Essex Girl - Image

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 augmented 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 ...

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.