Will we ever see the end of the Sun’s page 3?

[dropcap]A[/dropcap]fter 44 years, it has recently felt as though it might finally be happening. Although nothing is concrete yet, it feels more and more likely that the Sun will – eventually – drop Page 3.And then they went back on that decision again. Sigh.

For activists and feminists nationwide, this would have been a concrete victory amidst the rise of laughable phenomena like “Meninists” and an Anti-feminist party. I just can’t understand why the paper is taking so long to discard something so antiquated, old-fashioned and faintly sexist.

antiquated, old-fashioned and faintly sexist

Although people may cry at this perceived oppression of freedom of speech, it’s more complex than a group of women forcing their views on a booby-loving society. It’s true that the women featured choose to do it. It’s true you can choose to not buy the paper. It’s true that people may enjoy the feature. But for the campaigners, that’s not the issue. The majority of feminists (myself included) have no issue with soft porn magazines.

But that’s not what the Sun is – it’s one of the most popular and widely read daily papers in the UK.

It’s not like the women featured would struggle for work – there are plenty of other publications that they can work with. The notion that a national paper is the best venue for this is best left in the 70’s.

a class without a voice in modern society and politics

With the advent of the internet and the sheer variety of porn you can find for free if you look, the feature has simply become irrelevant – why bother looking at a pair of breasts in a paper when you can view thousands of videos online? That way, you can be a lech without having the entire bus know what you’re up to. Although the Sun isn’t exactly the champion of the lower classes, it’s important to remember that the Sun has always been viewed as a ‘working man’s’ paper by the majority of society, and will probably continue to be seen as such.

By keeping the feature, the paper is implying that the working class hasn’t quite found its way into the 21st century, further fuelling the virulent tide of abuse directed at a class without a voice in modern society and politics.

And unfortunately, the feature is sexist. There’s no getting around that.

Even if it’s consensual and not on the front page, you’re reinforcing the idea that women are there to be sexualised for the male gaze (and it is always directed at men). Even if some people are okay with that, more and more of us are becoming uncomfortable with it.

In a world where equality is slowly but surely gaining the upper hand (unfortunately for the meninists among us), topless women in a tabloid are becoming more and more a strange and confusing anachronism.
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Photo: flickr/ballookey