Boobs - Keeping Abreast of the (Page 3) News

What? Did you think I was going to show a real pair of boobs? Tsk, tsk.

BOOB

Noun. Slang (originally in the US). Mid-20th century.

[from BUB noun or abbreviation of BOOBY noun.]

A woman's breast. Usually in plural.

Boobs have been in the news a lot recently. To be precise, boobs being in the news has been in the news a lot recently, as the 'No More Page 3' campaign has continued to gather momentum. For anyone not familiar with the fine and upstanding traditions of the British media, Page 3 refers to something of a national institution, started by The Sun newspaper in the 1970s when they felt the need to complement their stellar journalism with a picture of a topless young girl on said page (and it often was a young girl - models could pose topless at 16 before the law changed in 2003 that requires them to be at least 18). Initially, the photo would be accompanied by a brief bio about the model and some really rubbish pun such as: "This is Marie, 19, from Newcastle, with a really fine pair of melons - and her cantaloupes aren't bad either!" Eventually, the naff puns were dropped (probably because they were going over the head of the average Sun reader) in favour of News in Briefs, a quote from the model on some pertinent news issue, such as: "Marie, 19, from Newcastle, says 'The EU's call for Greece to liquidize its defence industry is premature - the IMF and ECB must first be given a chance to see how effective the austerity measures have been in tackling the fiscal crisis.'" Quite.

A parody News in Briefs was part of a campaign to encourage Lego to withdraw advertising from The Sun

While arguments both for and against Page 3 continue, the anti-Page 3 camp does seem to be making significant headway. The Irish Sun, for example, recently decided to stop showing bare breasts on its Page 3, citing 'cultural differences' as the basis for its decision (whether or not it will depart even further from its British namesake by introducing good-quality journalism remains to be seen). The Sun in the UK, meanwhile, has reacted in predictably inane fashion: firstly by claiming that its readers "strongly support" the retention of Page 3 (as if anyone ever thought that they bought it for its journalism), and secondly by launching puerile attacks on anti-Page 3 campaigners, such as calling MP Clare Short "fat and jealous" because of her objections. That The Sun is Britain's best-selling paper is, quite frankly, a national embarrassment, especially as polls have also shown that it's viewed as Britain's least trustworthy newspaper. Could it possibly be that people are only buying it for its boobs?

Which brings us neatly back to the word boobs. If, as this is Lexicolatry, you've been reading patiently, wondering when the post will get to the etymology, you won't be disappointed: boob derives from either bub or bubby (though seeing as bub itself derives from bubby, it doesn't really seem to matter). Both of these, in plural, refer to a woman's breasts, bubs being used in the 19th century, and bubbies being used in the 17th. As to where bubbies came from, this is likely to be the German word Bübbi, meaning teat (so boobs does not come from buboes of the Bubonic Plague fame, just in case you've ever heard that story). If, however, you arrived here in expectation of a crude, pun-filled exploration of boobs, bazookas, jugs and knockers (replete with pictures, of course), then I'm pleased to disappoint you, you ignorant tit.

What do you think about Page 3?

What do you think about the word boobs?

What brought you to an article entitled Boobs anyway?

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