"The Essex girl is not bound by geography, but is a type, metonymous for a very particular kind of female agency, and a very particular kind of disdain: she contains a multitude of women."

Sarah Perry in her short non-fiction piece goes in search of what it means to be an Essex girl and interrogates the traditional stereotype of an Essex girl. Some of you may be familiar with the term, others may be more familiar with the reality TV show The Only Way is Essex and Gemma Collins who has popularised the stereotype of a loud, bawdy, sexually promiscuous and well-made up Essex Girl. Others may not be familiar at all with the concept of an Essex girl as it's a very British regional concept.

Growing up as part of the generation that has only seen this stereotype strengthen and grow this was particularly interesting read for me. Perry grounds her narrative with lots of historical figures as she looks at the likes of Rose Allin a protestant martyr from the 1500s and several other women. This feels strongly guided by her historical interests and her comfort in historical fiction. However, it feeds into her narratives about the concept of the Essex girl as a dissident and disobedient woman. It crafts a legacy about the power of speech and confidence and challenges the misogynistic stereotype of the Essex girl.

Throughout the book she examines how the idea of the Essex girl connects with class, morality, faith, social conformity, political protest and more. Whilst it's not an in-depth exploration as it's a fairly short book, it's incredibly thought-provoking.

Perry also offers some interesting ideas as she questions the disservice we do to women in history by only branding them as exceptional or restricted, rather than focusing on their actions and achievements. How we have striven to mark historical women as ahead of their time when that is not necessarily the case.

I think those interested in British culture and feminism will be most interested in this little gem. Thank you to @serpentstail for the #gifted copy.