#Edit this page Wikipedia (en) copyright Wikipedia Atom feed Essex girl From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia Jump to: navigation, search 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. Contents * 1 Image * 2 Essex girl jokes * 3 See also * 4 References * 5 Further reading [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. 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. [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 * Valley girl * Trixie * The Only Way Is Essex [edit] References 1. ^ Elliott, Michael (19 July 2007), "Smitten with Britain", Time, http://www.time.com/time/magazine/article/0,9171,1645138,00.html 2. ^ Rose, David, MP urges boycott of The People over Essex Girl jokes, http://www.pressgazette.co.uk/story.asp?sectioncode=1&storycode=253 73, retrieved 2007-09-12 [edit] Further reading * Christie Davies (1998), Jokes and Their Relation to Society, Walter de Gruyter, pp. 186–189, ISBN 3110161044 * v * d * e Stock characters and character archetypes Heroes * Action hero * Boy next door * Christ figure * Contender * Epic hero * Everyman * Final girl * Folk hero * Gunfighter * Harlequin * Ivan the Fool * Jack * Mythological king * Prince Charming * Romantic hero * Superhero * Tragic hero * Youngest son * Swashbuckler Antiheroes * Byronic hero * Bad boy * Gentleman thief * Lovable rogue * Reluctant hero Villains * Alazon * Archenemy * Bug-eyed monster * Crone * Dark Lord * Evil clown * Evil twin * False hero * Femme fatale * Mad scientist * Masked Mystery Villain * Space pirate * Supervillain * Trickster Miscellaneous * Absent-minded professor * Archimime * Archmage * Artist-scientist * Bible thumper * Bimbo * Black knight * Blonde stereotype * Cannon fodder * Caveman * Damsel in distress * Dark Lady * Donor * Elderly martial arts master * Fairy godmother * Farmer's daughter * Girl next door * Grande dame * Grotesque * Hag * Handmaiden * Hawksian woman * Hooker with a heart of gold * Hotshot * Ingenue * Jewish lawyer * Jewish mother * Jewish-American princess * Jock * Jungle Girl * Killbot * Knight-errant * Legacy Hero * Loathly lady * Lovers * Magical girlfriend * Magical Negro * Mammy archetype * Manic Pixie Dream Girl * Mary Sue * Miles Gloriosus * Miser * Mistress * Nerd * Nice guy * Nice Jewish boy * Noble savage * Petrushka * Princess and dragon * Princesse lointaine * Rake * Redshirt * Romantic interest * Stage Irish * Superfluous man * Tarzanesque * Town drunk * Tsundere * Unseen character * Yokel * Youxia * Literature portal * Stereotypes Retrieved from "http://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Essex_girl&oldid=468141918" Categories: * 1980s slang * 1990s slang * British slang * Culture in Essex * Pejorative terms for people * Sex- or gender-related stereotypes * Slang terms for women * Stock characters * Youth culture in the United Kingdom Personal tools * Log in / create account Namespaces * Article * Talk Variants Views * Read * Edit * View history Actions Search ____________________ (Submit) Search Navigation * Main page * Contents * Featured content * Current events * Random article * Donate to Wikipedia Interaction * Help * About Wikipedia * Community portal * Recent changes * Contact Wikipedia Toolbox * What links here * Related changes * Upload file * Special pages * Permanent link * Cite this page Print/export * Create a book * Download as PDF * Printable version Languages * Русский * Svenska * This page was last modified on 28 December 2011 at 20:11. * Text is available under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike License; additional terms may apply. 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