'Essex Girl' Term Removed From Oxford Advanced Learner’s Dictionary Following a Campaign; Know What This 'Offensive' Phrase Means

A word, more like a phrase or an expression, 'Essex Girl' has been removed from Oxford Advanced Learner's Dictionary following a campaign deeming the term offensive. A campaign from a group called the Essex Girls Liberation Front said the meaning of the term was "very offensive." It has now been removed from the dictionary which was used to teach non-native English speakers. Although the term will still be a part of the Oxford English Dictionary (OED). Read on to know what was the exact meaning of this phrase usage. Earlier this year, the Oxford Dictionary had also changed the sexist definitions of man and woman and made it more LGBTQ inclusive.

The campaign to remove this term was undertaken by author Syd Moore calling Essex Girl as a very offensive expression. On hearing the update, she tweeted with happiness. As per the Oxford University Press, the definition of "Essex girl" is "a name used especially in jokes to refer to a type of young woman who is not intelligent, dresses badly, talks in a loud and ugly way and is very willing to have sex." The definition of the same phrase is little different in the OED, which mentions it is derogatory. It reads, "a derogatory and contemptuous term for a “type of young woman, supposedly found in and around Essex, and variously characterised as unintelligent, promiscuous and materialistic”. ‘Pandemic’ Declared As 2020 Word of the Year by Dictionary.com.

Check Syd Moore's Tweet:

Syd Moore had referenced it during the International Women’s Day conference. To help the cause, the Essex tourism had also released a video called "This is Essex". The efforts have worked and the term will no more be included in the Learner's Dictionary edition.

(The above story first appeared on LatestLY on Dec 06, 2020 04:17 PM IST. For more news and updates on politics, world, sports, entertainment and lifestyle, log on to our website latestly.com).