Essex girl

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

"Essex girl" is a pejorative slang term used in the United Kingdom meaning a promiscuous, blonde, unintelligent woman. It was most widely used and gained popularity during the 1980s and 1990s. Its use has waned somewhat since the increase in popularity of the "chav" label. One of the main reasons for the origin of the term may be due to Essex's geographical proximity to London. Many Essex people do come to London by train for the weekend night out. It is mirrored in U.S. by the term Jersey Girl with less emphasis on promiscuity.

Unlike the comparable "Essex man", which developed originally as a political term broadly describing aspirational working-class voters in the South and East of England who voted for Margaret Thatcher, "Essex girl" did not carry such explicit 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 in large groups.[1]

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..."[2]

The term initially became synonymous with the lead characters of Sharon and Tracey in the BBC sitcom Birds of a Feather. These brash and 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, Jodie Marsh and Chantelle Houghton all rising to fame predominantly with the help of their 'Essex Girl' image.

[edit] Essex girl jokes

Essex girl jokes are primarily of variations of Blonde jokes though often more 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 and encouraged a boycott of The People tabloid, which has printed several derogatory references to girls from Essex. [3]

[edit] References

  1. ^ Germaine Greer. G2: Long live the Essex Girl. Retrieved on 2006-12-02.
  2. ^ Elliott, Michael. "Smitten with Britain." Time 19 July 2007. [1]
  3. ^ David Rose. MP urges boycott of The People over Essex Girl jokes. Retrieved on 2007-09-12.

[edit] Further reading

  • Christie Davies (1998). Jokes and Their Relation to Society. Walter de Gruyter, 186–189. ISBN 3110161044. 

[edit] See also