“I Mean, They Have No Idea” – Girls’ and Young Women’s Perceptions of Media Representations of Marginalized Areas in Sweden and Their Consequences

Knowledge about girls’ and young women’s perceptions of media representations of marginalized areas and their consequences is limited. Using theories of representation and territorial stigmatization, this study explores how girls and young women living in marginalized areas in Sweden perceive news media representations of these places and how theses representations affect their lives. Thematic analysis was used to analyse 21 interviews with girls and young women aged 13 to 22 years, resulting in four themes: a place marked by criminality, media’s lack of local knowledge, collective punishment and a lack of prospects, and challenging the media images. The exclusively negative media representations of marginalized areas are described to have consequences for girls’ and young women’s lives and living conditions. In contrast, the girls and young women in this study both acknowledge and contest the territorial stigma associated with their neighborhoods, by underscoring the positive aspects of growing up in these environments.