Page Three

Page Three (or Page 3) is a feature found in the British tabloid newspaper "The Sun", consisting of a topless or even tastefully nude photograph of a female glamour model published on the newspaper's third page. Women who model regularly for the feature are known as Page Three girls. Similar features are found in other British tabloids, and in other newspapers around the world, although "Page Three" and "Page 3" are registered trademarks of News International Ltd, the parent company of "The Sun."

History of Page Three

When he relaunched the flagging "Sun" newspaper as a tabloid in 1969, Rupert Murdoch tried to boost circulation by publishing photographs of scantily clad female models on its third page. The first tabloid edition appeared on November 17, 1969, featuring "The Sun"'s first Page Three girl, Ulla Lindstrom, who was also the Penthouse Pet of the Month for November 1969. Although Lindstrom had posed nude in "Penthouse", she appeared in a clothed glamour pose in "The Sun", wearing a suggestively unbuttoned shirt. Although Page Three photographs over the following year were often provocative, they did not feature nudity.

On November 17, 1970, editor Larry Lamb celebrated the tabloid's first anniversary by publishing a photograph of twenty-year-old German model Stephanie Rahn in her "birthday suit." [ [http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/magazine/3651850.stm BBC NEWS | Magazine | Page Three girls - the naked truth ] ] Photographed by Beverley Goodway, who would work as "The Sun"'s main Page Three photographer until he retired in 2003, Rahn was profiled from the side, sitting nude in a field with one of her breasts fully visible. Over the next several years, "The Sun" featured Page Three girls in more overtly topless poses. While these photographs caused much controversy, they are credited with the increase in sales that established "The Sun" as one of the most popular newspapers in the United Kingdom by the mid-1970s. [ [http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/uk/1026989.stm BBC News | UK | Flirty not dirty at 30 ] ] In an effort to boost their own circulation figures, the competing "Daily Mirror" and "Daily Star" tabloids instituted their own Page Three–like features under different names.

"The Sun"'s Page Three photography has generally featured models in orthodox glamour poses, although the tabloid would sometimes connect the feature to a topical sporting event: A model might pose in a short white skirt with a tennis racquet during the Wimbledon tennis championships, for instance, or appear holding a soccer ball during the World Cup. From the 1970s until the mid-1990s, captions to the photographs were often filled with titillating puns and sexually suggestive double entendre about the models' lives or interests. These captions were replaced in the late 1990s with a simple listing of the models' first names, ages, and hometowns. "The Sun" also greatly reduced its use of sports-related costumes and props at this time, and also instituted a policy of only featuring models with natural breasts. Models with augmented breasts, such as Jordan and Melinda Messenger, were thereafter "banned" from "The Sun".

In 1999, "The Sun" launched its online Page Three website [http://www.page3.com/ Page3.com] . The site features the tabloid's daily Page Three girl in up to four poses, including the photograph published in the printed edition. It also hosts an online archive of previous Page Three photographs, a "Page 3 Gold" section featuring models from earlier eras, and various other features.

Since 2002, "The Sun" has run an annual contest called "Page 3 Idol," in which any British woman over the age of eighteen can submit pictures to be considered for a Page Three modeling contract. The entrants' photographs are published on the Page Three website, and the outcome is decided by public vote. In 2004, eighteen-year-old Keeley Hazell won the contest and went on to become one of the United Kingdom's top glamour models. The 2008 winner, nineteen-year-old university student Jenny Grant, tragically committed suicide in the early hours of September 13, 2008. [http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-1055864/Page-3-model-commits-suicide-argument-friends.html]

In 2003, Julian Jones made a documentary about Page Three girls, "The Curse of Page 3", which examined the negative aspects of some Page Three models' lives, including addiction to drugs and involvement in abusive relationships. [ [http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0421123/ The Curse of Page 3 (2003) (TV) ] ]

Page Three controversies

Page Three has often been controversial, particularly with conservatives and women's groups. Some feminist critics consider it to be sexist, demeaning, and exploitative, while others regard it as softcore pornography that is inappropriate for publication in a national newspaper. In 1986, Clare Short, MP for Birmingham Ladywood, led an unsuccessful House of Commons campaign to have topless models banned from all newspapers. After her proposed bill failed, Short accused the House's predominantly male MPs of not taking the issue seriously, remarking "If you mention breasts, fifty Tory MPs all giggle and fall over." [ [http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/uk_politics/2835059.stm BBC NEWS | Politics | Profile of Clare Short ] ] Short renewed her campaign against Page Three almost two decades later, in 2004, but found herself on the receiving end of a vicious ad hominem attack by "The Sun", which superimposed her face on a Page Three model's body and accused her of being "fat and jealous." [http://www.guardian.co.uk/media/2004/jan/14/pressandpublishing.politicsandthemedia Sun turns on 'killjoy' Short in Page 3 row | Media | MediaGuardian ] ]

While editors of "The Sun" have always vigorously defended Page Three from external criticism, they have themselves periodically considered eliminating the feature from the newspaper. During her tenure as the newspaper's deputy editor, Rebekah Wade had argued (on economic, rather than feminist, grounds) that printing topless photographs on Page Three harmed the newspaper's circulation by offending women readers. When she became the tabloid's first female editor on January 13, 2003, she was widely expected either to terminate Page Three or to modify it so that the models would no longer appear topless. However, she decided to retain the feature unchanged. [ [http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/uknews/1418828/Sun's-first-woman-editor-to-keep-Page-Three-Girls.html Sun's first woman editor to keep Page Three Girls - Telegraph ] ] Wade later wrote an editorial defending the feature against its critics, calling Page Three models "intelligent, vibrant young women who appear in "The Sun" out of choice and because they enjoy the job."

