In the episode "Better Late... That's a Pun... Than Never," Mary and Rhoda come up with fake obits for people. For Raquel Welch they did, "We know she didn't drown." I was born after this show was on the air, so I don't get this joke. Please explain it. Thanks.
shareHer boobs were big and the joke suggested that they could be used as flotation devices.
shareIt's also a kind of an updated reference to actress "Mae West," and the inflatable flotation device nicknamed for her. "Mae Wests" were worn by US and British airmen in WWII. According to Wikipedia: "The nickname originated because someone wearing the inflated life preserver often appeared to be as physically endowed as the actress Mae West."
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Personal_flotation_device#Mae_West
Thanks for the feedback.
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