# BBCA Lesson: Brits, Don't Grab Tits in the U.S. **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Created:** [March 28, 2004, 4:42am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/bbca-lesson-brits-dont-grab-tits-in-the-u-s/236869 "2004-03-28T04:42:35Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![moriah](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/b2d939/32.png) [@moriah](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/moriah)\ **Post date:** [March 28, 2004, 4:42am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/bbca-lesson-brits-dont-grab-tits-in-the-u-s/236869/1 "2004-03-28T04:42:35Z")
So, I finally have BBC America. I’m watching “What Not To Wear.” Every other word is ‘tits.’ And if they’re not talking about tits, they’re grabbing them. Cupping them. Moving them around. And so, my dear friends from the British Isles, let me give you a word of warning if you come to the U.S.: We call them breasts. And even with that most neutrally non-offending word, we rarely refer to them at all. And if we must refer to a woman’s breasts in person, we sometimes use cute euphemisms like ‘the girls’ or ‘your assets.’ Yeah, so maybe its a bit of our Puritan heritage, or, maybe it’s a reaction to the boorish history of sexual harrassment in the U.S.; but we don’t draw attention to a woman’s breasts in person unless there’s a very valid reason to do so. And even then, we don’t call them tits. For us, that’s like calling them boobies or honkers. Oh, one more thing. If you think we’re too painfully reticent to talk about tits. You can imagine our taboo over reaching out and manually adjusting them. Don’t do that. Just pretend you’re in Germany. ## Peace. I’m sure this warning will have no effect except to send American males to the show so that they can watch women handling other women’s breasts. ---
**Author:** ![Bambi\_Hassenpfeffer](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/bbe5ce/32.png) [@Bambi\_Hassenpfeffer](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Bambi_Hassenpfeffer)\ **Post date:** [March 28, 2004, 5:33am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/bbca-lesson-brits-dont-grab-tits-in-the-u-s/236869/2 "2004-03-28T05:33:13Z")
You’re kinda right. When I first got BBC-A and starting TiVoing the _WNTW_ episodes, the number of times Trinny and Susannah said “tits and arse” was jarring. Right there in the opening titles, there is boob grabbage and everything. But you get used to it; I actually like it a little better than the American _WNTW_. You wanna know what shows will make you feel better about the way your house looks inside? _The Life Laundry_ and _House Doctor_. ---
**Author:** ![Otto](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/o/bbe5ce/32.png) [@Otto](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Otto)\ **Post date:** [March 28, 2004, 4:15pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/bbca-lesson-brits-dont-grab-tits-in-the-u-s/236869/3 "2004-03-28T16:15:15Z")
No! By all means, ladies, keep saying, and grabbing, tits! To hell with the Puritans, if they don’t like it they can watch the Super Bowl! Oh wait… ---
**Author:** ![Larry\_Mudd](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/f14d63/32.png) [@Larry\_Mudd](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Larry_Mudd)\ **Post date:** [March 28, 2004, 4:46pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/bbca-lesson-brits-dont-grab-tits-in-the-u-s/236869/4 "2004-03-28T16:46:39Z")
> [@](#): > > we don’t draw attention to a woman’s breasts in person unless there’s a very valid reason to do so. Advising someone on how to get clothes to hang on them properly isn’t a valid reason? Cripes, they’re just tits. ---
**Author:** ![Lobsang](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/lobsang/32/4067_2.png) [@Lobsang](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Lobsang)\ **Post date:** [March 28, 2004, 4:56pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/bbca-lesson-brits-dont-grab-tits-in-the-u-s/236869/5 "2004-03-28T16:56:37Z")
You’re using ‘What not to wear’ as a representation of british TV???.. \…!!! Trinny and Suzanna are _the_ most contemptible females on TV today. News. Brits don’t go around using ‘tits’ in every other sentence. ---
**Author:** ![AngelicGemma](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/439d5e/32.png) [@AngelicGemma](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/AngelicGemma)\ **Post date:** [March 28, 2004, 5:02pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/bbca-lesson-brits-dont-grab-tits-in-the-u-s/236869/6 "2004-03-28T17:02:55Z")
> [@Larry Mudd](#): > > Cripes, they’re just tits. He said ‘_tits_’! :eek: ---
**Author:** ![GorillaMan](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/50afbb/32.png) [@GorillaMan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/GorillaMan)\ **Post date:** [March 28, 2004, 5:08pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/bbca-lesson-brits-dont-grab-tits-in-the-u-s/236869/7 "2004-03-28T17:08:51Z")
> [@Lobsang](#): > > News. Brits don’t go around using ‘tits’ in every other sentence. Precisely. ‘Boobies’ is far preferable. 😃 ---
