILF'-themed ad campaign sparks anger". Daily News. New York. Archived from the original on 25 July 2015. Retrieved 2 March 2015.
20. Petski, Denise (8 August 2017). "'White Famous' & 'SMILF' Get Premiere Dates On Showtime – TCA". Deadline. Archived from the original on 8 August 2017. Retrieved 8 August 2017.
21. Barsanti, Sam (11 May 2017). "The 'S' stands for 'single' in new Showtime comedy SMILF". The A.V. Club. Archived from the original on 14 August 2022. Retrieved 21 October 2017.
22. Wilson, Adam (12 November 2007). "The Southie in 'SMILF,' a Very Boston Comedy". The New Yorker. Archived from the original on 15 July 2018. Retrieved 15 July 2018.
23. Van Amburg, Jessie (5 July 2016). "Fergie, Chrissy Teigen, Ciara and Other Moms Just Redefined 'MILF'". TIME. Archived from the original on 3 December 2021. Retrieved 3 December 2021.
24. Stone, Natalie (1 July 2016). "Watch Fergie's "M.I.L.F. $" Music Video Featuring Kim Kardashian, Ciara". The Hollywood Reporter.
25. Mintzer, Jordan (29 June 2018). "'MILF': Film Review". The Hollywood Reporter. Retrieved 27 January 2019.

External links

• Acronyms
• Middle age
• Pornography terminology
• Sexuality and age
• Slang terms for women
• 2000s slang
• 2010s slang