No More Page 3

I sure hope you've heard about this campaign.

If you've ever bought The Sun Newspaper, or seen it in the supermarket, or used it to wrap up a pass the parcel present, then you'll be aware of 'Page 3'.

For many years, the third page of this paper has been filled with a photograph of a topless female model. This seemed almost 'normal'. However we are living in the 21st Century and I'm appalled that this practice is still acceptable in our society. 

Page 3 portrays women as sexual objects that are used at the disposal of men. It teaches young girls that their body and their boobs are more important than their intelligence and creativity. The image of the half naked woman is there solely for the sexual gratification of the male readership. 

The NMP3 Campaign make this brilliant point:

"It is misogynistic to have bare breasts in a family newspaper. You might think this sounds harsh. But the largest female image in the issue which enraged us is of Emily from Warrington, even though Jessica Ennis (who is also featured in this issue, although in a much, much smaller photo) has just won a gold medal for her country. This means that the message that The Sun is conveying is that a woman’s primary place is to be there with her clothes off so that men can look at her. This limits women and anything, which limits women, is misogynistic." (NMP3 Facebook page)

So the topless model gets pride of place, over the decathlon athlete who just won the Olympic gold for Britain? What kind of message does that send out? I don't want my friends, cousins, future daughters, GB girls, growing up thinking that their worth is measured in their bodies and how much they are willing to reveal. The sexualisation of the media is getting out of control and we need to make a stand against it. Why is it that a naked lady is used to advertise perfume? Or a pair of jeans is sold with an image of a topless girl?

The No More Page 3 campaign is currently gathering signatures for their petition. The petition is asking David Dinsmore (Editor of The Sun) to get rid of bare boobs from The Sun. I strongly advise you to sign it:

www.change.org/p/david-dinsmore-take-the-bare-boobs-out-of-the-sun-nomorepage3

I am a leader in Girls' Brigade, an organisation that supports the No More Page 3 Campaign.  We were asked why we signed the petition, and here are some of the responses...

We hope to see the 'sun set' on Page 3. There is no place for it in our society, and we do not want to be seen simply as sexual objects. As women we still encounter sexism in our daily lives, from crude remarks and side comments to being paid less for doing the same job as a man. (see this report from The Telegraph www.telegraph.co.uk/finance/jobs/11035394/Women-have-to-work-14-years-extra-to-earn-what-men-do.html). You don't have to be a woman to support this campaign, you simply need to recognise that sadly, we still live in a culture where women are not treated equally to men. 

Find out more about Page 3 here: http://nomorepage3.org