W&S Panel discussion at Patch Chelmsford

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When you hear the phrase ‘Essex Girl’ you may think of the classic 80’s version of her – blonde hair, revealing clothing, and white stilettos. Or perhaps you think of the more modern TOWIE version with the fake tan, coiffed hair, and a penchant for materialistic things. But what if it goes back much further than that, to a time when women were persecuted for being witches? And why did Essex have so many cases of witchcraft?

This is a real definition, featured in the Penguin Dictionary from 2007….

Essex Girl (noun) a young woman from Essex… vulgar, empty headed and promiscuous.

This feature documentary will explore the origins of the term, its relevance in today’s society, and the roots of Essex women being labelled as ‘outspoken’. The film will explore the on-going commitment of various groups of women to challenge the established narrative of what an ‘Essex Girl’ is. One of these groups is the The Essex Girls Liberation Front (EGLF), which is a collective of women who work to challenge and redefine the negative stereotype of the term “Essex girl”. Founded by writer and activist Syd Moore, the EGLF aims to combat the stereotype by advocating for a more accurate and positive understanding of women from Essex, to re-define the term in dictionaries and beyond, and the future of Essex women reclaiming their pride in their county of birth.

Other groups include Black And Being Essex (aka BABE), The Essex Witch Museum, Girls Can Build and the new project by the University of Essex, ‘Accent Essex’, which works with school age girls to promote pride in their natural Essex accents. For decades those with a strong and identifiable estuary accent have been ridiculed and encouraged to neutralise it, in order to excel and for fear of being labelled ‘common’.