#page3takedown - Merry Christmas!
So, in the spirit of Christmas, why don't you head over to change.org/nomorepage3 and sign the petition asking David Dinsmore, the editor of the Sun, to (very nicely) drop the bare boobs from Page 3?
For those of you who may be abroad (or simply have no clue what Page 3 is or why it should be dropped), here's a quick summary of why you should head over and sign the petition!
The Sun is one of the most popular British newspapers. It markets itself as a family newspaper, and is often quoted as one of the best British newspapers for sport. And yet in every issue, on Page 3, is an image of a topless girl - even though this newspaper is marketed as a family-friendly newspaper!
So why do we want the Sun to drop Page 3?
1. It's very sexist – The biggest picture of a woman in any paper most days is one of a very young woman in just her knickers. In a newspaper, this appears next to lots of pictures with news of men in suits or sports clothes doing things. The Page 3 picture isn't about any news story and the model doesn't speak at all.
This picture is just inside the front cover of the biggest selling newspaper. The front pages is where all the most important news gets put. By putting a picture here of a woman in just her pants, the newspaper is telling its readers that what is really most important about women is the way they look and their sexual allure. It doesn't care what they have to say, what their achievements or talents are.
In a country where we want men and women to be treated equally, having pictures like this in our biggest selling papers makes it much more difficult for women to be taken seriously - and when young boys or girls see this, what does it teach them about women’s place in society? Perhaps that men make the news through their actions whilst women stand around looking sexy.
2. Children can see Page 3 at any time - Lots of people take newspapers into public places and into their family homes, where they would be far less likely to take magazines containing similar images such as porn or lads mags.
When children watch TV we have a watershed so that we know that things shown after 9pm may contain sex, nudity and swearing. When we watch a movie with children there are certificates to help us decide if the content is appropriate. When buying newspapers there is no age at which you can’t buy, whilst porn mags have to be placed on the top shelf. The Page 3 pictures are therefore placed on bottom shelves next to other papers and children’s comics etc. Not only this, but the Sun actively markets itself as a family newspaper. It advertises on children’s television and includes holiday and toy promotions as well as features and competitions about boy bands etc.
Studies show that seeing these type of pictures is not good for children. We don’t think there is anything wrong with children seeing nudity such as seeing parents or family naked or even people on the beach or in changing rooms for example. Images like Page 3 are different. Children know what newspapers are and what they are for, so they aren’t expecting a sexual image. These pictures are sexual. The models are posed in a way to make the reader think they want to have sex with them, and children can tell the difference. Young girls who see these pictures are more likely to grow up thinking they should get their clothes off for men. They are more likely to accept and take on the image of being a sex object.
Young boys who see these pictures are less likely to treat women and girls with respect. They are more likely to think of women and girls as less than human, and as a result, more likely to treat women and girls in a derogatory way and not worry about hurting them.
3. It is sooooo… outdated! – The Daily Mirror used to feature topless Page Three girls in the 1970s. It dropped the feature in the 1980s because it realised that, culturally, the rest of Britain had moved on, and to keep on featuring bare breasts in a family newspaper would make it look like a dinosaur.
Page 3 comes from an era of Jimmy Saville, the Benny Hill show and on the buses. It mocks and disrespects women just like racist features like the black and white minstrel show and gollywogs used to mock people of colour. The world and its moral perspective have moved on and we think its time the Sun did the same and bought it’s readers with it.
Let's get the petition to 216,000 signatures by Christmas Day - just 449 signatures to go!
To follow this petition, please check out our website and social media pages:
Website: www.nomorepage3.org
Facebook: facebook.com/nomorepage3
Twitter: twitter.com/nomorepage3
Instagram: instagram.com/nomorepage3
