Valley girl

For other uses, see Valley girl (disambiguation).

Valley Girl (or Val, Val Gal) is a stereotype leveled at a socio-economic and ethnic class of American women who can be described as colloquial English-speaking and materialistic. Valspeak is also a form of this trait, based on an exaggerated version of '80s California English.

The term originally referred to the ever increasing number of semi-affluent and affluent middle-class and upper-middle class girls living in the bedroom community neighborhoods of San Fernando Valley. Due to the Valley's proximity to the Hollywood media machine, the demographic group which the term stereotyped garnered large exposure to the rest of the world. Consequently, the use became more general, and the stereotype can be found all over the United States, and also in other countries in different forms. During the 1980s and 1990s, in common with the trend in community orientation, interest, and education, the term metamorphosed into a caricature and stereotype of such women: a "ditzy" or "airhead" personality, and unapologetically "spoiled" behavior that showed more interest in shopping, personal appearance and social status than in intellectual development or personal accomplishment.

Sociolect

Main article: Valspeak

A certain sociolect associated with Valley Girls, referred to as “Valspeak,” became common across the United States during the 1980s and 1990s, and much entered teenage slang throughout the country.

Qualifiers such as “like”, “whatever”, “way”, "as if!", “totally” and “duh” were interjected in the middle of phrases and sentences as emphasizers. Narrative sentences were often spoken as though they were questions using a high rising terminal.

Valspeak is often spoken with a heavy accent sometimes associated with Californians. Words are spoken with high variation in pitch combined with very open or nasal vowel sounds.

Similar phenomena

Similar phenomena were registered around the globe in books, movies and on television.

Arizona

In Arizona, "Valley Girl" refers to girls from Scottsdale and Paradise Valley, as well as co-eds at neighboring Arizona State University and sometimes used to denote teenage or young adult girls from Phoenix. The stereotype is associated with upper class wealthy girls wearing Juicy Couture tracksuits, Louis Vuitton/Chanel bags, and big shades. The heat of the low desert allows Arizona valley girls to dress in summer attire year round. Except for when it is 50 degrees outside and summer clothes are no longer an option.

California

In the Greater Los Angeles area, the term "Valley Girl" originated and still refers to girls from the San Fernando Valley. In context it is associated with a spoiled girl from an upper-middle class background who socializes with other "valley girls" in cliques. In regions neighboring the San Fernando Valley, people will often call a girl a "valley girl" or tell her to "go back to the valley" if she is showing signs of materialism and/or idiotic behavior. Usually, constant giggling occurs. Caricature traits of "Valley girls" are rich, young (age 20-25), white, "bleach" blonde and thin.

The "Valley girl" is also nicknamed "County girl" or "O.C." (initials for "Orange County") for their counterparts from affluent suburban communities of Orange County and "Beach girl" if they hail from a coastal community (i.e. La Jolla, San Diego and Santa Monica), or West Los Angeles has an image of stereotypical "West Side" or "California girls" walk down elegant shopping districts like Rodeo Drive in Beverly Hills.

There is also the "Bay Area girl" for those in the San Francisco Bay Area, but the phenomenon of "Valley speak" and trends was originally a Southern California subculture before it moved into Northern California. Not to be confused with the "Valley" or California's Central Valley. Lately, there was animosity between "O.C.ies" and "Okies" for people from Kern County: a clash of cultures when newcomers from L.A move to a largely rural conservative area.

United Kingdom

There is some similarity between the phenomenon of a Valley Girl in the United States and the concept of an Essex girl, although the Essex girl stereotype's emphasis is more on promiscuity and below-average intelligence. A perhaps closer (though less populous) equivalent would be the wealthier and generally upper-middle- or upper-class Sloane Ranger - a widely-lampooned stereotype associated with Sloane Square in the Chelsea/Belgravia area of central London.

Wales

In Wales, particularly Cardiff, a "valleys girl" is often used instead as a derogatory term for a promiscuous young Welsh female from the Welsh valleys who travels to Cardiff from some small village at the weekend to go have fun. Or quite simply a girl that hails from the South Wales Valleys, not promiscuous but always fun-seeking.

Ireland

In Ireland, the term D4 is used to refer to a similar stereotype applied to young people, especially those from the southern suburbs of Dublin. This usage of the term originates from the postal district of Dublin 4 which includes affluent upper-class areas such as Donnybrook, Ballsbridge and Sandymount. However, the term is used more generally for people from almost any upper middle class suburb.

Hungary

Two exclusive hillside neighborhoods in Budapest, called Rózsadomb and Pasarét are traditionally regarded as breeding grounds for upper (middle) class spoiled children, including arrogant Valley girl types. Their affluence and lifestyle are comparable to those of Californian Valley girls. There is a huge income disparity between the parents of these teens/twixters and those of the majority in Budapest, especially in Pest. The term plázacica (literally "mallkitten") is a related Hungarian neologism referring to girls (aged roughly 15 to 25) who frequent high-tech malls or plazas (like WestEnd City Center), spend much time and money enhancing their looks, and focus on parties and fashion. The term implies a degree of promiscuity, narcissism, materialism and lookism.

Israel

Freha - The Freha is often viewed as the counterpart to the Ars, although the stereotype is distinct. Freha is a derogatory term often used to describe an Israeli female who exhibits bimbo-like behavior. One is identified as a Freha for having tacky fashion statements, loud and obnoxious speech patterns, and crude behaviors. The stereotype of the Freha gained notoriety around the same period as the Ars, especially through TV broadcasts and Burekas films (genre of Israeli slapstick, often racial, comedy). Similar to the Ars, it is often claimed that the Freha is an ethnic stereotype. However, youth today will often not associate the Freha as being of a specific ethnicity. The word has a hard h like the first h in hannukah.

