Valley girl

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For other uses, see Valley girl (disambiguation).

The term Valley Girl originally referred to rich teen-aged girls and young women living in the neighborhoods of the San Fernando Valley area of Los Angeles, California. Val is the short-hand form of the term.

During the 1980s and the 1990s, the term metamorphosed into a caricature and stereotype of such women: a "ditzy" or "airhead" personality, and unapologetically "spoiled" behavior that showed more interest in shopping, personal appearance and social status than in intellectual development or personal accomplishment.[1]

The archetypal Valley Girl is a white blonde (not necessarily natural), but the "Val" has evolved along with demographic changes, with the term applying to all such girls and women, regardless of their race. The typical Valley Girl is considered glamorous and sexually promiscuous.

Contents

[edit] Sociolect

Main article: Valspeak

A certain sociolect associated with valley girls, referred to as “Valspeak”, became common during the 1980s. From 1980-1984, “Valspeak” grew in use by both boys and girls.

Qualifiers such as “like”, “way”, “totally” and “duh” were interjected in the middle of phrases and sentences as emphasizers. Narrative sentences were often spoken as though they were questions (high rising terminal).

Examples:

  • As if – lit. "as if" except it does not use a subject; expresses disbelief
  • Whatever!- short for "whatever you say"; sarcastic comeback
  • Barf me out! - "So disgusting it makes me want to vomit"
  • Fer shur – lit. "For sure"
  • Betch – lit. "Bitch"
  • Totally – "I agree" or "completely"
  • Gag me with a spoon! - "you are so disgusting that you make me want to vomit"
  • Tubular – Excellent, perfect, as in a (surfable) wave that forms a tube
  • Grody to the max! – "As gross as he/she/it can be"
  • Like, oh my God – can be used many ways; expresses shock (OMG for short)
  • I’m suuure! or I'm so sure – "I'm absolutely positive", but usually used sarcastically
  • Tre - A synonym for "way"
  • Tripendicular! - It can mean either "awesome" or a drug high.
  • Totally Radical, Dude! – "That is incredible, man"
  • Betty - An attractive woman.
  • Gnarly - off the hook, totally extreme - good or bad
  • So - Very; Used too often and said with too much emphasis

There was a time (late 70s, early 80s) when the Sherman Oaks Galleria was the most famous mall in America, at least among those of a certain age. They loved the Galleria and loved that it was mentioned in the 1982 Frank and Moon Unit Zappa hit single, "Valley Girl." And why not? The Galleria was widely considered to be the birthplace of the "Val" (as Valley Girls would refer to each other in a kind of shorthand). It all began in the fall of 1980. That's when the Galleria opened in the heart of Los Angeles' San Fernando Valley, better known locally as "the valley." Back then, the three-story, skylighted, enclosed structure was considered the epitome of all that was cool in mass consumption. Teens discovered the Galleria and quickly packed the place. It had everything: trendy boutiques, Pac-Man game booths and what passed for exotic fare at the food arcade (yes, even hot dogs on a stick). Plenty of the mall rats enjoying all this were boys, but, for some reason, it was the girls who were noticed. And somehow, someone, somewhere, thought to call them "Valley Girls." Like, totally, a lingo... To be called a "Valley Girl" was not exactly a compliment. It conjured up images of vacuous, giggly girls with lots of time and money on their hands and a bizarre language on their lips. -Anne McDermott, CNN April 15, 1999

[edit] Phenomena similar to Valley girls

  • There is some similarity between the phenomenon of a Valley Girl in the United States and the concept of a Sloane Ranger in the United Kingdom, in particular the self-confidence, the emphasis on personal appearance and social standing among a narrow group of peers, and the lack of interest in more worldly issues.
  • Similar phenomena were registered around the globe in books, movies and on television. In diverse places such as Russia, Japan, Ethiopia, and Pakistan, parent movements and religious organizations were formed against this culture.[citation needed] Specifically, the upward inflection sentence was the most marked symptom of the global Valley Girl, marking these girls as part of the new global culture, saved mostly for the privileged.[citation needed]

[edit] "Valley Girl" in pop culture

[edit] Music

In 1982, composer Frank Zappa released the album Ship Arriving Too Late to Save a Drowning Witch. The album featured the single "Valley Girl", with his 14 year old daughter Moon Unit (who supplied Frank with much of the content) speaking typical "Valley girl" phrases. Zappa intended to lampoon the image, but the single also popularized the valley girl stereotype nationwide. There was a significant increase in the "Valspeak" slang usage, whether ironically spoken or not.

