Essex girl
An Essex girl is a pejorative stereotype in the United Kingdom of a female who is said to be promiscuous and unintelligent, characteristics jocularly attributed to women from Essex. It is applied widely throughout the country and has gained popularity over time, dating from the 1980s and 1990s. Unlike Essex man, which became aspirational stereotype for working class voters in the south and east of England who voted for Margaret Thatcher, Essex girl does not carry positive 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, silicone enhanced breasts, peroxide blonde hair, over-indulgent use of fake tan (lending an orange appearance), 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.[citation needed] 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, Chantelle Houghton and Amy Childs all rising to some degree of fame with the help of their Essex Girl image.[citation needed]
[edit] Essex girl jokes
Essex girl jokes are primarily variations of dumb blonde jokes, though often sexually explicit. In 2004, Bob Russell, Liberal Democrat MP for Colchester in 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
[edit] References
- ^ Elliott, Michael (19 July 2007), "Smitten with Britain", Time, http://www.time.com/time/magazine/article/0,9171,1645138,00.html
- ^ Rose, David, MP urges boycott of The People over Essex Girl jokes, http://www.pressgazette.co.uk/story.asp?sectioncode=1&storycode=25373, retrieved 2007-09-12
[edit] Further reading
- Christie Davies (1998), Jokes and Their Relation to Society, Walter de Gruyter, pp. 186–189, ISBN 3110161044
