Should we back the No More Page 3 campaign? Please let us know what you think...

[JustineMumsnet]

Hello all,

As some of you will know, there have been a few on-board debates about the No More Page 3 nomorepage3.org/ campaign, and whether or not Mumsnet should 'officially' join up as a supporter.

Previous threads here here here and here have been on balance supportive but not of a sufficient consensus for us to feel comfortable putting our full weight behind the cause.

With our most recent blog post on the issue, however, support seemed a bit more clear cut and there were lots of calls for us to back the campaign.

So we thought we'd canvass support more officially and widely. Do please use this thread to let us know whether you think we should sign up.

Obviously this is by no means a precise science, but in order to try to get a representative Mumsnet view, we will be placing a bit less weight on the views of those who have signed up to Mumsnet very recently.

Please support it. It is dreadful to bring up girls in a climate where page 3 is published every day. It's truly shameful.

causewecool.tumblr.com/post/73657590435/spankmeagainplease-feel-free-to-sexually-harass

I think this is apt, the message this girl is talking about is what boys are taught by p3!

Yes I'd like MN to support it. Nipples aren't dirty. but the way they're portrayed by the SUN can be offensive. I don't think my young child should be on a bus next to someone looking at those images. It's NOT all right, or harmless fun to turn young girls into objects. I second the advice of Kiwibanana. It's not about being prudish - just look at some of the info on the website she mentions. It would be a brilliant thing for MNers to make happen. The world has changed since 1970 or whenever that rubbish started. 'On the buses 'is off air now!! So is 'George and Mildred'. Time for Page 3 to retire as well.

Someone upthread asked if any MPs were supporting the campaign. I haven't checked recently but last time I read about it I think there were something like 149 MPs across the main political parties who had pledged support.

Yes, please support this campaign. To me it is a no brainer - how can we ever hope to have equality if it is deemed normal to show half-naked women in a "news"paper just for men's entertainment and gratification?

Why wouldn't you support this campaign?
It's about time that something so outdated was stopped. It's not a "national institution", it's just an embarrassment.
I'm not against naked bodies and I think these women are beautiful but showing a naked woman for men's sexual pleasure in a newspaper, next to news stories is cringeworthy, especially when you come across them in cafes, on the train etc.

It's SO important that Page 3 disappears into the history books. Mumsnet must support this campaign.

Of course we should back this campaign...what is this newspaper doing continuing such an outdated and humiliating, ritualistic article?? Institutional objectification of women is not what we want or need to instill in future generations...come on, if people want porn there is plenty, we don't need it displaying in supermarket for 60p or whatever it costs. Get real and back the campaign!

More like 25p I think.

Yes of course, all decent people should support this campaign. I am fed up of having to explain to my young daughters why that man on the train is looking at a picture of a lady with no top on, it is appalling to teach our children that this is Ok. I am convinced that the next generation will wonder why we put up with it for so long.

Fantastic news @justine. Things that MN can do:

• advocate direct action, ask newsagents to put The Sun on the top shelf.

• get big advertisers to ask DD to end the feature.

• ask DD to repeat his Newsnight interview comments with a straight face.

• ask your readers to join the campaign and enlist others.

• sign the petition.

Do we have list of main / regular advertisers ?

I may send some letters ...

Yes PLEASE support this! It is absolutely the sort of thing MN needs to get behind!

I would very much like MN to support this campaign because:

1. boobs are not news (I am not anti boobs. Boobs are lovely and they are for more than just breastfeeding, but are they news? No)
2. I would prefer my daughter not to grow up in a world where women are depicted merely for titilation in the uk's leading "family" newspaper - and news papers focused on reporting the news
3. I don't want to have to try to explain to my daughter why there is a woman with her boobs out in a newspaper when she sees someone reading it on a bus, on a train, in a cafe, or anywhere where someone would absolutely not be reading porn.
4. I have seen/heard too many examples of where young girls (as young as 12) have been at best embarrassed and at worst abused by being directly compared to the women on page three by strangers, schoolboys, or any other idiot who thinks that is a funny / totally appropriate way to act because its a Mainstream newspaper.

yes! support it. I'm surprised you haven't already...

Yes please join the campaign.

It is a symbolic change that could have a big impact on lots of women's lives.

Yes.

Is it the worst thing out there or the only sexist thing out there? No, but it is the statue in the square, seeing it toppled says to women, "If we can do that, imagine what else we can do."

Official Page 3 photographer Alison Webster has recently tweeted that she doesn't think that this year's Page 3 Idol (to discover a new model) will be going ahead. twitter.com/Page3photog

Last year's winner, Mellisa Clarke, was announced 18 January 2013, they haven't even called for people to apply (usually the call goes out in December). www.thesun.co.uk/sol/homepage/features/4750424/mellisa-clarke-is-page-3-idol-2013.html

It all points towards the feature being scrapped, every extra bit of pressure helps.

Yes absolutely a parenting website should support the campaign. For all of the reasons previously listed.

And to the poster who said that our daughters shouldn't have to see these images. Granted, but neither should our sons! I feel very strongly about letting my two boys view images that will give them a rather skewed vision of the female form and what women are worth to society and talk to my oldest about things like this. I hope their sister and future girlfriends/wives will thank me for it!

Yay! page three is insidious, it may not seem like a big issue but it gives permission every day for women to be disrespected, lets put it behind us, it is a good start.

SO impatient to know when or whether at all Dinsmore is going to discuss this with MN.....

So pleased you are going to support it ! If anyone is on twitter and would like to follow them @NoMorePage3

I wholeheartedly support this campaign , and whilst I've spent many hours on mumsnet in the last 2 years I've only just registered in order to support this notion. As a woman who breastfed her child for 21 months, a mother of a little girl, and a full time guardian to a 17 year old girl, I feel particularly strongly about asking The Sun to remove page 3 half naked "girls" from their newspaper. It's about context... a sexually available young woman appearing in a national newspaper for male gratification only... what does that teach young women? All women in fact? And more importantly, what does it teach young boys? And fully grown men? I have no problem with nudity or porn in general - but it should be something that adults seek out with age restrictions applied (a whole different debate about children accessing porn so easily on the internet may well be needed). For anyone who hasn't actually read up about the campaign on the NMP3 website I would urge you to do so, particularly the real stories from men and women (including glamour models) who have been negatively affected. Mumsnet absolutely NEED to get behind this... I for one would celebrate you empowering women and making their voices heard.

If it's okay to have girls on page 3, why can't we see men there too?

It's sexist and I fucking HATE those stupid quotes that they attribute to the girls, when they clearly haven't said them. Not that those girls aren't smart, because they probably are, but they are written in such a way that makes it obvious that The Sun are having a fucking laugh.

It's 2014 ffs.