Monday, December 27, 2010

The Best of LiLa: Boobs

That's right. This blog post is about boobs. If you find that word disturbing on any level, I think it's best you stop reading right now before we seriously offend you.

OK, so now that it's just us pervs, let's get started, shall we?

Yesterday I got a fantastic e-mail from our friend Loretta posing a very simple question: What are 16-year-old boys calling breasts these days?

Well, unfortunately (actually I think maybe it's fortunately) I've never had the opportunity to talk to any actual 16-year-old boys about the female anatomy on a day-to-day basis. However, I watch a LOT of television shows that feature 16-year-old boys, mainly because I'm suffering from an extremely advanced case of arrested development.

So, let's break this down:

Chuck Bass from Gossip Girl (suave, obnoxious, Upper East Sider) would DEFINITELY say breasts. As in "Her breasts are fantastic."

Tim Riggins from Friday Night Lights (love of my life, truck driving, football playing, rough around the edges, Texan) would say jugs. As in "Check out the jugs on that stripper."

Finn from Glee (geeky, singing, quasi-dumb jock) is definitely a boob guy. As in "Holy crap, I hope I might get to touch Rachel's boobs."


Puck from Glee (hot, cougar hunting, singing, jock) is probably a random boob euphemism guy. As in "Damn, Rachel's got some nice fun bags."

The moral of the story is that you can tell your reader a lot about your characters based on how they talk about female anatomy and other less controversial topics. So remember, whether they're discussing jugs, breasts or (my personal favorite) fun bags, it's not just about the boobs. When it comes to your characters, you've got to choose your words wisely.

15 comments:

Anne Gallagher said...

My absolute favorite brest definition is "sweater bunnies".

Anne Gallagher said...

Sorry, that would be breast.

Julia Karr said...

Snorted tea outta my nose! Thanks.

I love these! Of course, now I am thinking of every single name I've ever heard breasts called. I do love Clint and Stacy on What Not to Wear referencing "the girls."

Lydia Sharp said...

Nice. I always love a good boob discussion.

In my current wip the MC (female) refers to them as boobs, on herself and other girls, but the guy who likes her says rack. As in, "look at the size of that chick's rack."

There is one instance where he says, "this girl's girls are mine." But he was drunk at the time, which justifies a slight break in character. ;)

Fun bags and sweater bunnies are awesome terms. Now I bet I'm going to waste half my day trying to think up some new ones. Thanks.

Vicki Rocho said...

That's hysterical! My kids (the 7 & 9 year olds) have a fit when I use the appropriate medical terminology.

They haven't renamed boobs yet, but men have "Paris" and women have "Virginia". They crack me up.

K. M. Walton said...

My fav term is ala Austin Powers...jublies.

Tracey Neithercott said...

This is so funny! I have a friend who calls them "the girls." But you're so right: It depends on the character. Thanks for the reminder!

Stasia said...

My teenage sons call them "owls" as in "she's got a nice set of owls." And my husband thought he'd heard 'em all...

Kelly Polark said...

dairy pillows, headlights, knockers.. There are way too many terms for the shirt puppies.
When I was in college, I took Human Sexuality (yes, I got an A :) and the first day the teacher had us brainstorm all the slang terms for male/female genitalia, breasts and the act. It was nuts!! (no pun intended)

Theresa Milstein said...

I will keep this post in mind if I have a male character in my YA WIP refer to breasts. Now I may do it on purpose.

Happy New Year!

Nikki (Wicked Awesome Books) said...

I'm so glad I wasn't drinking anything because I probably would have snorted it out of my nose. Thanks for this hilarious post.

And can I add another: tits. I've met more than a few guys who refer to the girls that way.

erica and christy said...

Hmm...I've heard of coming up with a soundtrack for each character to know what kind of music each might listen to, but coming up with what they refer to boobs as is a whole new take on exploring my characters' voices. :0) Fun post. And yes, television watching is a wonderful resource to learn about Teens. Hehe...now I can tell my husband I'm "researching" while watching. christy

Anonymous said...

Got to meet Tim Riggins out in Austin! Had no clue who he was!

Unknown said...

It's probably a mark of my maturity (or lack thereof) that I giggled for a few seconds before appreciating the fine art of characterization by breast reference.

Awesome.

Anonymous said...

This is a great post. The way people (and characters) speak really does say a lot about who they are, where they come from, how they were raised, etc. And when you take the time to give characters their own distinct speech patterns, I think it makes a really big difference.

And personally, I always say boobies. I have no idea why. Though, I do love Clint and Stacey when they talk about "The Girls."

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