MILF (, as if read as "milf") is an

acronym An acronym is a word or name formed from the initial components of a longer name or phrase. Acronyms are usually formed from the initial letters of words, as in ''NATO'' (''North Atlantic Treaty Organization''), but sometimes use syllables, as ...

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 considered sexually attractive, typically one who has children. The phrase's usage has gone from relatively obscure to mainstream in the media and entertainment. A related term is " cougar", which suggests an older woman in active pursuit of 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 Berkeley most often refers to: *Berkeley, California, a city in the United States **University of California, Berkeley, a public university in Berkeley, California * George Berkeley (1685–1753), Anglo-Irish philosopher Berkeley may also refer ...

in the spring of 1992. Stereotypical users would be "college students from East Contra Costa, California". The term was widely popularized by the film '' American Pie'' (1999), where

John Cho John Cho (born Cho Yo-Han; June 16, 1972) is an American actor known for his roles as Harold Lee in the '' Harold & Kumar'' films, and Hikaru Sulu in the ''Star Trek'' rebooted film series. Early in his career, Cho also starred in the Asian A ...

's character (simply credited as 'MILF Guy No. 2') used the term to refer to Jennifer Coolidge's character Jeanine Stifler. 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 Real Housewives of Orange County'' (abbreviated ''RHOC'') is an American reality television series that premiered on Bravo on March 21, 2006. It has aired sixteen seasons and focuses on the personal and professional lives of several wom ...

'', 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 to replace it with WHIP, which stands for "women who are hot, intelligent and in their prime".

Similar terms

The term ''

yummy mummy Yummy mummy is a slang term used to describe an attractive mother. The term developed in the late 20th century, and was often applied to celebrity mothers such as Elizabeth Hurley or Victoria Beckham, who appeared to quickly regain their pre-preg ...

'' is also used along with MILF. The ''

Oxford English Dictionary The ''Oxford English Dictionary'' (''OED'') is the first and foundational historical dictionary of the English language, published by Oxford University Press (OUP). It traces the historical development of the English language, providing a co ...

'' 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 Washington commonly refers to: * Washington (state), United States * Washington, D.C., the capital of the United States ** A metonym for the federal government of the United States ** Washington metropolitan area, the metropolitan area centered o ...

applied for a vanity license plate reading "GOTMILF", a parody of the "

Got Milk? Got Milk? (stylized as got milk?) is an American advertising campaign encouraging the consumption of milk and dairy products. Created by the advertising agency Goodby Silverstein & Partners for the California Milk Processor Board in 1993, it ...

" advertising slogan. This plate was approved (the applicant wrote a different meaning for "MILF" than what he intended), but it was later cancelled after complaints were filed against it. In December 2007, low-cost carrier

Spirit Airlines Spirit Airlines Inc. (stylized as spirit) is a major ultra-low-cost U.S. carrier headquartered in Miramar, Florida, in the Miami metropolitan area. Spirit operates scheduled flights throughout the United States, the Caribbean and Latin Americ ...

ran a controversial advertising campaign, using MILF(s) 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

bra A bra, short for brassiere or brassière (, or ; ), is a form-fitting undergarment that is primarily used to support and cover breasts. It can serve a range of other practical and aesthetic purposes, including enhancing or reducing the appea ...

ssieres, converting it to "Mom I'd Like to ''Fit''". The campaign garnered negative attention for the San Francisco-based company. A 2014 article in ''

Playboy ''Playboy'' is an American men's Lifestyle magazine, lifestyle and entertainment magazine, formerly in print and currently online. It was founded in Chicago in 1953, by Hugh Hefner and his associates, and funded in part by a $1,000 loan from H ...

'' magazine by

Purdue University Purdue University is a public land-grant research university in West Lafayette, Indiana, and the flagship campus of the Purdue University system. The university was founded in 1869 after Lafayette businessman John Purdue donated land and mone ...

, sex educator and researcher

Justin Lehmiller Justin J. Lehmiller is an American social psychologist and author. He is a research fellow at the Kinsey Institute at Indiana University. Lehmiller has authored books such as ''Tell Me What You Want: The Science of Sexual Desire and How It Can H ...

referenced the work of

Sigmund Freud Sigmund Freud ( , ; born Sigismund Schlomo Freud; 6 May 1856 – 23 September 1939) was an Austrian neurologist and the founder of psychoanalysis, a clinical method for evaluating and treating pathologies explained as originating in conflicts ...

and

Alfred Kinsey Alfred Charles Kinsey (; June 23, 1894 – August 25, 1956) was an American sexologist, biologist, and professor of entomology and zoology who, in 1947, founded the Institute for Sex Research at Indiana University, now known as the Kinsey Insti ...

to explain the fascination with the MILF phenomenon. ''

SMILF ''SMILF'' is an American sitcom starring, created, written, and directed by Frankie Shaw. It was based on her short film of the same title. The series premiered on Showtime on November 5, 2017. The series' name, SMILF, is a play on the term " ...

'' is an American comedy television series starring, created, written and directed by

Frankie Shaw Rachel Frances Shaw (born 1981) is an American actress and filmmaker. She is best known for playing Bridgette Bird on the Showtime series ''SMILF,'' based on the 2015 short film of the same title, which she wrote, directed and starred in. 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 South Boston is a densely populated neighborhood of Boston, Massachusetts, located south and east of the Fort Point Channel and abutting Dorchester Bay. South Boston, colloquially known as Southie, has undergone several demographic transformat ...

), or both. The series was cancelled on March 8, 2019, after two seasons. 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 MILF (, 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 considered sexually attractive, typically one who has ...

'' is about three childhood friends who become MILFs, seducing three young men. In the video game ''

Friday Night Funkin' ''Friday Night Funkin (stylized as FRIDAY NIGHT FUNKIN' and often abbreviated to ''FNF'') is an open-source donationware rhythm game first released in 2020 for a game jam. The game was developed by a team of four Newgrounds users, Cameron "nin ...

'', a song called " M.I.L.F." is named after the same phrase.

References

External links

{{Sexual slang Acronyms Pornography terminology Sexuality and age Slang terms for women 2000s slang 2010s slang

History

Similar terms

In popular culture

See also

References

External links