How the Weird British Tradition of Putting Topless Women on the Third Page of Newspapers Got Started

TL;DR

The Sun, a popular British newspaper, introduced the Page 3 feature in 1970, showcasing topless models. It faced criticism and campaigns against it, eventually leading to the feature being partially phased out.

Transcript

We British are often stereotyped as being prudish and stoically reserved in all aspects of intimacy. As such, it may surprise non-natives to learn that for over four decades, one of the most popular newspapers in the entire country had a large picture of a topless woman on the third page for no other reason than that she was an attractive lady show... Read More

Key Insights

• 📰 The introduction of the Page 3 feature helped The Sun become the most popular newspaper in the UK for four decades.
• 🖤 The controversy surrounding the feature resulted in campaigns and debates regarding its objectification of women and lack of news value.
• 🥺 The "No More Page 3" campaign gained significant support, leading to The Sun partially phasing out the topless photos.
• 🖼️ Although The Sun made changes to the feature, critics argue that the problem was not nudity itself, but the existence of the picture for non-newsworthy reasons.

Questions & Answers

Q: How did the Page 3 feature impact The Sun's readership?

The introduction of the Page 3 feature significantly increased readership for The Sun, with numbers rising from 850,000 to two million within a year.

Q: Did other newspapers in the UK adopt a similar feature?

Yes, many other newspapers, such as the Daily Mirror and the Daily Star, followed The Sun's lead and included topless women in their publications.

Q: When did the controversy and campaigns against the Page 3 feature begin?

The "No More Page 3" campaign started in 2012, gaining support from MPs, universities, and various organizations. It urged The Sun to voluntarily end the feature.

Q: Did The Sun completely eliminate the Page 3 feature?

No, The Sun partially phased out the topless photos in 2015 by relegating them to the web edition of the paper.

Summary & Key Takeaways

• The Sun, after acquiring and re-launching the newspaper in 1969, introduced the Page 3 feature to supplement its editorial content with pictures of scantily clad women.

• The feature quickly increased readership and became popular, leading to other newspapers following suit.

• The controversy surrounding the feature sparked campaigns and debates, ultimately resulting in The Sun partially phasing out the topless photos.