Filming has taken place in south Essex for a new feature documentary exploring the impact of the Essex Girl stereotype on women across the county.
The production, titled "Witchcraft and Stilettos: Redefining the Essex Girl Narrative", aims to challenge long‑held perceptions and highlight the experiences of women who have been affected by the label.
Blatella Films, a south Essex production company, is behind the project and is targeting a cinema release in Autumn 2026.
The film will feature voices from across Essex as women discuss how the stereotype has shaped their lives, alongside groups working to dismantle it.
Recent interviews were filmed in Hadleigh and Southend, including with Mia, who was part of the Accent Essex project with University of Essex.
Mia said: "My accent isn’t something I want to hide, just because of the opinions of other people… if they can’t like me because of my accent, they wouldn’t like me for who I am."
In 2024, the University of Essex revealed how teenage girls feel pressured to change the way they talk because of negative stereotypes about the county.
Ten girls from Westcliff High School for Girls volunteered to take part in a series of workshops led by Dr McAllister-Viel, head of voice and speech at East 15.
They reflected on what it was like to be a teenage girl growing up in Essex and wrote poems which they were taught to perform.
Over the next four months, Blatella Films will speak with a wide range of contributors, from a UK champion powerlifter to a NASA scientist, for the new documentary.
Film director Natalie Scarsbrook said: "It been wonderful how many people have taken the message of the film to heart, before its even finished being made.
"I think it shows how needed the film is to expose the harm the stereotype has done and how we can shake it off for future women in Essex."
Blatella Films will be launching a Kickstarter campaign on February 17, to help raise funds to complete the film.
The campaign will run until March 17. For more, visit www.kickstarter.com/profile/w-and-s.
Share