Rupert Murdoch Quietly Ditches Longtime Institution of the Page 3 Girl as "Old-Fashioned"

You know what else is "old-fashioned"?

Freedom. That's another institution that's "old-fashioned."

You want to end our Freedom too, you ruthless capitalist wrecker?

Topless women have been a fixture on Page 3 of the Sun for more than four decades, but the controversial feature has finally been killed off.

Executives at the tabloid have decided to quietly shelve the tradition after a growing army of critics branded it sexist.

Oh great, the sex-panic feminists and prudes decide once again to take down their sexual rivals (the girls getting attention) and also thwart male sexuality, claiming a high-minded rational for what is in reality a base, petty, reptilian game of social gamesmanship.

Instead of bare breasts, the pictures will now show scantily-clad women wearing bras and pants.

Might as well put them in burka.

...

The move was confirmed by The Times, a fellow News UK paper. It is understood that the parent company's chairman Rupert Murdoch signed off on the decision.

Topless models were first introduced by the Sun in 1970, less than a year after Rupert Murdoch bought the title. In recent years, the paper has faced growing criticism from campaigners who said the feature was out of date in the modern world.

Indeed. The modern world is rather gray, soft, and sexless. So I guess a bit of red-blooded sexuality was out-of-place.

Here are some of the sex-panic feminist prudes and moral scolds who have succeeded in making your lives more dreary.

It was the height of London’s euphoric Olympic summer last year. The usually cynical and dismissive British public were waking up to an unfamiliar feeling--sporting success on the track and national celebration in the press. Lucy-Anne Holmes, a 36-year-old actress and novelist, was looking through the daily papers, and noticed that even The Sun newspaper was reflecting the fact that female athletes were at the forefront: Jessica Ennis, already established as the iconic face of the Games, had just won gold in the heptathlon; Victoria Pendleton another cycling gold.

But when Holmes got to page 13, there it was again--The Sun's regular topless feature—larger than life, and larger than the images of female sporting prowess: it had just been moved back 10 pages for the occasion. "It really pissed me off,”"Holmes says. "The paper is always showing pictures of men in suits doing things, while women just stand around in their underpants."

It was that night, lying awake and annoyed, Holmes resolved to start the No More Page 3 campaign. But taking on a national institution isn’t easy

Oh, Horrors. Men are paying attention to women not named "Anne Holmes." Quick, fetch the torches and pitchforks.

I have a feeling a lot of things piss Ms. Holmes off, and leave her thrashing about sleepless, angry and annoyed.

Of course, they're not finished yet. After all, Page 3 still shows women younger, leaner, and prettier than they are. They won't stop until they've gotten those Evil Sexual Rivals all covered up.

posted by Ace at 12:36 PM

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