As every single person up and down the country seems to be fervently discussing the removal of models from page three, I thought I might as well, too. If you’ve been living under a rock for the past few weeks, you may not be fully aware of what has happened, so allow me to enlighten you. The paragon of journalism known as The Sun, temporarily decided to remove the pictures of topless women from their page three, (though, as everyone has correctly pointed out, they’re still available online). As this is an issue regarding women’s bodies, almost everyone has decided to contribute their own opinion, as per usual. After fighting my way through strong opinion after strong opinion, there appear to be three recurring arguments.
The first, and the most obvious, is that the removal of the models was a good thing. The people behind this view argue that it hails that the objectification of women, reducing them to just their bodies, as well as the classic ‘photo shopping of models creates unrealistic expectations for women’. Whilst I completely understand these arguments as a whole, I think it’s important for people to realise that this is not reduced to The Sun. For example, some people who chose this argument may say that the page instigates a negative effect on the body image of little girls. Which would make sense, if the little girls they were talking about had actually read The Sun, and been specifically influenced by the models. The removal of the models, most likely, had little to no effect on the current and future body image of any little girl, anywhere. Again, the sexualisation of women in the media is a wider problem. In women’s magazines, for example, you sometimes get pictures of shirtless men, which is objectification. But, because of the wider presentation of women in the media as just their bodies, the images stop being something for people who are attracted to women to enjoy, but instead perpetuate a negative cultural standard. By the way, any type of naked body is inappropriate for a newspaper – even one as trashy as The Sun.
The second most prominent opinion, which, I think, many are only supporting as a joke, is the view that the models should stay because they’re nice to look at. As previously mentioned, there are shirtless men in magazines, and films - and there’s nothing shameful about liking attractive people. However, like I said before, it’s to do with the image of women, as a whole, in the media. As well as it being completely unrelated to the news!
The third, and final main opinion concerning the subject is that the removal of models was a mistake, as it implied that women’s bodies are shameful, and should not be ‘on show’. Those who support this view have a fair point – in that we should all be proud of who we are, inside and out, and that no-one has the right to instruct anyone what to do with their own bodies (save medical professionals). However, that was most likely not the driving force behind the decision. Many great pieces of art, for example, concern the female form. No-one should be ashamed of their body, but it should be recognised that the, for lack of a more accurate word, ‘better’ newspapers don’t display naked people, because they recognise it as irrelevant to their aim. Which is, astoundingly, reporting the news.
So, I’ve done my best to wade through the controversy surrounding this issue (although I’m almost certain I managed to offend at least someone). I hope I managed to provide a wider range of views concerning this subject than some other articles, although I suspect my own opinion has managed to seep through the cracks. The most important thing is that you formulate your own viewpoint. Don’t accept the things people tell you – you don’t necessarily have to agree with what I’ve written. Respecting other people is certainly important, but that is something you, as a free thinking individual, should realise on your own.
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