A TRANENT group has joined a campaign to change how women are portrayed in the media.

1st Tranent Rangers has joined Girlguiding Scotland’s ‘Media Mindful’ campaign following discussions during its meetings.

In partnership with the University of Strathclyde and Gender Equal Media Scotland, the campaign asks that the media treats girls and women equally, avoids gender stereotypes, promotes a more diverse range of women and addresses appearance pressures.

As part of the campaign, 1st Tranent Rangers, made up of seven members between the ages of 14 and 18, chose one thing it wanted to change.

It selected more representation of diversity, for example more stories about what women have done rather than who they are as people, more articles written by women and more positive representations across all forms of media.

Hayley Young, the group’s leader, said: “We hope the change will inspire young women to see that it’s not just what they look like that matters but what they do instead.”

Hayley and the Rangers also sent a letter to East Lothian MSP Iain Gray, who then in turn contacted IPSO, the Independent Press Standards Organisation, a newspaper and magazine regulator.

In his letter, Mr Gray said it was very important that the media engaged with the views of readers in order to shape a better, fairer environment that promoted diversity and confidence in women and girls.

In response, Charlotte Dewar, IPSO chief executive, pointed out part of the IPSO code of practice covering these issues. She also said she was going to share his letter with the editor’s code of practice committee, which is responsible for setting the standards of the code, and IPSO’s standards team, which monitors wider press standards issues and develops targeted interventions.

Plans on the work 1st Tranent Rangers will undertake as part of the campaign are currently being discussed but one member has recently started a feminism group at her school.