Protesters calling for an end to Sun's topless Page 3 girls
THE Sun is the most popular newspaper in the UK and Europe, selling an average of 2,409,811 copies a day last month.
However, its tradition of showing topless women on Page 3 has been controversial for some time.
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Glamour shoot: Former Page 3 model Jo Guest on a publicity shoot in London.
Recently more than 1,000 people in Nottingham, and 83,129 overall, have backed the national No More Page Three campaign.
And just this week the group hit out at a promotion the Sun has been running with Lego.
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Readers of the News International title have been offered free Lego toys with the paper since Saturday.
Campaigner Lisa Clarke, of Stapleford, said the promotion attracted children to a paper which runs "soft porn" on one of its pages.
She was taking part in protests outside Lego's UK headquarters in Slough, Legoland in Windsor and The Sun in London on Tuesday.
Mrs Clarke, 39, a mum-of-two, also said: "We're not prudish, we love naked bodies as much as any person. But there's a place for it. And that's not in a paper that promotes itself as a family newspaper.
"How can you be promoting children's toys in a paper that contains soft porn and adult content? It is important that boys don't grow up thinking women are sex objects.
"I think the Page 3 girls convey the wrong image of women – as sex objects.
"This leads to men thinking it's OK to treat women as mere sex objects, which is only a small step away from domestic abuse, sexual assault or rape."
The campaign group started a petition against the Lego promotion, which has already attracted with 7,610 supporters.
The Sun declined to comment when contacted by the Post. But News Corporation chairman and chief executive Rupert Murdoch, recently hinted that the 40-year-old tradition may belong in the past.
Responding to a fellow user of Twitter who described Page 3 as "so last century", he said that he was "considering" whether he was of the same view.
However, some Sun readers in Notts disagree.
Ed Bennett, 22, of Bulwell, who buys the paper regularly, said: "I don't see a problem with it. People who don't want to see the topless girls shouldn't buy the Sun."
And David Morrell, 63, said: "You see it on the beach on holidays and totally naked women in saunas everywhere but Britain. I don't think it does any harm."
Keith Jackson, 72, who lives in France but was visiting his son in Nottingham yesterday, said: "I think nudity is a wonderful thing, perfectly healthy and natural.
"If research shows there is a link between topless Page 3 girls and violence towards women, it should be banned. But if not, I think they should add a page showing a half-naked man, so the women have something nice to look at."
Fiona Wright, vice president and general manager for Lego UK and Ireland, said: "Our promotion with the Sun targets their adult readership and gives millions of children the opportunity to experience Lego play."
26 Comments
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by andyjsy
Friday, March 01 2013, 8:17AM
“I'm sorry snowcadet, I didn't realise you were reasoning, I thought you were just toying with me!”
by snowcadet
Friday, March 01 2013, 12:24AM
“andy, you aren't capable of reasoning. I just feel sorry for your kids! You'd probably be proud your girls getting their tackles out for attention!”
by andyjsy
Thursday, February 28 2013, 11:18PM
“Snowcadet, there you go again, jumping to useless (wrong) conclusions.
Just shows what type of person you are, and, if you take the time to actually read my posts you'd clearly see that I've already said I have no interest in page 3, so why would you then go on to claim I'd leave it about?
If you know so much about these things, and how terrible the world is, the perhaps you should have used your oh so huge intellect & decided against bringing 3 children in to it??
You claim to be educated (which I doubt) yet whenever someone disagrees with you then you just go off into pointless ramblings (such as claiming shogun is some sort of sex pest)
Oh, I think you'll find the BRAND was Hannah Montana. Perhaps they should have shot her at 14 along with all other childhood stars eh? Just so as to avoid ruining your children's childhoods.
And if I'm an advertisers puppet, and you clearly are not, what are you doing in toys r us? Studying?
Enjoy changing the world through the comments page in the local rag.
P.s, it's DISSERTATION, but then you'd know that, surely?”
by snowcadet
Thursday, February 28 2013, 10:34PM
“Oh and you don't see mylie as a brand???? Have you not been to toys'r'us? She's stamped her BRAND over loads of toys! if you don't realise that you're being manipulated by the media.... Then you're being manipulated! I have a degree in socio-psychological media studies, and you my friend are the typical! you don't even realise you're being coerced! It's quite fun toying with you! Desensitised immoral wallet was a term I used in my dissitation! Sexualised young girls, no doubt as soon as they're old enough they'll be out in nots wearing next to nowt!”
by snowcadet
Thursday, February 28 2013, 10:26PM
“Andyjsy... You should get an education! I'm sure your kids really appreciate your naked page 3 laying around the house. You bring in to question my parenting skills... Really? I bet your girls have all pink and your boys all blue! You have no idea how programmed both you and they are, primed for advertising, puppets if you will.”
by andyjsy
Thursday, February 28 2013, 9:30PM
“Snowcadet, I have 3 girls & a boy, unlike yourself I see it as my own responsibity to control what they see, not the media. Mylie Cyrus is not a brand, she's a person, not your property or that of anyone else & you have no right to dictate how she dresses now she's reached adulthood. Seeing as we (well, you) are jumping to conclusions, you sound like the typical useless parent that feels everything is everyone else's responsibility.
Maybe stop looking at titties behind your children's backs & take an interest in actually being a parent!”
by mof_gedling
Thursday, February 28 2013, 7:43PM
“yep what we need are victorian values where the mere showing of an ankle would lead to rioting in the streets.
i attend a lot of burlesque shows where ladies (and sometimes men) perform revealing acts, as i look around the audience there are more women than men, what i dont see is men behind the scenes with loaded guns to the performers heads and they certainly dont do it for the money.”
by Dave_Nottm
Thursday, February 28 2013, 6:48PM
“The Sun is a low-quality rag, publishing dumbed-down anecdotes based on the news, and handing out pre-packaged opinions to those who don't have the ability to form their own - but I'd back it all the way against the forces of political correctness !”
by Neo_MadBadger
Thursday, February 28 2013, 6:41PM
“Like in many right-wing countries, the media tends to exploit women in Bulgaria. Keeping women down and not treating them equally is a conservative tenet.”
by snowcadet
Thursday, February 28 2013, 6:38PM
“@andyjsy " Mylie Cyrus is a real person, that has (like all real people do eventually) grown up. She is now exercising her right to wear whatever she wants.
Did you even read what I posted??? You dont see that a brand (whether it be a cartoon character or a public figure) that has a following of young, vulnerable girls, has any responsibility at all? You've clearly never had children or are aware of the influence that the media has on them and you've certainly never studied, at any level, the social effects of media through communication (socio-psychology) and the way it create and reinforces stereotypes and sets a precedence of self identity. I think if you did you'd have a very different opinion, and as a father to three girls, I'd rather them feel empowered enough from the influence that the media has on them, to have a voice rather than feel that the way to get attention is to take their tops off!”