
MILF (, as if read as "milf") is an
acronym
An acronym is a type of abbreviation consisting of a phrase whose only pronounced elements are the initial letters or initial sounds of words inside that phrase. Acronyms are often spelled with the initial Letter (alphabet), letter of each wor ...
that stands for "mother I'd like to fuck".
This abbreviation is usually
used in
colloquial
Colloquialism (also called ''colloquial language'', ''colloquial speech'', ''everyday language'', or ''general parlance'') is the linguistic style used for casual and informal communication. It is the most common form of speech in conversation amo ...
English instead of the whole phrase. It connotes an older woman, typically one with children, considered sexually attractive.
A related term is "
cougar
The cougar (''Puma concolor'') (, ''Help:Pronunciation respelling key, KOO-gər''), also called puma, mountain lion, catamount and panther is a large small cat native to the Americas. It inhabits North America, North, Central America, Cent ...
", which suggests an older woman in active pursuit of a sexual relationship with younger men.
History
Linguist
Linguistics is the scientific study of language. The areas of linguistic analysis are syntax (rules governing the structure of sentences), semantics (meaning), Morphology (linguistics), morphology (structure of words), phonetics (speech sounds ...
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 to ...
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
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 as well as '' Better Luck Tomorrow'', '' Columbus'', a ...
's character (simply credited as "MILF Guy No. 2") used the term to refer to
Jennifer Coolidge
Jennifer Coolidge (born August 28, 1961) is an American actress and comedian. Known for her work in the comedy genre, Coolidge is the recipient of several accolades, including a Golden Globe Award and two Primetime Emmy Awards. In 2023, she wa ...
's character Jeanine Stifler. ''American Pie'' screenwriter Adam Herz clarified that he did not invent the phrase.
A 2007 article in ''
New York
New York most commonly refers to:
* New York (state), a state in the northeastern United States
* New York City, the most populous city in the United States, located in the state of New York
New York may also refer to:
Places United Kingdom
* ...
'' 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
''Desperate Housewives'' is an American mystery comedy-drama television series created by Marc Cherry, and produced by ABC Studios and Cherry Productions. It aired for eight seasons on ABC from October 3, 2004, until May 13, 2012, for a tota ...
'', ''
The Real Housewives of Orange County
''The Real Housewives of Orange County'', abbreviated ''RHOC'', is an American reality television series that premiered on Bravo (American TV network), Bravo on March 21, 2006. It has aired eighteen seasons and focuses on the personal and prof ...
'', 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, coined by Bibi Lynch, 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
The ''Oxford English Dictionary'' (''OED'') is the principal historical dictionary of the English language, published by Oxford University Press (OUP), a University of Oxford publishing house. The dictionary, which published its first editio ...
'' 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 most commonly refers to:
* George Washington (1732–1799), the first president of the United States
* Washington (state), a state in the Pacific Northwest of the United States
* Washington, D.C., the capital of the United States
** A ...
applied for a
vanity license plate reading "GOTMILF", a parody of the "
Got Milk?
Got Milk? (often stylized as got milk?) is an American advertising campaign on television and YouTube encouraging the consumption of milk and dairy products. Created by the advertising agency Goodby Silverstein & Partners for the California Mi ...
" 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
Spirit Airlines, Inc. is an American ultra-low cost airline headquartered in Dania Beach, Florida, in the Miami metropolitan area. Spirit operates scheduled flights throughout the United States, the Caribbean, and Latin America. Spirit was the ...
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
bra
A bra, short for brassiere or brassière (, ; ), is a type of form-fitting underwear that is primarily used to support and cover a woman's breasts. A typical bra consists of a chest band that wraps around the torso, supporting two breast cups ...
ssieres, converting it to "Mom I'd Like to ''Fit''". The campaign garnered negative attention.
''
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 " M ...
'' is an American comedy television series starring, created, written and directed by
Frankie Shaw
Rachel Frances Shaw (born ) is an American actress, writer and director. She is best known for playing Bridgette Bird on the Showtime (TV network), Showtime series ''SMILF,'' based on the 2015 short film of the same title, which she wrote, dire ...
on
Showtime
Showtime or Show Time may refer to:
Film
* ''Showtime'' (film), a 2002 American action/comedy film
* ''Showtime'' (video), a 1995 live concert video by Blur
Television Networks and channels
* Showtime Networks, a division of Paramount Global w ...
. 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 (colloquially known as Southie) is a densely populated neighborhood of Boston, Massachusetts, United States, located south and east of the Fort Point Channel and abutting Dorchester Bay (Boston Harbor), Dorchester Bay. It has under ...
, 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
MILF (, as if read as "milf") is an acronym that stands for "mother I'd like to fuck". This abbreviation is usually
used in colloquial English instead of the whole phrase. It connotes an older woman, typically one with children, considered sex ...
'' is about three childhood friends who become MILFs, seducing three young men.
See also
*
MILF pornography
MILF pornography (short for ''mother I'd like/love to fuck'') is a genre of pornography in which the actresses are usually women ages 30 to 60, though many actresses have started making this type of pornographic film at age 25. Central to the typi ...
*
Age disparity in sexual relationships
In sexual relationships, concepts of age disparity, including what defines an age disparity, have developed over time and vary among societies. Differences in age preferences for mates can stem from partner availability, gender roles, and evolu ...
*
Cougar (slang)
Cougar is a slang term for a woman who seeks romantic or sexual relationships with significantly younger men.
Terminology and age
The origin of the word ''cougar'' as a slang term is debated, but it is thought to have originated in Western Canad ...
*
Gerontophilia
*
Oedipus complex
In classical psychoanalytic theory, the Oedipus complex is a son's sexual attitude towards his mother and concomitant hostility toward his father, first formed during the phallic stage of psychosexual development. A daughter's attitude of desire ...
References
External links
{{Sexual slang
Acronyms
Middle age
Pornography terminology
Sexuality and age
Slang terms for women
2000s slang
2010s slang