Is feminism for young women an obsolete concept? Their complacency towards collective action may well have been replaced with a more fervent claim of achieving equality, that of the "ladette" culture. While most young women recognise gender inequalities still exist, they appear to have internalised the personal choice discourse of today's society.

During the 1980s, women started to break down the separatist ideology of 1970s feminism and began seeking power in traditionally masculine areas. This "power feminism" gave way in the 1990s to today's "riot grrrl feminism".

"Riot grrrl feminists" are cool, smart, confident and independent as well as bold, rebellious and daring, and this is the image of young women today - an image manufactured through the eyes of advertisers. This ubiquitous and media-hyped image is represented in the tough and sexy "grrrl culture" symbolised by the likes of Buffy and Lara Croft.

This image could provide young women with strong, positive and arguably feminist role models. But what it has achieved for some young women is an entirely different story.

The discourse of "grrrl power" can represent young women as angry and aggressive, often mirroring the worst of masculinity - out-drink him, out-swear him and if he insults you, deck him. But some young women are harming themselves.

The biggest rise in new smokers is among young women and they are now prime targets for tobacco company marketing strategies.

More young women are ignoring recommended drinking limits than they were five years ago.

Experts have warned that young women's drinking habits have led to a rise in the numbers suffering from severe liver damage. Binge drinking is also linked to risky sexual behaviour and a recent survey showed that groups of young women were now seen as potential perpetrators of crime.

All this begs the question of whether "grrrl power" is really an empowering experience for young women. It may be that some young women fall victim to pressure to conform to a gender role that adopts the worse aspects of masculinity - the same aspects women have spent time and effort doing single-gender work to combat. What was meant to be an empowering third-wave feminism has for some become the killing fields.

Val King, undergraduate course leader, youth and community development studies, St Martin's College, Lancaster

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