The Independent presented an article about a campaign against Page 3 of the Sun newspapers. . Lucy Ann Holmes writes a laudable account as to why Page 3 should be removed. She effectively blames a large number of society's problems on Page 3. While the editor of the Sun is left grappling with a large number of women's ferocious opinions against his art, I have decided to defend the editor's opinion and provide an uplift.
The writer in the Independent does not cite evidence based research on the issues she mentions. The nearest research that the author could have used is the one published in the British Journal of Psychology. This concerned the impact of language used in "lads mags" . This research found that "lads mags" and sex offenders maybe using the same language. Further debate was raised by the Guardian on the conclusions of this study There are other studies the world over attempting to correlate pornography with pathological behaviour patterns.
So while there is quite significant demonization of 'lads magazines' and 'nudity', interesting research from the University of Montreal in 2009 showed quite the opposite. The study found that the majority of men consume pornography, mostly online. Despite watching pornography for 20-40 minutes per week, there was no resultant pathological behaviour. The authors concluded that pornography had not changed their perception of women or the relationship they were in. (CNET news ).
One could also argue that there is no causal link between rape/assault and nudity in the media. Setting aside all this research, Page 3 is merely a tasteful picture of a beautiful young lady. The bottom-line on this subject is this - there is no legitimate evidence or research causally linking the Sun's page 3 to pathological sex crimes. This is an important point to note before the Sun's editor is chased by numerous feminists down Fleet Street. He is doing nothing more than following on in the footsteps of numerous painters throughout our world's history.
Nudity has an interesting history. In ancient Egypt women wore loose fabric and female entertainers performed in the nude. In ancient Greece, the love of beauty included the human body and erotic nudity was common. Roman Imperial art highlighted breasts as images of pleasure and peacefulness. The nude female body is often thought to embody Venus - the Roman goddess that depicts beauty, sex, fertility, prosperity and victory. Artists were fond of painting women's breasts. . The female breast has been exposed since ancient times. In the Christian realm of art, the pictures frequently showed females with uncovered breasts. Anyone who has visited the Sistine Chapel, Italy will know this to be true. The 'Last Judgment' with its nude forms was not accepted in its day but is a masterpiece today. While world wide cultures promoted the female form, it is notable that the Victorians perceived nudity in public as obscene. I believe that the current climate is forcing us to revert back to an attitude where we judge others on the way they wish to express themselves. We simply cannot revert back to a Victorian way of thinking simply because a number of feminists believe they should control the natural progression of male sexuality. While I have read the loudest voices of women, I doubt men have been given the opportunity to state their viewpoint. The Decline of Men by Guy Garcia currently argues that the male has been emasculated . In this case, they are even denied their Page 3 view of a beautiful pair of breasts. I suspect some women will now want to dictate what men should or should not find attractive in women. Quite frankly, we cannot control the biological sexual imperative of men. Our society has progressed in terms of sexual liberation and freedoms. Now, we are faced with a situation where sections of our society wish to reverse time to an age of prudishness.
Women have historically had problems with body image. This has caused serious problems such as anorexia and other psychiatric illnesses. The fact is, Page 3 presents a healthy image of how a woman should be - curvy and buxom as opposed to painfully thin. One could argue that Page 3 presents a message that women should be confident of who they are in or out of their clothes. It is this confidence that is important in all aspects of a women's life in and out of bed. There is also absolutely nothing wrong with wanting to please your lover as opposed to being a demure maiden in the missionary position until the end of time.
In defence of page 3 of the Sun, it is quite possible that every man over the age of consent has seen a naked woman in or out of their bed. Page 3 does not therefore come as a great surprise to any of them. Secondly, happiness in men is always recommended in a world where feminists have ripped out their masculinity.
In summary, I do not see why there is an objection to women who are confident enough to voluntarily show their beautiful assets in public. In conclusion, I believe The Sun provides a valuable public service for men and women. The buxom Samantha Fox was our role model as we grew up. I would like to thank the Sun for cheering up many of my patients in the NHS during the time I worked as a psychiatrist. Indeed, I believe that Page 3 should be an essential accessory to any male in the world who needs to smile.