Are Moms Supposed to Want to Be MILFs Now?
LatestHas anyone ever actually taken the term MILF seriously as a desirable thing? Given that it has its origins in teenage boy lust (American Pie) and porn*, where every possible type of sexual appeal clearly needs a convenient shorthand for ease of boner, it seems most of us have simply begrudgingly acknowledged the term’s existence in the porn store aisle of life with a quick side eye, then plowed on, eyes facing forward lest we linger too long on the unsavory implications therein.
At least, that’s what I thought. I mean, sure, I’ve seen women wearing MILF T-shirts, and I’ve heard men and women alike use the term without a trace of sarcasm, and I’m sure they are nice, lovely people. But people who take their pop culture cues from horny dudes are not usually the people I look to for signs of a significant linguistic shift in the culture, proof that now we have embraced the term as one of our own. That would take a lobotomy more convincing argument. But lo and behold, someone has helmed the steam locomotive of Making the Term MILF Desirable, and has done so with (allegedly) the most feminist (if not entrepreneurial) of intentions: a diet book. Fine, I’ll bite:
The Conductor: Jessica Porter. LA-based chef, nutritionist. Wrote The Hip Chick’s Guide to Macrobiotics and co-authored Alicia Silverstone’s The Kind Diet.
Her Literature: The MILF Diet: Let the Power of Whole Foods Transform Your Body, Mind, and Spirit…Deliciously
Her Mission: (From Amazon) A true milf is confident, sexy, and radiates natural femininity. By eating whole, plant-based foods, you, too, can find balance and dynamic health, and unleash your inner MILF. It’s simple: you are what you eat. So, to fulfill your true potential for health, happiness, and MILFiness, it’s best to avoid refined sugars, processed foods, dairy, and meat.
Her Feminism: Co-opting and repurposing a politically incorrect term and embracing it for positive personal growth.
First off, re: “True milf” used in the book description above — not sure what a fake MILF would be, but I’ll leave that alone. Also, “unleashing” one’s “inner” anything cracks me up, big time, but especially something so literally physical. Like, the idea of holding a hot, thin, fuckable person hostage on the inside is mega-lolz. No one is definitely doing that. But OK, you!
So as you can guess, back in November, the diet book’s announcement on the scene was not instantly met with unbridled enthusiasm from everyone. This take in LA Weekly gives the book, which says the recipes “look kind of boring and health-food vegan-y,” the what-for from the get-go:
It begins as soon as the acknowledgments. Among others, Author Jessica Porter thanks “My stepmother, Anna, a MILF and loving mentor.” Whoa, whoa, whoa. Does Porter know what MILF means??? Someone should tell her. Like, really quickly. Either that or there’s about to be a really awkward moment between Porter and her father, aka Anna’s husband, aka, the dude married to the person Porter wants to … well, you get it.
But it gets better. “One of the quickest routes to becoming a MILF is by eating whole, natural foods.” Oh. Cool. All clear now. Wait, What?? Yep, the MILF book is not only full of horrible, squirm-inducing, misguided attempts to empower “older” women to think this is a term they should totally be using about themselves, it’s also full of healthful hippy hoo-ha, whith a good dose of bullshit spirituality thrown in for good measure. The chapter titled “MILF Sex” (kill me now) begins in part “… a true MILF is sexy in a deep and powerful way. Because she eats whole and balanced foods, she is whole, and her chi runs through her unimpeded.” Of course this is all a set up to say that you should lose weight and that will make you sexy. Which may be true, I don’t know, but leave the chi out of it.
Another reviewer took offense at the use of the term MILF to sell her anything when the term’s meaning is clearly one of disrespect. She crowdsourced on Facebook and found that most of her peers agreed, and they, too, found the term “disrespectful,” “not a compliment,” used only for “shock” value, and said the book seemed like yet another product that plays into female insecurity or the need for approval through sex.