Back Page: Social Claire - Girls and that defensive front

"Are you disrespecting me? Do I look bovvaaaad?" - those who have seen Catherine Tate Show will be familiar with this parody of a schoolgirl and her friend.

Nonchalant, full of contempt and supposedly streetwise, she puts two fingers up to authority, boys and her friends. This depiction of a schoolgirl is not a one-off - those of you familiar with Little Britain will know Vicky Pollard, a schoolgirl mum who, on being told that swapping her baby for a Westlife album is appalling, retorts "I know, they're rubbish!"

Both shows are very funny, and the images portrayed are done from a new angle. But I can't help wondering if we are doing girls and young women a disservice by portraying them in such a harsh light. Of course, the caricatures strike a chord with us. That's what makes them funny. But it is important to remember that for many young women this will be a defence mechanism, a cover for their vulnerability. My niece is a classic example - thirteen, mouthy, frequently excluded from school, regularly in fights and thoroughly miserable due to her home life, she uses these tactics to survive in a world where adults have treated her badly.