Italy

In Italy, the chiefly Roman term 'Tamarra' refers to a usually, poorly educated, vulgar and loud woman. The masculine form is 'Tamarro'.

Mexico

For Mexicans, the terms "popis" (adopted since 1950), "niña nice" (adopted since 1970) and "fresa" (actually used) have always been used by its middle class population to mark females aged from girls to young women who exemplify soap opera attitudes and mostly come from the upper middle classes.

Japan

Gyaru and its masculine form Gyaruo are the Japanese equivalent. Gyaru are portrayed in a similar fashion as the American Valley Girl due to their looks, interests, and slang (called Gyaru-moji). Young women that follow the subculture are often frowned upon by older generations and some of the Japanese media. Gyaru are stereotyped to being affluent and having partying ways.

Variations

As the Valley Girl accent has developed and aged it has been adopted in variations across the country and cultural landscape. One example is high society Valley Girl (see Real Housewives of Orange County) or intellectual/yuppie Valley Girl (see Legally Blonde). This is where the Valley Girl's increasing association with wealth and status has seen the adoption of the accent by aspiring women across the country. Many in the yuppie subculture adopt a similar cadence and lengthening of vowels. This can be seen in girls in graduate school or other positions of increased status. Those of educational pedigree may use a lot less of the traditional teenage "Valspeak" slang but keep the same cadence and sound of the overall accent.

In pop culture

Music

• In 1982, composer Frank Zappa released the album Ship Arriving Too Late to Save a Drowning Witch. The album featured the single "Valley Girl", with his 14-year old daughter Moon Unit (who supplied Frank with much of the content) speaking typical "Valley Girl" phrases. Zappa intended to lampoon the image, but the single also popularized the Valley Girl stereotype nationwide, and, to a lesser extent, throughout the English-speaking world, much to Zappa's frustration. There was a significant increase in the "Valspeak" slang usage, whether ironically spoken or not.

• The 1992 hip hop song "Baby Got Back" by Sir Mix-a-Lot famously starts with a discussion between two Valley Girls.

• Pop singer Tiffany uses Valspeak in her song "Mr. Mambo".

• The musical trio the Dean's List recorded a song called "Valley Girls."

• Singer Ann Bailey portrayed the character of a Valley Girl named Cheri during her tenure with the Mary Jane Girls from 1979 to 1985. After Bailey's departure, Yvette Marine took over the Valley Girl role, which was renamed Corvette.

Film

• In 1983, the feature film Valley Girl was released starring actor Nicolas Cage and actress Deborah Foreman. Besides featuring the up-and-coming actor Cage, the movie contains a soundtrack of New Wave music, which was at the peak of its popularity at that time. The film's producers had initially approached Frank Zappa to ask him if they could make a film based on his song. Zappa refused, and the filmmakers wound up making the film anyway. Zappa attempted to sue over the obvious capitalization on his song, but the lawsuit was thrown out.^{[citation needed]}

• The main character in Clueless, Cher Horowitz, perpetuates Valspeak by using the words "like," "as if," "whatever" and "duh" an exorbitant amount throughout the film. When referring to attractive men and women, Cher uses the terms "Betty" and "Baldwin." Considering the film's release in 1995 and the resurgence of such terms in American youth in the years following, it could be credited with bridging the gap between the 1980s Valspeak and today's.

Television

• The first Valley Girl in popular culture is attributed to Lily Tomlin's character Susie Sorority on The Lily Tomlin Special in 1975.

• Valley Girls, a television series and spin-off of Gossip Girl set in the '80s.

• Kelly Taylor (played by Jennie Garth) and Donna Martin (played by Tori Spelling) on Beverly Hills, 90210, and also Naomi Clark (played by AnnaLynne McCord) on its newer version, 90210.

• Buffy the Vampire Slayer parodied the valley girl, with the main character, Buffy Summers, often saving the males of the program. Buffy's contemporaries Cordelia and Harmony more closely fit to the conventions of the Valley girl.

• Several alternate takes of scenes from the series House M.D. exist in which actors Lisa Edelstein and Jennifer Morrison, as a joke, act out serious sequences as Valley Girls. These "gag takes" are included on DVDs of the show.

Sherman Oaks Galleria

For more details on this topic, see Sherman Oaks Galleria.

In the early 1980s, Hollywood films and songs portrayed the female-dominated mall lifestyle in the San Fernando Valley. The Sherman Oaks Galleria was perhaps best known as the home of the Valley Girl, since this San Fernando Valley mall was where Fast Times at Ridgemont High was filmed in 1981.^{[citation needed]} The mall was featured throughout Fast Times at Ridgemont High, beginning with the opening scenes of the film, which starts with an elevator ride up to the food court where the young Phoebe Cates and Jennifer Jason Leigh worked at the fast food stands.

See also

• Bimbo
• Bobby soxer
• Chav
• Dumb blonde
• Essex girl
• Fjortis is used to describe similar behavior in Scandinavian youth.
• Fresa is the Mexican equivalent. Literally translated into English as "Strawberry".
• Glamour
• Julie Brown is among the performers from the era who personified and popularized the valley girl image.
• Kogal and Ganguro are basically the Japanese equivalents.
• Paninaro
• Pissis is a Finnish expression for female youth behaving in a similar manner.
• Queen bee
• San Fernando Valley
• School diva
• Sloane ranger
• Trixie
• Valley Girl, song by Frank Zappa

External links

• Janelle Tassone. “Buffy: The Evolution of a Valley Girl” Refractory: A Journal of Entertainment Media 2 (2003):
• Valley Girl - Television Tropes & Idioms