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Originally posted by Caterwauller:
I've been to reenactments of early American periods where women have shown so much decolletage as to be nearly pornographic.

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Does the word decolletage refer to the particular aspect of the clothing, or to that which it reveals?

Décolletage means low neckline, as I posted in the other thread. However, it is often what is revealed by the décolletage that is the point (points?) of interest.

I find I tend rather to look down on women with lowcut dresses.

Science fiction fans may know of Spider Robinson, given to wordplay. His excellent The Lady Slings the Booze teaches an interesting term, using it in the context here discussed rather than in the traditional scientific sense.

spathic: (geology; mineralogy) dividing well; having good cleavage

Is there a difference between "décolleté" and "décolletage?" I don't see that there is, really, though the dictionary seems to add "strapless" to "décolleté." I remember my mother used to love the word "décolleté."

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Originally posted by Richard English:
I find I tend rather to look down on women with lowcut dresses.

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Good one, RE. Very good.

Wordnerd - I also like Spider Robinson - great stuff!

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Is there a difference between "décolleté" and "décolletage?"

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The former is used meaning "having a low neckline" and the latter has the meaning "a low neckline".

Thus I could say that, for example, your dress is rather décolleté, or that your décolletage is rather risqué.

Wow...only from the French!

I don't think we even have a word for "low neckline," do we?

Hmm - Kalleh - I think we just say "lowcut". However, we have myriad words for women who wear them. (meow)

However, we have myriad words for women who wear them. (meow)

No meows about it! You are right. That's the difference between the French and us. The French embrace sensuality, and we criticize it, especially when referring to women. I know, oldtimers...we have talked about this many times, but still!

So why is is that our society feels we must punish sensuality in women. I mean, secretly, it's a great thing, right? Why not admit it?

I think that is a really good question, CW. I don't know. Sometimes I wonder, though, if it is our own gender. Just today I was workshopping a wonderful limerick on OEDILF...very sensual...about the beauty of women's breasts. It was only sensuous, and not off-color, at least in my mind. The men and I loved it. It was a woman who objected, and the men immediately caved.

I just don't know.

I wonder if it's because if we admit to great sensuality in ourselves we would no longer be able to criticize it in others.

(tit for tat, you know)

I believe that patriarchy evolved as a result of men's fear of women's sexuality. What men don't understand they either try to control or try to kill. Women who've bought into the patriarchal way of thinking become prudes and object, lest men should cast opprobrium - or worse - on them.

I've tatted lace, but never tits. Think it would hurt...

Rex and I do medieval recreation. There were periods in history when showing abundance in the boobs was quite the rage. In the SCA we call them "vast tracks of land."

It was a woman who objected, and the men immediately caved.

Now, I have to be very fair. Another woman joined me in saying the limerick was a fine one, and the woman objector has backed down. Here is the limerick, and I really like it:

Much more than the sound of a schwa
But not as robust as "Aha!"
This word is used best
At the sight of a breast
When you look, lick your lips, and say "...ahhhhh!"

This limerick was written by none other than our CJ. Here is how the workshoppers tried to make it more palatable to that woman objector:

Much more than the sound of a schwa,
But not as robust as "Aha!"—
By babies expressed
At the sight of a breast,
When they look, lick their lips, and say "...ahhhhh!"

I like CJ's better, but then each to his or her own. BTW, now the discussion has wandered from offensiveness to the point that women actually have 2 breasts.

Oh honestly. This is as silly as that thread about the comic. Can't anyone just enjoy being different or being admired or ANYTHING???

People need to learn to have more fun with life!