New reality show Aussie Shore exposes how much we say this word

An X-rated new reality show has exposed just how much Australians use this vulgar slang word.

COMMENT

A new local reality show has exposed how often Australians drop the C-bomb.

Paramount+ on Thursday released the first two episodes of Aussie Shore, the local iteration of the smash hit Geordie and Jersey Shore franchises. Having watched (far too many) episodes of both those shows, and now seeing the Australian version, it’s abundantly clear no-one says c*** more than Aussies.

Even Geordie Shore icon Charlotte Crosby, who starred in 12 seasons of the UK reality show and joins the cast of Aussie Shore as the “house boss”, was stunned to learn just how carelessly the 11 housemates hurled the C-word around like it was a standard word.

“It’s an Australian thing, I think,” Crosby tells news.com.au. “In England [on Geordie Shore] we were only allowed to say one c*** per episode, and even then it’s not really allowed.

“Our show was like Downton Abbey compared to the Aussie one.

“If Aussie Shore goes on in England, it [the word] would have to be blanked out.”

Charlotte Crosby, who stars as the ‘boss’ of Aussie Shore, was stunned by how often Australians say the C-word.

Aussie Shore is, indeed, premiering in the UK, as well as Canada, where locals are considered some of the friendliest, polite folk on earth. Suffice to say, Canadians probably won’t take kindly to the C-bomb being dropped over breakfast.

Here in Australia, though, the vulgar term has well and truly shed any of its shock factor.

It seemed like it was the only no-go swear word left a few short years ago, but somewhere along the way, it’s become so flagrantly used it’s now delivered as a term of endearment, exchanged lovingly between friends while cheers-ing to beers at Friday knock-off.

“Love you c***” is a compliment. “Serving c***” is an even bigger one.

Interestingly, at least on Aussie Shore, it’s said more by the women more than the men. 21-year-old Lily from Cairns is a C-word dropper, as is 23-year-old Catia.

Batemans Bay woman Gabby, 22, who ends up leaving the show after just one episode, initially introduces herself as a “f**king sick c***.”

We could perceive this as women taking back control of a word that has, in modern times, been reflective of ingrained misogyny.

The cast of Aussie Shore.

The C-bomb is frequently dropped in the explicit show.

While exact origins of the word are unclear, references of it date back to at least 1230 A.D, with a street name in Oxford, England, titled ‘Gropecunt Lane’, where sex workers used to gather.

It wasn’t considered vulgar in those times, but eventually became taboo in the seventeenth century and was wiped from dictionaries from the eighteenth century.

Fast forward a few centuries and while some countries certainly still frown upon it, namely the United States and Canada, the C-word has crept its way into the everyday Aussie lexicon.

Still, it’s managed to steer largely clear from mainstream TV locally. There’s usually just one C-bomb dropped on Married At First Sight each season, and it’s always given the scandalous weeks-long marketing treatment.

But now, Aussie Shore is laying bare our little societal secret to the rest of the world: We say c*** a lot. Presumably, all while eating Vegemite straight from the jar and wrangling our pet kangaroos.

Cheers to that.