How Do You Refer to Women’s Breasts?

Gok Wan, a British fashion consultant, TV presenter and author, has been recently criticized by Australian consumers about the ad campaign that he made for retailer Target. It was not just criticism, but a complaint was actually filed against him in Australia’s Ad Standards Board (ASB).  In the campaign, Gok Wan got into trouble when he referred to women’s breasts as “assets” and “bangers”. He actually told women to “wear a correctly sized bra so “your bangers will feel more loved”.

Gok Wan also used the word “assets” to refer to breasts in the same promotion. These two words were not liked by some, and resulted in their action against him.  However, both the retailer Target and the ASB stood by Gok Wan in this issue. The published complaints obviously show that the complainants are homophobic, meaning they hate or fear the homosexuals or homosexuality. Gok Wan is, openly, a gay.

When we write about breasts and bras, we also use words other than breasts:  tits, chest, boobs, twins, girls, etc. Using different terms prevents the article from being boring. Sometimes there are also instructions to limit the use of the keyword “breasts” and not to overdo it.

You’ll be fascinated by how people can come up with different names for breasts, while you can call it by its real name in a straightforward manner. “Assets” or “bangers” to refer to breasts seem fine and fun to us, and even more fun are the hundreds of slang words used for breasts.  Try digging for them from the internet.  Some that you may find are fun to say, or do not make any sense, or evoke amusing imagery, or food related.  Examples are “melons”, “fun bags”, “the twins”, or “the girls”. You may also find some worst expressions such as “fried eggs”, “milk wagon”, “lungs”, “knockers”, “hooters”, “missiles” that sound as if they were taken from an anatomy textbook.

What name or names do you want to call your breasts?  Are you offended by the terms “bangers” and “assets”? Will the context matter?  We just noticed in the Gok Wan news article that some people are offended by the terms and say they are not used appropriately. Do you find the word “bangers” a derogatory term for breasts?  Or do you dispute how the breasts are described as “assets”?  Or, do you dislike the ad because the presenter is homosexual?

Well, so much for that.  There’s good news about the Target bras. Shortly after the complaints were filed, women flocked to the retailer store and filled their carts with bras of their sizes. They liked the ad, although it was hilarious.  They said they did not care about the terms used to refer to breasts, and the publicity created by the complainants has called their attention to Target bras.