News just in: Time travel is possible – The Sun still exists in the 1970s.
The Change.org petition that began the infamous #NoMorePage3 campaign was set up in August 2012, and on January 21st of this year the campaigners finally believed they had achieved something. Although the objectification of women was still evident in the frolicking bikini shots that were plastered inside the tabloid’s third page, it was an improvement upon the usual image of a barely matured young woman in nothing but her favourite impractical panties and perhaps some earrings.
By the 22nd of January, all illusions of improvement were shattered. The Sun continued with their usual routine of baring bosoms for the pleasure of (let’s face it) males old enough to be the models’ fathers and grandfathers. Although this was to be expected from a tabloid with such low standards, it was still a blow to those that had passionately campaigned for equal gender representation in what is supposedly a family newspaper. The argument that these women were posing of their own free will smashed the reasoning that they should be posing of their own free will in newspapers not aimed at the family.
It is also suspected that The Sun purposefully led on other media outlets (as they previously refused to comment on what was claimed to be “wild speculation”) to believe that they were going to end the objectification of women, most likely to gain news coverage, but ultimately to make their rivals and campaigners look like tits (sorry) for celebrating pre-emptively.
It is unclear what the campaigners and the tabloid paper plan to do next in this petty breast battle, though for the time being it seems solid that Rupert Murdoch will continue being just one of many boobs (sorry again) affiliated with The Sun.
Words by Charlotte Ginger Jones.