Towie (Scottish Gaelic: Tollaigh) is a small hamlet in Aberdeenshire, Scotland, close to Alford and Lumsden.

One of the most notable features of Towie is its small primary school with nursery, which is located in the village itself. Towie also has a bowling club and a beautiful church with historic graveyard.

The village is the burial place of Major James Leith (VC).

Coordinates: 57°12′0″N 2°56′7″W / 57.2°N 2.93528°W / 57.2; -2.93528

An Essex girl is a pejorative stereotype in the United Kingdom of a female who is said to be promiscuous and unintelligent, characteristics jocularly attributed to women from Essex. It is applied widely throughout the country and has gained popularity over time, dating from the 1980s and 1990s. Unlike Essex man, which became aspirational stereotype for working class voters in the south and east of England who voted for Margaret Thatcher, Essex girl does not carry positive political connotations.

The stereotypical image was formed as a variation of the dumb blonde/bimbo persona, with references to the Estuary English accent, white stiletto heels, silicone enhanced breasts, peroxide blonde hair, over-indulgent use of fake tan (lending an orange appearance), promiscuity, loud verbal vulgarity and to socialising at downmarket nightclubs.

Time magazine has written:

The term initially became synonymous with the lead characters of Sharon and Tracey in the BBC sitcom Birds of a Feather.^{[citation needed]} These brash, uninhibited women had escaped working class backgrounds in London and moved to a large house in Chigwell. The image has since been epitomised in celebrity culture with the likes of Denise van Outen, Jade Goody, Jodie Marsh, Chantelle Houghton and Amy Childs all rising to some degree of fame with the help of their Essex Girl image.^{[citation needed]}