Bowdlerization

Bowdlerization is the removal of words or parts from a book, play, art works or film that are considered to be offensive, vulgar or unsuitable for specific audiences, historically women and children.

The term bowdlerization is linked to an 19th century English doctor named Thomas Bowdler. He was known for publishing expurgated editions of a handful of books, most famously, The Family Shakespeare, an amended edition of William Shakespeare's plays. This particular work, edited by his sister Henrietta Maria Bowdler, was meant to provide a version of Shakespeare that was more appropriate for 19th-century women and children.

An example of bowdlerization are the "fig-leaf editions" of works of art to cover up the nudes in classical and Renaissance statues and paintings. Other examples include expurgated content in books that can range from sexual content to racial slurs.