ESSEX GIRLS

The Dictionary Debate

"[British derogatory] a contemptuous term applied (usually jocularly) to a type of young woman, supposedly to be found in and around Essex, and variously characterized as unintelligent, promiscuous, and materialistic."

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This is the Oxford English Dictionary definition of an "Essex Girl". The definition was added to the dictionary in 1997.

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Feminist Germain Greer said in The Observer: “The Essex girl is a working-class heroine surviving in a post-proletarian world... Chantelle and Jodie Marsh both did the Essex girl proud in the Big Brother house, Jodie by refusing to droop under relentless bullying and Chantelle by winning. Essex girls, who turn middle-class notions of distinction on their heads, are anti-celebrities.”

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In 2016 there were calls for the definition to be removed from the dictionary and the #IAmAnEssexGirl campaign was founded by a group called The Mother Hub who urged girls to share photos of themselves to show that all kinds of girls are from Essex, and they don't all fit this stereotype. 

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Popular ITV reality show, The Only Way is Essex was accused of playing up to the stereotype, but many celebrities including some of the cast of "TOWIE" supported the campaign. Gemma Collins was a cast member who was particularly involved in the debate, as well as being a popular TV star, Gemma also defines herself as a business woman. In an interview she told the BBC

"That’s fine if you want to be like that but also, there’s another side to Essex as well. And you can’t just stereotype the whole of Essex,"

"Essex girls are buying the Chanel bags at the end of the day"

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Since the campaigns, the definition is still yet to be changed in 2018, and women are still fighting to get justice for all Essex girls out there. Recently four women in Southend have started a new project called Essex Girls Liberation Front (EGLF). Creative Activist Elsa James, told the Southend Echo: 

“The ‘Essex girl’ reputation may be seen as a bit of a harmless fun, but when you actually pick it apart it can be really damaging. I don’t want my daughters, or any other woman, to be labelled with these damaging, regressive stereotypes.”

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They are working to try and amend the current dictionary definition, making it more relatable to the modern "Essex girl"