**Author:** ![Bambi\_Hassenpfeffer](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/bbe5ce/32.png) [@Bambi\_Hassenpfeffer](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Bambi_Hassenpfeffer)\ **Post date:** [March 28, 2004, 5:18pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/bbca-lesson-brits-dont-grab-tits-in-the-u-s/236869/8 "2004-03-28T17:18:48Z")
> [@Lobsang](#): > > Trinny and Suzanna are _the_ most contemptible females on TV today. Bite your tongue! I suppose you’re more of a Charlie from _Ground Force_ type? Besides, it’s hard not to judge British TV on the basis of home- and self-improvement shows – those shows comprise the vast majority of BBC-A’s programming. ---
**Author:** ![moriah](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/b2d939/32.png) [@moriah](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/moriah)\ **Post date:** [March 28, 2004, 5:43pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/bbca-lesson-brits-dont-grab-tits-in-the-u-s/236869/9 "2004-03-28T17:43:15Z")
> [@Lobsang](#): > > You’re using ‘What not to wear’ as a representation of british TV???.. \…!!! > > Trinny and Suzanna are _the_ most contemptible females on TV today. > > News. Brits don’t go around using ‘tits’ in every other sentence. Hmph. I know exactly what British society is all about… I’ve seen “Bennie Hill.” Peace. ---
**Author:** ![coffeecat](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/coffeecat/32/3405_2.png) [@coffeecat](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/coffeecat)\ **Post date:** [March 28, 2004, 6:13pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/bbca-lesson-brits-dont-grab-tits-in-the-u-s/236869/10 "2004-03-28T18:13:23Z")
> [@Lobsang](#): > > Brits don’t go around using ‘tits’ in every other sentence. I wish someone had told me before I bought that U.K. tit-grabbing tour package. Maybe I can sell it on ebay. ---
**Author:** ![Shade](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/2bfe46/32.png) [@Shade](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Shade)\ **Post date:** [March 28, 2004, 7:37pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/bbca-lesson-brits-dont-grab-tits-in-the-u-s/236869/11 "2004-03-28T19:37:11Z")
> [@](#): > > And even then, we don’t call them tits. For us, that’s like calling them boobies or honkers. As it is here - I don’t know exactly the offensiveness of the various words, but I think that show’s using “tits” a lot in a “Look at us! Women can be vulgar too, aren’t we cute” way 😃 (For that matter I’m not sure ‘assets’ is better than ‘breasts’, but that’s just MHO and depends on context.) > [@Lobsang](#): > > News. Brits don’t go around using ‘tits’ in every other sentence. He _could_ mean that Brits think Americans do, but are wrong, and shouldn’t behave in USA based on that assumption. ---
**Author:** ![Tuckerfan](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/eada6e/32.png) [@Tuckerfan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Tuckerfan)\ **Post date:** [March 28, 2004, 9:20pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/bbca-lesson-brits-dont-grab-tits-in-the-u-s/236869/12 "2004-03-28T21:20:34Z")
> [@Larry Mudd](#): > > Cripes, they’re just tits. **Just tits! Just tits!** My God, man, how can you say such a thing!?! They’re divine fleshy blobs of wonderment! They’re meatbags which make men weak, they’re the appetizer on your way to the main course! They are the source of nectar which nourishes us when we’re young, they’re the slight flash of flesh which fills us with adolescent throbbing, that little glimpse of skin which reminds us of why it’s so good to be alive! Whole industries have sprouted up to care for their every want and need. Societies have worshipped them, and you, you refer to them as “just tits.” I command you to watch 30 hours of _Girls Gone Wild_, obviously there’s something wrong with you, and you need to get it corrected immediately, or the entire fabric of the space time continuum could be destroyed! ---
**Author:** ![teemingONE](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/b4bc9f/32.png) [@teemingONE](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/teemingONE)\ **Post date:** [March 29, 2004, 12:01am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/bbca-lesson-brits-dont-grab-tits-in-the-u-s/236869/13 "2004-03-29T00:01:17Z")
I prefer to call them " Tittays" ex: Katies got some fat tittays. ---
**Author:** ![ianzin](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/i/ed655f/32.png) [@ianzin](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ianzin)\ **Post date:** [March 29, 2004, 12:08am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/bbca-lesson-brits-dont-grab-tits-in-the-u-s/236869/14 "2004-03-29T00:08:26Z")
That particular TV show is garbage. The two brainless, charmless, vulgar fashionistas who ‘present’ it know nothing. The show has nothing whatsoever to do with typical British attitudes, vocabulary or behaviour, so you can safely ignore it. We all do. And by the way, we don’t actually need you to tell us how to behave in the States or anywhere else, thanks all the same. ---
