Am I Keeping it PG-13?

[kankowitz]

Just wondering, is the word "bad-ass" over the top of the PG-13 standard?

Here is my sentence:

"Put me on the back of a big, bad motorcycle and I think I'm a bad-ass. Ask me to climb a rocky, 15-foot incline......."

I need to keep my writing conversational and PG-13 in context. I know, many 13-year-olds would be telling me that the word is fine, "we use it all the time" they might say...

Thanks for the help.

Karen

[nhope]

Karen,

I think it's fine. You aren't calling someone an a* so I think they'll just read over it. Howerver, you might want to reconsider the use of the word "bad" twice in the same sentence.

[wdarcy]

I agree, it's fine. Actually, even if you did call a person an ass, you would be referring to the animal, not to the anatomical hinder part, so it would still be PG-13.

--Warren

[Crono91]

I'm very picky with cursing. In fact, the biggest curse word in my novels is "hell."

That being said, "Bad-ass" isn't a bad word. It is mostly how you use it, and you are using it almost a slang way. In fact, I've heard bad-ass be used in PG movies.

[kankowitz]

The term 'bad-ass' is actually slang and is often used to define all things "motorcycle"...such as the rider (meaning a tough guy or a rebel), the bike itself (meaning it's cool).

I just wanted to get a feel for where people draw the line with certain words. I'll be running this by my editor and see what she thinks.

Do you think it makes a difference in that I'm refering to myself and not calling someone else a bad-ass? Basically, the joke's on me. (didn't mention earlier that this is a humor piece).

[kankowitz]

Oh, and I forgot...

would it be with a hyphen? I've seen it both ways.

[pls]

I believe the term is morphing into one word. Probably no hyphen needed.

[kankowitz]

I believe the term is morphing into one word. Probably no hyphen needed.

Thank you, Paul.

[rosebud]

Just wondering, is the word "bad-ass" over the top of the PG-13 standard?

It's probably okay, but the other day I had a conversation about this very topic with my, now 25 year old son. He was recalling seeing a movie were this language was present when he was that age. He said he was embarrassed. I don't know if it was because I was with him or the fact that he was a young 13 year old. Once the innocence is lost, it's gone forever. I, personally, don't have a problem with it. However, if you can choose other words, I'd go for that. Just my own prudish opinion.

[EccentricKim]

I think that's PG-13. In my book I use cursing at the very minimum. I think the worst word I use is "hell", too, although there may be one adult that says "Damn" once. I would say it would be okay in moderation.