"The Sun" and other British tabloids have also provoked controversy by featuring girls as young as sixteen as topless models. Samantha Fox, Maria Whittaker, Debee Ashby, and many others began their topless modelling careers in "The Sun" at the age of sixteen, while the "Daily Sport" was even known to count down the days until it could feature a teenage girl topless on her sixteenth birthday, as it did with Linsey Dawn McKenzie in 1994 and Cherry Dee in 2003, among others. Although such photographs were legally permissible in the United Kingdom under the Protection of Children Act 1978, critics noted the irony of Murdoch's "Sun" and "News of the World" newspapers calling for stricter laws on the sexual abuse of minors, including the public identification of released pedophiles, while publishing topless photographs of girls whom many other jurisdictions would legally classify as underage minors. [ [http://query.nytimes.com/gst/fullpage.html?res=9B0CE5D9133CF934A3575BC0A9669C8B63 Britain Fights Tide of Anti-Pedophile Attacks - New York Times ] ] Controversy over these young models was effectively resolved when the Sexual Offences Act 2003 extended legal prohibitions on indecent photography to any minor under the age of eighteen.

Similar features internationally

European newspapers

Germany

In some German newspapers, such as "Bild-Zeitung", the equivalent is found on the lower part of page one (below the fold), and is thus called "Seite-eins-Mädchen" (Page One girl).

Austria

Especially in the Austrian newspaper "Kronen Zeitung", the counterpart is mostly found on the upper part of page six or seven (sometimes even on page ten), but the feature has no specific name. In the new daily free newspaper "Heute" there often also appears a Page-Three-Girl.

Italy

The two main Italian weekly newsmagazines, l'Espresso and Panorama sometimes run female nude models on their cover. However this tendency, strong in the Ninteties, is now declining.

Denmark

In 1976 the Danish newspaper "Ekstra Bladet" introduced topless models on page nine, referred to as "Side 9 Pigen" (the Page 9 Girl). The models are occasionally fully nude.

Croatia

There is a similar concept on the last page of Croatian daily newspaper "24 sata".

Romania

In Romania, the daily "Libertatea" features topless models at page 5, calling them 'Fata de la pagina 5'. When "Averea" was rebranded as a tabloid, the owner hired many people from "Libertatea"; this new concurrent got a very similar look to the original, including the topless girls, who are featured on page 3.

Finland

In Finland, the daily "Iltalehti" features models known as "Iltatytöt" ("Evening Girls"). [ [http://www.iltalehti.fi/iltatytto/ Iltatyttö: Liina | Iltatyttö | Iltalehti.fi ] ] "Tähtityttö" ("Star Girl") is also published in the weekly "7 päivää". [ [http://www.seiska.fi/huhhuh/tahtitytto/ Tähtityttö - 7 päivää ] ]

Canada

Canadian tabloid newspapers in the Sun Media chain such as the "Toronto Sun", "Winnipeg Sun", "Ottawa Sun", "Calgary Sun", and "Edmonton Sun" feature a daily "Sunshine Girl", usually on page three (in fact, the Calgary, Ottawa and Edmonton Suns have permanently moved the Sunshine Girl to the sports section; while the Sunshine Girl is a daily feature, the Sunshine Boy feature only appears sporadically). The full-page, full-colour photo is of a woman in tight, revealing clothing, lingerie, or a swimsuit. In 2000, the "Toronto Sun" moved the photo off page three and into the last pages of the issue, or into the sports section.

United States

The American supermarket tabloid "Weekly World News" regularly featured a bikini-clad "Page 5" girl. "Yes! Weekly", a local on-line and print publication in Greensboro, North Carolina, features Page 3 talent sometimes featuring men as well as women. FOCUS weekly entertainment paper in Hickory, NC, began featuring a Page 3 girl decades ago. Founder John Tucker did this as anhomage to the British tabloid THE SUN, as well as in appreciation for women of all types, sizes and ages.

India

The Indian newspaper "Mid-Day" features pictures of models (mostly in bikinis), known as Mid-Day Mates.

Mexico

The Mexican newspaper "Ovaciones" features a topless model on Page 3. Other newspapers as "La Prensa", "El Metro", "El Universal Grafico" also include photographs of female glamour models, sometimes topless.

Chile

The popular Chilean newspaper "La Cuarta" features every Friday a section named "La Bomba 4", in which a voluptuous girl appears topless.

outh Africa

The Afrikaans edition of the tabloid "Die Son" features page-three girls, although not in the English-language edition.

