Essex girl

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Essex girl is a pejorative slang term used in the United Kingdom. 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.

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 denotations.

1 Image
2 Essex girl jokes
3 References
4 External links
5 See also

[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 and socialising at tacky night clubs in large groups.<ref name="G2greer">Germaine Greer. G2: Long live the Essex Girl. Retrieved on 2006-12-02.</ref>

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 now lived in a large house in the desirable and wealthy Essex suburbs.

[edit] Essex girl jokes

Essex girl jokes, which consisted primarily of variations of the dumb-blonde gag, though often more sexually explicit, became popular in the United Kingdom during the autumn of 1991.^{[citation needed]} The jokes' derogatory nature and persistence caused some commentators to speak out publicly against them.

In 2004, Bob Russell, the Liberal Democrat MP for Colchester 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. <ref name="Bobrussell">David Rose. MP urges boycott of The People over Essex Girl jokes. Retrieved on 2006-12-02.</ref>