Girlguiding UK is backing a campaign to remove pictures of topless women from page 3 of The Sun newspaper.
An online poll of more than 2,000 guides aged between 16 and 25 showed 88 per cent believed the editor of The Sun, Dominic Mohan, should end page 3.
Girlguiding Advocate!, a group within the movement which is involved with public affairs, emailed Mr Mohan last week.
Objects
It said of The Sun: “Anyone can pick it up and turn to page three and think that it is normal for young women to be treated as objects.”
“We feel that this is just wrong and has to stop.”
Girlguide Katie Wormald, 17, came up with the idea of taking the poll.
Children
She said: “Children shouldn’t grow up thinking that this is the norm and that it is right.”
She added: “Young girls shouldn’t grow up thinking that they will achieve more by being sexually objectified”.
The “No More Page 3” petition that the Guides have signed was started by actress Lucy-Anne Holmes and has gathered more than 95,000 signatures.
Petition
The petition directly asks Mr Mohan to remove pictures of topless women from his paper.
Lucy-Anne Holmes said she was thrilled that the Guides are backing the campaign.
She said: “It’s absolutely brilliant that Girlguiding’s young members have voted to support our campaign to bring an end to the most iconic piece of sexism in our national press.”
In February, media mogul Rupert Murdoch hinted on Twitter that he might get rid of topless pictures from The Sun.
He responded to fellow Twitter users who referred to page 3 as out-of-date: “You maybe right, don’t know but considering. Perhaps halfway house with glamorous fashionistas.”
Former page 3 girl Nina Carter is supporting the campaign, and has said the pictures send out the wrong message.