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 a sexually attractive older woman, typically one who has children. The phrase's usage has gone from relatively obscure to mainstream in the media and entertainment.
History
The concept of the MILF predates the term, as exemplified by Mrs. Robinson in the movie The Graduate. Linguist Laurel A. Sutton states that MILF was one of 9 different 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". The term was widely popularized by the film American Pie, where John Cho's character 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, television shows, and, of course, a concomitant porn genre".
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 cultureat large, the forms DILF or FILF are used among androphiles to refer to a sexually attractive older man who is likely a father.
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, but it was later canceled after complaints were filed against it. The 2003 music video for the song "Stacy's Mom" by the group Fountains of Wayne draws on the theme of a MILF in its storyline. In December 2007, low-cost carrierSpirit Airlines ran a controversial advertising campaign, using MILF 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 for the San Francisco-based company. 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. 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", or both. The series was cancelled on March 8, 2019 after two seasons. The 2018 French comedy film is about three childhood friends who become MILFs seducing three young men.
