Essex girl
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
"Essex girl" is a pejorative term used in the United Kingdom, to imply someone is a stereotypically promiscuous, blonde, unintelligent woman from Essex. It was widely used, gaining popularity during the 1980s and 1990s. One reason for the origin of the term may be Essex's geographical proximity to London. Many Essex residents do come to London by train for a weekend out. It is mirrored in U.S. by the term Jersey girl (or equally useful 'bridge-and-tunnel-crowd') with less emphasis on promiscuity.
Unlike the comparable "Essex man", which developed originally as a political term describing aspirational working-class voters in the South and East of England who voted for Margaret Thatcher, "Essex girl" did not carry political connotations.
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[edit] Image
The stereotypical image was formed as a variation of the dumb blonde/bimbo persona, with references to the Estuary English accent, white stiletto heels, peroxide blonde hair, promiscuity, loud verbal vulgarity and to socialising at downmarket nightclubs.
Time magazine has written:
"In the typology of the British, there is a special place reserved for Essex Girl, a lady from London's eastern suburbs who dresses in white strappy sandals and suntan oil, streaks her hair blond, has a command of Spanish that runs only to the word Ibiza, and perfects an air of tarty prettiness. Victoria Beckham — Posh Spice, as she was — is the acknowledged queen of that realm..."[1]
The term initially became synonymous with the lead characters of Sharon and Tracey in the BBC sitcom Birds of a Feather. These brash, uninhibited women had escaped working-class backgrounds in London and moved to a large house in Chigwell. The image has since been epitomised in celebrity culture with the likes of Denise Van Outen, Jade Goody, Jodie Marsh and Chantelle Houghton all rising to some degree of fame with the help of their 'Essex Girl' image.
[edit] Essex girl jokes
Essex girl jokes are primarily variations of dumb blonde jokes, though often sexually explicit. In 2004, Bob Russell, the Liberal Democrat MP for the Colchester district of Essex, appealed for debate in the House of Commons on the issue, encouraging a boycott of The People tabloid, which has printed several derogatory references to girls from Essex.[2]
[edit] See also
- Jersey girl, an equivalent American term.
- Katong girl, a similar Asian term with the key difference that the Katong girl is supposed to come from an aristocratic, privileged upbringing and is not derogatory, unlike the Western counterparts.
- Valley girl, a similar American term with a key difference that the Valley girl is thought to come from an upper-middle class background while the Essex girl is considered "working class."
- Trixie, another similar American term denoting a specific form of yuppie stereotype typically residing in Chicago's Lincoln Park neighborhood.
[edit] References
- ^ Elliott, Michael. "Smitten with Britain." Time 19 July 2007. [1]
- ^ David Rose. "MP urges boycott of The People over Essex Girl jokes". http://www.pressgazette.co.uk/story.asp?sectioncode=1&storycode=25373. Retrieved on 2007-09-12.
[edit] Further reading
- Christie Davies (1998). Jokes and Their Relation to Society. Walter de Gruyter. pp. 186–189. ISBN 3110161044.