1992 Old school hip hop song "Baby Got Back" by Sir Mix-a-Lot famously starts with a discussion between two valley girls.[1]

[edit] Film

In 1983, the feature film Valley Girl was released starring actor Nicolas Cage and actress Deborah Foreman.

Besides featuring the up-and-coming actor Cage, the movie contains a soundtrack of New Wave music, which was at the peak of its popularity at that time.

The film's producers had initially approached Frank Zappa to ask him if they could make a film based on his song. Zappa refused, and the filmmakers wound up making the film anyway. Zappa attempted to sue over the obvious capitalization on his song, but the lawsuit was thrown out.[citation needed]

The movie Clueless stars Alicia Silverstone, playing a valley girl named Cher Horowitz. Her best friend, Dionne (Stacy Dash), also has the valley girl personality.

[edit] Television

The long-running sitcom The Fresh Prince of Bel Air featured a rarity in popular culture. The role of Hilary Banks, played by Karyn Parsons, featured the first major African American valley girl character, in the Los Angeles neighborhood of Bel Air.

Buffy the Vampire Slayer parodied the valley girl, with the main character, Buffy Summers, often saving the males of the program.

Also used for some outtakes on the show, House M.D. between the characters Dr. Lisa Cuddy and Dr. Allison Cameron.

Sweet Valley High can also be considered an example, although while the main characters exhibit the physical characteristics of a Valley Girl, academic pursuits are considered of merit.

Clover from the animated series Totally Spies portrays traits and uses terms associated with the stereotypical valley girl.

[edit] Stores

In the early 1980s, Hollywood films and songs portrayed the female-dominated mall lifestyle in the San Fernando Valley in southern California. The Sherman Oaks Galleria was perhaps best known as the home of the Valley Girl, since this San Fernando Valley mall was where Fast Times at Ridgemont High was filmed in 1981. (Arnold Schwarzenegger's 1985 movie, Commando, was shot there, too.) The mall was featured throughout Fast Times at Ridgemont High, beginning with the opening scenes of the film, where we ride an elevator up to the food court where the young Sean Penn, Jennifer Jason Leigh, and Judge Reinhold worked at the fast food stands. But despite its popularity in the 1980s (when stars like Molly Ringwald used to shop there regularly), business at this mall had been shrinking (since it suffered extensive damage during the 1994 Northridge earthquake), with a very high vacancy rate at last report.

Australian women's fashion store, ValleyGirl, uses the image of the valley girl to its advantage. It stocks fashionable and affordable clothing for women under 30 years in age.

[edit] List of fictional valley girls

[edit] Film

[edit] Animation

[edit] Television

[edit] Video games

[edit] Literature

[edit] Commercials

  • Unnamed character in Laughing Cow Cheese radio commercials (such as the Highway Patrolman[2] spot) by Joy Radio, Inc. of the mid-1980s.

[edit] United Kingdom

In England the term Valley girl has been used (but would not be generally understood) to refer to a stereotype of a resident of the county of Essex, better known as Essex girl. The stereotype is one of a sexually promiscuous teenager or woman of less than average intelligence.

In Wales, the term Valley girl is used to refer to a girl from the valleys (an area in South Wales running north from Cardiff and Newport). The stereotype is similar to the Essex stereotype, but has connotations of inbreeding, similar to the concept of a yokel or a hillbilly.

The American concept of the Valley Girl is similar to the UK's Sloane Ranger & Essex Girl stereotypes.

[edit] Texas

In Texas, the term "Valley Girl" is often colloquially used to refer to a woman from the Rio Grande Valley,from the far southern areas around McAllen and Brownsville. The term, of course, became more popular when the California term gained nationwide attention (i.e. because of the contrast with this term).

[edit] California

In the Greater Los Angeles area, the term "Valley Girl" refers to girls from the San Fernando Valley. In context it is associated with a spoiled white girl from an upper-middle class background who socializes with other "valley girls" in cliques. In regions neighboring the San Fernando Valley, people will often call a girl a "valley girl" or tell her to "go back to the valley" if she is showing signs of materialism and/or ditzy behavior.

[edit] See also

[edit] References

  1. ^ Baby Got Back Songfacts. Songfacts. Retrieved April 5, 2007.
  2. ^ http://www.rmb.ca/sounds/CreativeGallery/Track08.ram

[edit] External links

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