This site uses cookies to improve your experience and to provide services and advertising.
By continuing to browse, you agree to the use of cookies described in our Cookies Policy.
You may change your settings at any time but this may impact on the functionality of the site.
To learn more see our
Cookies Policy.
Download our app
Has The Sun stopped publishing photos of topless women on page 3?
Updated 5pm
THERE ARE REPORTS that The Sun has stopped publishing pictures of topless models on page three.
The newspaper has not published a picture of a topless model on page three since Friday – after 44 years of doing so.
The Sun faced pressure from anti-sexism campaigners, politicians and student bodies claiming it was sexist.
The paper is owned by Rupert Murdoch’s News UK and Murdoch himself described it as “old fashioned” last year.
The Guardian has reported that it had spoken to “a series of insiders” who said the feature has been dropped.
While The Times – which has the same publisher as The Sun – reported that the tabloid decided to quietly drop the feature.
However, the head of PR for the tabloid, David Sharpe, is tweeting about the reports calling them ‘speculation’:
Whoops!
We couldn't find this Tweet
However, very little clarity has been given by the paper on the issue:
Whoops!
We couldn't find this Tweet
A petition to stop The Sun publishing Page 3 gathered more than 217,000 signatures.
The No More Page 3 protest group wrote a message on its Facebook page which read:
Today’s edition features Hollyoaks actresses running along a beach in their bikinis. However, readers are told to go online to see “Page 3 Lucy from London”.
The Irish edition of The Sun dropped Page 3 in 2013. The Sun’s Irish editor, Paul Clarkson, told RTÉ’s Morning Ireland last year that he was listening to readers and that there were ‘cultural differences’ between Ireland and Britain.
He also said his decision was commercial and was about the need to retain sales and the possibility of attracting new buyers.
The news has seen huge comment online, with a range of opinions:
Whoops!
We couldn't find this Tweet
Whoops!
We couldn't find this Tweet
Whoops!
We couldn't find this Tweet
A Fine Gael councillor who criticised ‘feminazis’ for the change later apologised for his comments.
What do you think of the move?
Poll Results:
Additional reporting by Aoife Barry
Read: Update: Fine Gael high-flyer apologises for Page 3 “feminazis” comment>
To embed this post, copy the code below on your site
page 3 Speculation The Sun topless