Girls websites criticised for aping lads mags techniques

The websites of magazines for teenage girls have been criticised for aping the techniques of so-called lads mags by urging girls still in school to rate their own attractiveness.

London, Sep 19 : The websites of magazines for teenage girls have been criticised for aping the techniques of so-called "lads' mags" by urging girls still in school to rate their own attractiveness.

A report, investigating this trend, has particularly cited one magazine website that encouraged girls to upload photos of themselves so 10 of their body parts could be subject to study and online rating.

A report by Women in Journalism (WIJ), the campaign group, said that girls who send in pictures for the Bliss website's "How Sexy Am I?" feature are asked to rate their own bodies with options ranging from "beautiful" to "ewww". Readers are then asked to rate the 10 body parts, including tummy, thighs, legs and breasts, as happy, unhappy or "hated 'em".

The site, aimed at 14- to 17-year-olds also offers the option to buy "airbrush me" software to remove spots or blemishes.

WIJ, which campaigns to improve the representation of women in the media, said the teen websites were smudging the line between what was acceptable for a young girl and "lad mags" such as Nuts or FHM, which are aimed at men, without thinking of the consequences.

The Nuts website, for instance, includes an "Assess My Breasts" page which invites women to post pictures of themselves to be rated. The Mizz site, for girls aged 10-14, invites users to "rate our hotties" - giving marks out of 10 to pictures of boys.

The report comes after British Fashion Week announced a ban on under-16s due to fears they are being exploited and susceptible to eating disorders.

"It seems to me teenage magazines don't quite know what to do with their websites, and the only material they have got to go with are the lads' mags.he message that you get in the editorial sections, if a girl was to write in saying her nose was too big, is that you are fine as you are," the Telegraph quoted Fiona Bawdon, the author of the WIJ report, as saying.

Her report states: "Should a teen magazine really be encouraging young girls to think in terms of 'hating' their still developing bodies? It's hard to see what purpose such a survey can serve, other than for scoping the teen market for potential plastic surgery customers."

The report, which said teenage girls felt severe pressure to be thin, was launched at a recent conference in London attended by Cherie Blair.

"One of the things that teenage girls are interested in is whether teenage boys find them attractive. Fat is beautiful, but not too much - that's the thing. How much is too much?" Cherie said.

ANI