I from the US, just learned about these today, and had a chuckle.
an essex girl was driving down the A13 when her car phone rang. it was her boyfriend, urgently warning her “treacle, i just heard on the news that theres a car going the wrong way on the A13. please be careful!” “its not just one car!” said the essex girl “theres hundreds of them!”
Hell, that’s going back a way. I don’t think that I have heard one of those since the 90s. They really haven’t aged well - not that they were exactly the height of PC humour back then.
What’s the difference between a shopping trolley and an Essex girl?
A shopping trolley has a mind of its own.
Are these basically like “dumb blonde” jokes in America?
So these are the equivalent of blonde jokes?
So, Sven & Ole jokes but with the English flavor of classism?
The only one that I remember is,
How can you tell when an Essex girl has had an orgasm?
She drops her packet of crisps.
Seems a bit rubbish now I’ve typed that out. 😆
Not from the UK - why is it Essex in particular?
I would say Essex is stereotyped as being relatively affluent but lacking class, and is often a source of jokes.
I tried to find a succinct explanation but couldn’t so if you want a long read
An Essex girl is involved in a car crash and is trapped and bleeding. The paramedics soon arrive on the scene.
Medic: “I’m a paramedic and I’m going to ask you some questions. OK?”
Girl: “OK”
Medic: “what’s your name?”
Girl: “Sharon”
Medic: “OK Sharon, is this your car?”
Sharon: “yes”
Medic: “where are you bleeding from?”
Sharon: “Romford, mate.”
(I was born in Essex so I think I’m allowed to tell these :p)
It seems like these are just “blond jokes” from the 80’s or recycled jokes about 2nd-gen feminists in america. I have no doubt they have their roots in misogyny.
The fact that it’s usually women doing the dumb thing is problematic, but these jokes are easily mapped onto whoever you want to denigrate. As a Montana, these were often jokes about North Dakota, and as the scion of a large Norwegian clan, I also often heard these as Sven and Ole jokes.
To me the latter is actually a funnier way to approach them, because it’s two characters who everyone knows are dumb (and who are stand-ins for those people in your life who act this way) and you’re not just blanket insulting a whole group of people.
Holy shit it’s a joke. You take the fun out of everything, if you don’t like it that’s ok, just shut up
How many Essex girls does it take to screw in a light bulb? None, Essex girls screw in Capris.
Which goes to show how old these jokes are.
