Valley girl

Valley girl, or "Val", is a term coined in the 1970s, originally referring to affluent young women living in the San Fernando Valley area of Los Angeles, California. The term morphed in the 1980s to represent a more widespread and cartoonish stereotype of young women —typically characterized by an "ditzy" or "airheaded" personality, and unapologetically "spoiled" behaviour that showed more interest in shopping, personal appearance, and popular social status, rather than in any self-enriching pursuit.

Related Topics:
1970s - San Fernando Valley - Los Angeles, California - 1980s - Cartoon - Stereotype - Shopping

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The "Val" is typically blonde-haired, (possibly dyed) and is sometimes portrayed as hypersexual.

Related Topics:
Blonde - Hypersexual

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The typical style of dress was often garishly loud and colorful —a combination of pastel and neon colors, ruffles and lace. Tutus, leggings and bodysuits were more rare, but represented the extremes of the trend.

Related Topics:
Pastel - Neon - Lace - Tutu - Leggings - Bodysuit

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A certain dialect of speech became associated with valley girls which became referred to as "Valspeak," common among teenage females during the 1980s. Words such as "like," "way," "totally" and "duh" were interjected in the middle of phrases and sentences as emphasizers. Narrative sentences were often spoken as if they were questions (high rising terminal). Some of the slang included:

Related Topics:
Valspeak - Like - High rising terminal

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• "Barf me out!" ("That's disgusting.")
• "Fer sure." ("Certainly.")
• "Totally." ("Yes.", "Definitely.", "I agree.", or "Very much.")
• "Gag me with a spoon!" ("That's disgusting.")
• "Grody to the max!" (Ditto, although "grody" was already popular in the early 1960s)

A book was written called How to De-Program Your Valley Girl (ISBN 0894802399) in an attempt by parents to try to cull what they thought was a damaging trend. There is some similarity with the somewhat derogatory term used for single women living in spacious expensive apartments in localised parts of west London. "Sloane Rangers" are also associated with a haughty style of speech punctuated with terms considered chic or refined. The term is a wordplay on the fictional Lone Ranger cowboy, derived from the nearby Underground Station called Sloane Square.

Related Topics:
London - Sloane Ranger - Lone Ranger - Underground - Sloane Square

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Valley girl: Song ►