Skinny, sleazy and stupid -- research shows young women hate the double standard

New research from Ekos, commissioned by Media Action (formerly Media Watch) says that young women hate the sterotypes and double standards they face in publications and other media.

In conjunction with Media Education Week, Media Action published a release about women's views of prevailing media portrayals. The full research report and commentary from Media Action is available at the organization's website. This report is similar to other research that the group has commissioned during its 26-year history.

Focus group participants in Montreal, Ottawa, Toronto and Vancouver between the ages of 14 and 24 expressed almost universal frustration with pervasive images of "flawless" female bodies, and the disproportionate media attention paid to women as sex objects and "those who mess up".

The same sentiments were common to all groups of young women, for instance:

"Society worships guys who come across as good or bad, tough, responsible, independent and even weird," and "They don't have to conform to one specific image."

Media Action Director Shari Graydon said "This research reminds us that despite the enormous gains women have made in recent decades, many media practices continue to reinforce limiting and destructive stereotypes.

The Media Action/EKOS focus groups also revealed that young women are enthusiastic users of social networking sites such as Facebook and generally believe that the site affords them the ability to control their personal privacy. However, few felt that social networking sites could be used to disseminate positive messages about young women.

The release also said that teenage girls today, much like adult women surveyed in 1994, indicated they often actively boycott companies and brands when they're associated with negative stereotypes of women.