Let’s Talk About Valley Girl Accents: Including Their Stereotypes, Images, and Cultural Importance
Written by: Keara Keelty
December 12, 2021
LAST WEEK, I had the most entertaining conversation with a friend. As we comically watched Clueless, we shoved handfuls of buttered popcorn and stole sips of Diet Pepsi. Of course, this 1995 classic is notorious for its iconic phrases, such as “as if” and “totally.” Though, as we laughed nearly hysterically, my friend looked at me, powerfully asserting, “That was so Southern California. She sounds like such a Valley Girl.” Jilted by my belief that Southern California accents were not that apparent, I realized that maybe there are phrases and stereotypes of the Valley Girl that exist and innately extend beyond my own observation.
WHAT IS A VALLEY GIRL?
Then, upon greater consideration, I asked myself: What really is a Valley Girl? Rather, I wanted to — within a research and academic context — examine the stereotypes and implications (whether positive or negative) associated with speaking in a “Valley Girl” tone / accent. As such, according to the Oxford Learner’s Dictionary, a presumed Valley Girl is a “rich girl who is thought to be only interested in things like fashion, shopping, and physical appearance, considered to be typical of young people living in the San Fernando Valley of California” (“Oxford Learner’s Dictionary”). The idea that this stereotype centralizes around wealth, class, materialism, and beauty conformity emphasizes an innately constructed idea in the public imagination. Similarly, Sheila Yasmin Marikar’s “Redefining the, Like, Idea of the Valley Girl” notes that “There’s no Valley boy. It suggests that women are airheaded and stupid” (Marikar), thereby implying a gendered stereotype regarding intelligence. Likewise, Tyanna Slobe’s “What does the L.A. Valley Girl Stereotype Say About Language and Power” introduces the term Mock White Girl, further describing how the Valley Girl is comparable to a “linguistic style ideologically associated with a stereotypical, upper middle-class, white girl in the U.S.” which certainly “normalizes these girls’ experiences at the expense of all other forms of girlhood” (Slobe). Firstly, Slobe examines the overriding importance that this stereotype can attain in glossing over the diversity of upbringings within the greater Los Angeles community and San Fernando Valley, translating into an issue of class and wealth difference, as well as other identity factors.
However, in addition to the Valley Girl stereotype pertaining to class, region, and wealth, a stereotype manifests in their need to prove their ability / competence, as well as their intelligence. Moreover, this particular stereotype stems from their utilization of “vocal fry, dynamic intonation, texting language, blondeness” (Slobe), emphasizing apparent factors that contribute to a targeted sociocultural image. One such factor materializes in Anderson, Klofstad, Mayew, and Venkatachalam’s academic journal, Vocal Fry May Undermine the Success of Young Women in the Labor Market, which collectively divulges how vocal fry negatively impacts young women searching for jobs. The journal further cites that vocal fry seems to symbolize a perception of being “less competent, less educated, less trustworthy, less attractive, and less hirable” (Anderson, Klofstad, et al.). Through the fact that young women utilizing vocal fry somehow renders them “less educated” and “less hirable,” the journal’s authors relay how linguistic stereotypes can incite potential issues in harming socioeconomic and job opportunities. Even so, per their recommendation, their “results suggest that young American females should avoid using vocal fry speech in order to maximize labor market opportunities” (Anderson, Klofstad, et al.). In this suggestion, they depict how identity factors, such as voice, can contribute to limited career elevation opportunities, signifying the cultural value placed on certain accents and tones.
HYPOTHESIS + SURVEYS
Consequently, from this research, in both a sociological and logistical sense, I sought to further understand biases and perspectives regarding the Valley Girl stereotype within a diverse range of college students. Within understanding the stereotype’s linguistic and identity factors, I can reckon that it indeed has cultural implications, whether through the job market or other external perceptions. As such, I conducted two surveys — Logistical and Sociological. The logistical survey’s objective materialized in understanding how the Valley Girl expression was regarding uptalk / phonetic features, forcing participants to focus on specific inflections. In this survey, I utilized an audio recording of phonetic features that went along with a typical Valley Girl stereotype, such as uptalk, vocal fry, as well as words such as “like” and “totally.” Alongside this audio recording, I offered two images, and asked the participants to select which one corresponded to the audio file. My intent in this question was to decipher identity features associated with Valley Girl mannerisms. Another objective I employed was an Alicia Silverstone clip (who played Cher in Clueless) both inside and outside of her character to gauge if she utilized Valley Girl-like mannerisms in the movie. Additionally, for my sociological survey, I asked questions such as:
- How would you define a “Valley girl?” Explain your definition in terms of various identity factors. This can pertain to class, age, region, or commonly held phrases associated with “Valley Girls.”
- What geographic area do you think is most associated with the Valley girl accent?
- How would you define the main character in Clueless?
- Does the main character in Clueless play into the Valley Girl stereotype? If yes, what makes you think that she fits this stereotype? Is this referring to a certain tone, vocabulary usage, etc.? If not, are there any films that you have seen that seem to fit this stereotype? Rather, if not, can you provide a real example of someone who conforms to the Valley Girl image?
- Check boxes of words valley girls would say (or stereotypes of what they would say).
I also asked a This or That question regarding Rich / Shopping vs. Frugality / Minimalism.
Thus, my hypothesis for both surveys’ findings materialized in that Valley Girl stereotypes are rooted in class, wealth, and phonetic features such as uptalk and vocal fry. Valley girls are also associated with a certain age group, often female teenagers and young adult women.
SURVEY FINDINGS
For my logistical survey, I received results such as how Alicia Silverstone sounded different inside and outside of her Clueless character. One participant noted that in the Clueless character, her voice has “more emphasis and a higher tone,” highlighting the difference of elevated pitch and tone in Cher’s voice. Also, from my question of asking about uptalk and other phonetic features, various participants noted that “uptalk was used quite a bit in this and other vocal features I recognized is change of pitch and also mocking,” as well as “there is also a lot of vocal fry and voice cracks.”
For my sociological survey, I mainly asked about stereotypes of Valley Girls regarding location, identity factors, and more. Responses included that Valley Girls are “usually blonde, kind of pretentious teenagers. Usually seen as less educated and more fake / one dimensional” and “I normally conceptualize them as middle to upper class social members, which is reflected in their fashion, possession, and behaviors. They speak in higher voices, with kitschy sayings and fake compliments.” Additionally, the results for location were somewhat varied, as respondents mentioned that Valley girls are from “The Valley in California, California — specifically urban California, Southern California, specifically Orange County or LA, Southern California, L.A. and Bay Area.” I found it intriguing that respondents included the Bay Area and Orange County, as opposed to just the San Fernando Valley. In relation to Cher in Clueless, individuals responded that she is “posh, arrogant, stylish, iconic, young, queen bee” or that she is a “ditzy blonde who only seems to care about her style and gets money handed to her.” Through the idea that she is “arrogant” and a “ditzy blonde,” the survey results generally revealed that she represents what Valley Girls tend to: rich and blonde from California.
GRAPHS
This graph depicts words associated with Valley Girls such as “like, totally, definitely, and so.”
This graph depicts the perspective of wealth associated with Valley Girls.
EXIT QUESTIONS
I also asked exit questions to all survey participants: What do you think the collective theme of this survey was? What do you think about stereotypes regarding voices? Why is this culturally important?
CONCLUSION
Overall, my hypothesis was correct in that Valley Girls are mostly associated with a higher degree of wealth and class, as they are most commonly connoted as from Southern California. They are also associated with uptalk, voice cracks, and vocal fry.
WORKS CITED