Notable Page Three girls

*Sian Adey-Jones [http://www.sunecards.co.uk/top100girls/page5.html The Sexiest Page 3 Girl Ever! ] ]
*Janine Andrews [http://www.sunecards.co.uk/top100girls/page2.html The Sexiest Page 3 Girl Ever! ] ]
*Lesley Anne [http://www.sunecards.co.uk/top100girls/page3.html The Sexiest Page 3 Girl Ever! ] ]
*Debee Ashby
*Debbie Boyland [http://www.sunecards.co.uk/top100girls/page1.html The Sexiest Page 3 Girl Ever! ] ]
*Vee Brookes
*Cherry Dee
*Lisa Bangert
*Marina Baker
*Sigi Becker [ [http://vintage-erotica-forum.com/showthread.php?t=17882 Sigi Becker - Vintage Erotica Forums ] ]
*Kim Bingham
*Julie Bloom
*Jenny Blyth
*Melanie Jane Boorman
*Vanessa Branch
*Marianne Broome [http://www.sunecards.co.uk/top100girls/page4.html The Sexiest Page 3 Girl Ever! ] ]
*Felicity Buirski
*Jan Burdette
*Nina Carter
*Jade Cartwright
*Caroline Christensen
*Michelle Clack
*Tracey Coleman
*Sam Cooke
*Nike Clarke
*Deborah Corrigan
*Lana Cox
*Lalla Dean
*Nikki Debuse
*Jakki Degg
*Denise Denny
*Felicity Devonshire
*Tracy Dixon
*Leilani Dowding
*Gillian Duxbury
*Katie Downes
*Tracey Elvik
*Abby Essien
*Donna Ewin
*Helen Ferguson
*Flanagan
*Amanda Forbes
*Lisa Forward
*Samantha Fox
*Suzie Flashman
*Joni Flynn
*Rachel Garley
*Gaynor Goodman
*Ruth Gordon
*Amy Green
*Joanne Guest
*Keeley Hazell
*Tessa Hewitt
*Jo Hicks
*Ruth Higham
*Vicki Hodge
*Sophie Howard
*Kirsten Imrie
*Dee Ivens
*Debbie Jackson
*Sarah Jaffer
*Charlotte Jacks [ [http://www.page3.com/girl/jak_jacks/index.shtml Jak Homepage Page3.com ] ]
*Sandra Jane
*Angela Jay
*Samantha Jessop
*Jilly Johnson
*Jackie Jones
*Suzy Juul
*Jordan
*Anna Maria Kalebic [ [http://vintage-erotica-forum.com/showthread.php?t=15145 Anna Maria Kalebic - Vintage Erotica Forums ] ]
*Helle Kjaer
*Helen Labdon
*Joanne Latham
*Angela Lea
*Shanine Linton
*Kathy Lloyd
*Claire Louise
*Linda Lusardi
*Kelle Marie
*Teresa May
*Gail McKenna
*Kathy McKinnon
*Michelle Marsh
*Carron Martin
*Charlotte Marshall [ [http://www.page3.com/girl/charlotte_marshall/index.shtml Charlotte Marshall Homepage Page3.com ] ]
*Melinda Messenger
*Zoe McConnell
*Minette McFarlane
*Linsey Dawn McKenzie
*Holly Mcguire
*Jayne Middlemiss
*Heather Mills
*Kim Mills
*Suzanne Mizzi
*Barbara Molyneux
*Tracey Neve
*Carol Needham
*Viv Neves [ [http://www.timesonline.co.uk/tol/comment/obituaries/article806998.ece Vivien Neves | Times Online Obituary ] ]
*Tara O'Connor
*Katie Orgill
*Stacey Owen
*Christine Peake
*Rita Pennington
*Denise Perry
*Lucy Pinder
*Rhonda Philllips [ [http://vintage-erotica-forum.com/showthread.php?t=17766 Rhonda Phillips - Vintage Erotica Forums ] ]
*Lauren Pope
*Stephanie Rahn
*Katie Richmond
*Rowena
*Lindsay Rudland
*Becky Rule
*Corinne Russell
*Vanya Seager [ [http://archive.theargus.co.uk/2000/1/25/195453.html The Argus - Derek Jameson - Do they mean me? ] ]
*Jackie Sewell
*Jodie Shaw
*Susan Shaw
*Maria Sheriff
*Charmaine Sinclair
*Mona Solomons
*Cassie Sumner
*Nikkala Stott
*Nicola Tappenden
*Anna Taverner
*Rebekah Teasdale
*Gillian de Terville
*Tula
*Vanessa Upton
*Melanie Walsh
*Jane Warner
*Danni Wells
*Diane West
*Corina Weston
*Maria Whittaker
*Eve Wyrwal
*Louise Hodges

References

External links

* [http://www.page3.com/ "The Sun"'s Page Three website] (partial nudity)
* [http://www.page3pics.com/ "The Sun"'s Page Three Photo Website] (contains nudity)
* [http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/magazine/3651850.stm Page Three girls - the naked truth] from the BBC website
* [http://www.bloggerheads.com/page_3.asp Page 3 - Model Propaganda] - Details the editorial content in "News in Briefs"