As an Essex girl born and bred, I have felt the gradual ‘Towiefication’ of my hometown, Loughton, with mixed feelings.
Okay, I’m not sure Towiefication is a word that will ever make the English dictionary.
But essentially I refer to the creeping urban rebrand of local town centres, as epitomised by that famous ITV reality show.
A plus side is the prosperity.
While the economic downturn has brought desolation to local high streets around the country, Loughton seems to be more shiny and alive than ever.
The trouble is, it’s not my high street anymore.
Walking down it, I feel like a stranger.
I remember the bakers, the butchers, the greengrocers and the newsagents.
I remember Smoker’s Paradise. And Presto - yes, Presto!
I also remember when the most daring fashion retailer on the parade was a plus-sized women’s clothing shop called ‘Forgotten Woman’.
Thankfully, the women of Loughton, of all shapes and sizes, are no longer relegated to the ‘forgotten’ section, but perhaps we have gone too far towards the opposite extreme?
The archetypal modern Towie girl couldn’t be further from forgettable: tans, nails, heels, and lashes, like a clutch of shimmering peacock feathers, parading down the high street in search of ultra-expensive jean brands and beauty treatments.
I feel dowdy just thinking about it.
And a little tired.
That’s a lot of maintenance I couldn’t be bothered with.
But then I’m not a twenty-something reality star with a club-promoter boyfriend.
As for the Towie boy, the glamour stakes are just as high, the high street just as generous.
Fancy male barber shops and designer clothes abound.
And once the shopping’s done, there’s a mind-boggling array of cafes, bars and restaurants – some new, some old.
It’s a shopping/eating/posing wonderland.
It is, however, a hard place to find basics.
A decent, sensibly-priced pairs of socks, for instance.
Despite all the benefits the Towie-pound brings, I can’t shake the feeling that it’s something of a take-over.
Am I being a bit old fashioned and fusty?
I don’t dislike Towie – I get as excited about a Joey/Chloe sighting as the next person.
I just miss the cosy town I grew up in.
I don’t think I’ll ever get my head around the fact that Loughton is now seen as a ‘nightlife destination’, attracting revellers rom far and wide.
Recently, I had the curious experience of driving through the centre at 2am and was gobsmacked by the amount of young people, in various states of drunkenness, spilling out of the bars.
Not to mention the darker side of this scene: the mass brawls and the stabbings. No thanks.
Oh, Loughton of my youth, you may now be a glittering gem in the Tiara of Towie, but to me, you will always be that pleasantly average town-by-the-forest that flooded a lot.