**Author:** ![Tuckerfan](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/eada6e/32.png) [@Tuckerfan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Tuckerfan)\ **Post date:** [March 29, 2004, 12:46am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/bbca-lesson-brits-dont-grab-tits-in-the-u-s/236869/15 "2004-03-29T00:46:21Z")
> [@ianzin](#): > > That particular TV show is garbage. > > The two brainless, charmless, vulgar fashionistas who ‘present’ it know nothing. > > The show has nothing whatsoever to do with typical British attitudes, vocabulary or behaviour, so you can safely ignore it. We all do. > > And by the way, we don’t actually need you to tell us how to behave in the States or anywhere else, thanks all the same. BTW, why is it that the bulk of British entertainment exports to the US seems to be of the variety that the British don’t like? (I’ve heard this stated in other threads as well.) It’s not like you can’t produce quality entertainment (_Monty Python_, _Dave Allen at Large_ and _Doctor Who_ spring to mind as examples of quality British TV that’s made it to the US) so I’m at a loss as to why you’re Bogarting all the good stuff. Considering the hordes of ugly American tourists which must have invaded your shores over the years, you’d think you guys would want to ship the good stuff over here to help shave some of the rough edges off of us before we show up in England demanding to know why you drive on the “wrong” side of the road. ---
**Author:** ![Miller](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/miller/32/481_2.png) [@Miller](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Miller)\ **Post date:** [March 29, 2004, 1:01am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/bbca-lesson-brits-dont-grab-tits-in-the-u-s/236869/16 "2004-03-29T01:01:46Z")
> [@Tuckerfan](#): > > BTW, why is it that the bulk of British entertainment exports to the US seems to be of the variety that the British don’t like? (I’ve heard this stated in other threads as well.) It’s not like you can’t produce quality entertainment (_Monty Python_, _Dave Allen at Large_ and _Doctor Who_ spring to mind as examples of quality British TV that’s made it to the US) so I’m at a loss as to why you’re Bogarting all the good stuff. Considering the hordes of ugly American tourists which must have invaded your shores over the years, you’d think you guys would want to ship the good stuff over here to help shave some of the rough edges off of us before we show up in England demanding to know why you drive on the “wrong” side of the road. Revenge for _Baywatch_? ---
**Author:** ![Dogface](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/9d8465/32.png) [@Dogface](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dogface)\ **Post date:** [March 29, 2004, 1:48am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/bbca-lesson-brits-dont-grab-tits-in-the-u-s/236869/17 "2004-03-29T01:48:30Z")
> [@ianzin](#): > > That particular TV show is garbage. > > The two brainless, charmless, vulgar fashionistas who ‘present’ it know nothing. > > The show has nothing whatsoever to do with typical British attitudes, vocabulary or behaviour, so you can safely ignore it. We all do. Oh, no. We mustn’t do that. Just like US television that is shown in the UK is a 100% perfect reflection of US culture, so whatever UK television gets shown in the USA is a 100% perfect reflection of UK culture. ---
**Author:** ![Dogface](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/9d8465/32.png) [@Dogface](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dogface)\ **Post date:** [March 29, 2004, 1:49am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/bbca-lesson-brits-dont-grab-tits-in-the-u-s/236869/18 "2004-03-29T01:49:40Z")
> [@Tuckerfan](#): > > BTW, why is it that the bulk of British entertainment exports to the US seems to be of the variety that the British don’t like? That depends. How typical of the UK do you think their hardcore nerds are? Remember, most people in most countries do not hang out on computer message boards. ---
**Author:** ![Guinastasia](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/guinastasia/32/5751_2.png) [@Guinastasia](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Guinastasia)\ **Post date:** [March 29, 2004, 2:11am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/bbca-lesson-brits-dont-grab-tits-in-the-u-s/236869/19 "2004-03-29T02:11:46Z")
> [@Otto](#): > > No! By all means, ladies, keep saying, and grabbing, tits! To hell with the Puritans, if they don’t like it they can watch the Super Bowl! > > Oh wait… Um, **Otto** , I didn’t think you were into that! 😛 Personally, I don’t care if they say tits, but for god sakes, don’t grab me THERE unless we’re on VERY intimate terms. I HATE being poked and prodded. ---
**Author:** ![Otto](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/o/bbe5ce/32.png) [@Otto](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Otto)\ **Post date:** [March 29, 2004, 3:41am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/bbca-lesson-brits-dont-grab-tits-in-the-u-s/236869/20 "2004-03-29T03:41:18Z")
I’m all for suggestions of sapphism whatever form they may take. Except in those late night movies on Cinemax. Ick. [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/bbca-lesson-brits-dont-grab-tits-in-the-u-s/236869.md?page=2)