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Feminism: Sex and gender discussions

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Original poster

The impact of page 3 and other stuff like that?

21 replies

hidinginthegarden · 14/12/2017 14:36

Does anyone have any links to articles or stories about the impact on women of things like page 3 and pictures of scantily clad women?

I'd like to share with someone I know but don't want to be ranty or angry. But I want them to see that it's damaging to women in the environment in perpetuating a culture that says it's ok to treat women as objects.

OP posts:
fantasmasgoria1 · 14/12/2017 14:40

My own POV but I really do not like page three. Never have.

BeyondAssignation · 14/12/2017 14:41

Mn supported the nmp3 campaign, I'll see if I can find their page on it for you...

BeyondAssignation · 14/12/2017 14:42

Aha
www.mumsnet.com/campaigns/no-more-page-3

MrsTerryPratchett · 14/12/2017 16:08

As a 16yo working in a warehouse where my boss used to read The Scum and comment on page 3, I'd say it's fairly obvious. Or is this one of those people who needs 'objective data' ie 'not things women know to be true'.

Original poster
hidinginthegarden · 14/12/2017 16:44

Thanks to everyone who has replied so far. I get the feeling that they just don't feel there's any harm done. That it's just a bit of fun and that women who complain are just killjoys!

Obviously I don't feel that way but want to get my point across in a way that gets them thinking about how it might impact on their grandkids or children if they were there!

OP posts:
MrsTerryPratchett · 14/12/2017 17:06

A visceral lesson might be better. Sports Illustrated put a naked football player on the front and the male reaction was epic. Because they had never realized what it is like to have naked images in your face all the time.

Many coffee table booked, firefighters/rower calendars and general naked men around and see if that drives it home. No boxers either. Naked or speedos.

Original poster
hidinginthegarden · 14/12/2017 18:10

I think they would think it was funny and not make the point if I left naked men mags around. And I don't want to stoop to that level.

For me, it's more about the insidious nature of the culture and how that feels from a young woman's viewpoint. I just need to find a way to articulate it!

Thank you.

OP posts:
BlackForestCake · 14/12/2017 18:40

My issue with campaigns against page 3 is that they imply the rest of the Sun is OK when it is a vile paper from the front page to the back!

losamsterdamos · 22/12/2017 14:21

What I don't get is that even though The Sun printed newspaper no longer has an "official" page 3 feature and no topless pictures they still, most days of the week, feature a large sexualised picture of a woman who is wearing a bikini or swimsuit or even topless but with the breasts covered.

Where is the outcry over this? Are sexualised pictures ok as long as we don't see nipples?

BlindYeo · 22/12/2017 14:43

Ask them how they would feel if they turned to page 3 and saw their daughter/wife/girlfriend/sister/other female relative pictured there.

Or for a more visceral approach, stick a photo of his girlfriend/wife's face over a page 3 picture and see how he feels about that (OK I wouldn't do that for their sake unless he was the only person to see it but it would make a point).

This sort of bloke is usually all fine with it while it's other people's female relatives but not so much their own.

If he says 'I'd be fine with that', he's probably only saying that to save face but you will have made your point.

If he says he's not fine with it, you say "so it's OK for other people's daughters/wives/girlfriends to do it, but not yours. Why is that then?"

losamsterdamos · 22/12/2017 14:48

I would support whatever choices my female relatives would wish to make. And if one of them wanted to go into topless or lingerie modelling they would have my full support.

MrGHardy · 22/12/2017 16:09

From personal experience, we don’t understand (and many don’t want to). When I was at uni they wanted to ban all lad mags from campus. Many, I included, had the attitude ‘what’s wrong with it, don’t like it don’t buy it”. And we didn’t bother listening. But I’m not sure how you can fix that, how you can get people to listen. I like the suggestion of planting a face of a female relative on it, or naked males. Showing is probably more effective than talking.

iismum · 22/12/2017 16:20

I don't think picture of naked men would help. I think a lot of men would take the attitude that they don't want to see it but it's not a big deal. It's different for women because we live in a culture where women are relentlessly sexualised, made to feel bad about their bodies, and - all to often - raped, abused and sexually harassed. The problem is not pictures of naked people per se, but the fact that it is based on and feeding that culture.

MrsTerryPratchett · 22/12/2017 16:23

I think it is different, of course. But men never think about the barrage of naked female bodies women see every day and they don't like it, if this article is to be believed, when it happens to them.

www.huffingtonpost.ca/entry/fragile-men-of-twitter-cannot-handle-espn-cover-stars-nude-photo_us_59529767e4b0da2c731ef1da

hackmum · 22/12/2017 17:58

I think the Everyday Sexism project had lots of examples of women who talked about how Page 3 had been used to humiliate them.

Bananamanfan · 22/12/2017 18:03

I don't like the 'someone's sister, wife, daughter etc', because she is a 'someone' herself just like you (man you are talking to). It reinforces the idea that women are a separate species, not fully human and autonomous.

Original poster
hidinginthegarden · 22/12/2017 18:40

Thanks everyone. The man in question wore a Christmas jumper for Christmas jumper day but then took off his jumper to reveal a tshirt of a naked lady with Santa hat holding Brussel Sprouts to hide her nipples!!

The expression on his face was daring me (the only woman in the room) to say something. I didn't. I didn't want to meet his expectation!! But I do want him to think about it (and how it might affect his young granddaughters!). I wanted to approach him quietly and catch him off guard!

OP posts:
MrsTerryPratchett · 22/12/2017 22:24

Stick a massive dildo to his computer screen. Sauce for the goose and all that.

BlindYeo · 22/12/2017 22:39

Given the T-shirt, how about a picture on his desk of naked bloke with sexist man's face stuck onto it and a couple of brussels sprouts for the bollocks.

AsMenDclaredWomenTheirInferior · 23/12/2017 06:19

Yes you need to put men in the position they put women in, because that is the position they most fear being put in themselves.

So by all means plaster images of naked men everywhere!

If you want change that is how you will achieve it.

Why don't you take the scum newspaper and secretly glue an image of a naked man over the image of the partly clothed woman and close it up and see how men react when they open that paper and are met by that image!
I for one would love to see their reaction?
Grin

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