Valley Girl Talk for Monday's Club

Hi Culture Club:

Joel is providing a greater frame for this week's lesson and how we can work it out as a reading strategy.

As a group, though, we need to get our slang/piropos/signifying examples together by tonight for Monday's club.

I'll go first with some California Valley Girl examples. I was around the same age as Moon Unit Zappa (14) when she performed on her dad Frank (who went to my high school)'s album in "Valley Girl" (see below under "song").

You might ask the children what their sense of the stereotype of the "Valley Girl" is and introduce them to some characterizations (see "Fictional Valley Girls") below. You can tease out with them the idea that slang begins in a particular time and place and sometimes gets displaced nationally (and internationally), making a stereotype.


"Valley girl"

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
(Redirected from Valley Girl)

In the United States, 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, especially in the 1980s and 1990s. The term morphed in the 1980s to represent a more widespread and cartoonish stereotype of young women —typically characterized by an "ditsy" 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.

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


Dialect
Main article: Valspeak

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:
"As - if!" (expresses distinct doubt)
"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)
"You little rat!" ("You scooped me!" Although the word "Rat!" is used often to describe a person, if even not related to context)


Connections with wider culture
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 counter-culture issues such as affirmitive action, social welfare and global warming/cooling/changing.
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.


Song
In 1982, Frank Zappa released the album Ship Arriving Too Late to Save a Drowning Witch, which featured the single "Valley Girl", with his 14 year old daughter Moon (who supplied Frank with much of the content) speaking typical valley girl phrases. The single popularized the valley girl stereotype nationwide, significantly increasing the slang usage, reportedly not what Zappa had in mind. Although Frank Zappa appears in the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame, the tune was his only U.S. Top 40 single.

Feature film

Movie poster for Valley Girl (1983)
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 without Zappa's song or his permission. Zappa attempted to sue over the obvious capitalization on his song, but the lawsuit was thrown out.


Fictional valley girls

Kimberly Hart (portrayed by Amy Jo Johnson) on Mighty Morphin Power Rangers
Cher Horowitz (portrayed by Alicia Silverstone) in the 90s teen movie Clueless
Hilary Banks (portrayed by Karyn Parsons) from The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air, though her character was actually from the Bel-Air neighborhood of Los Angeles, just outside of the Valley proper. In addition, in one episode Hilary makes a disparaging remark about the San Fernando Valley, though this probably is more a diss to the 1980s Val or simply a dislike for another LA neighborhood.
Elle Woods (portrayed by Reese Witherspoon) from Legally Blonde
Gina and Jessica (portrayed by Amanda Bynes and Christy Knowings respectively) in the "All That" recurring sketch "What-Everrrrrr."
Amber (portrayed by Amanda Bynes) in "The Amanda Show" recurring sketch "The Girl's Room."
Eris from The Grim Adventures of Billy and Mandy (Madonna-like accent switch).
Wendy Lubbock (portrayed by Brooke Theiss) in the ABC sitcom, Just the Ten of Us
"Kate" from Lizzie McGuire (though it could be argued whether Lizzie herself is a Valley Girl; indeed, some find her quite shallow and self-centered)
Clover from Totally Spies!
Shadowcat in X-Men evolution
The LTDFCD from Operation: P.O.O.L on Codename: Kids Next Door
Amy from KCHAT in the video game "Grand Theft Auto: Vice City"
The Muppet Janice (sometimes "Janis"), a member of The Electric Mayhem (The Muppet Movie (1979) and The Muppet Show)
Shirley the Loon, the always-meditating duck girl from Tiny Toon Adventures
Vicky the Valley Girl from Saturday Night Live (played by Gail Matthius, the same woman who voiced Shirley on Tiny Toons)
Buffy Summers (portrayed by Kristy Swanson) in the film Buffy the Vampire Slayer
Minerva Mink from Animaniacs
Tammy Duvall from King of the Hill episode "Ho Yeah!" (2001)
Quinn Morgendorffer from Daria
Elvira the late-night "vampire" talked in Valspeak ("I mean, wow, it's like deja vu!")
Melissa Joan Hart's character in Clarissa Explains It All would lapse into Valspeak
The characters Kimberley and Demi in the novel Olivia Joules and the Overactive Imagination by Helen Fielding.
Harmony Kendall the spoiled unicorn loving deb' (later spoiled vampire) from the television shows Buffy the Vampire Slayer and Angel, played by Mercedes McNab.
Romy and Michele from Romy and Michele's High School Reunion
The celebrity, Pamela Anderson (and the character she portrays, Vallery Irons in tv show, V.I.P. (TV series))
Daphne Blake from A Pup Named Scooby Doo
Kim Possible from the same-titled show (although categorization as a Val would be debatable)
Caitlin Cooke from 6teen
The Tweevils, Kirstee and Kaycee, from the Bratz animated series.