Page 3

Honeyball’s Weekly Round-up

Labour Party

Last week we were told that the out dated, sexist, objectification of women- in the form of The Sun’s Page 3 ‘girls’-was to cease. There was excitement across feminist circles, women commentators and campaigners who couldn’t hide their delight at this surprising victory, following a sudden apparent change of heart among the chiefs at The Sun.

However, it was all rather short lived and before the end of the week the paper had yet again featured a winking, topless model on its infamous third page.

It was disappointing to say the least but perhaps the most hurtful event was the goading tweets sent by the paper’s (evidentially rather childish) head of PR.

He sent offensive messages of the model winking to the journalist Kay Burley, Roy Greenslade and Labour’s Harriet Harman via twitter. He later apologised for this and specifically to Harman whom he admitted he had never been involved in a twitter spat with.

The latest episode shows a huge lack of respect for those who have campaigned for so long to put an end to the out-dated and sexist images and also fails to acknowledge that Page 3 is offensive to so many of us-not just women. You can read more on this here.

Writing for the Guardian last week, Alberto Nardelli, the papers data editor, revealed “Four ways Labour has had a better start to 2015 than the Tories”. Among them, he reminds us that the parties’ first round of election poster wars was won by Labour and he goes on to describe how voters are closing in on Cameron with analysis of a number of polls including some commissioned by Lord Ashcroft.

You can read his analysis here. 

Labour’s deputy leader Harriet Harman launched the party’s national women’s tour, during which she promised to get more women to vote. As the campaign progresses there will be a battle van on the road. There is so much interest from Labour women activists who want to get involved, Harriet promised: “There is so much enthusiasm, so many women want to join the tour, it is going to be great,” she told the Eastern Daily Press while at a round table event in Norwich. Read more here.

The deputy Labour leader also warned of the dangers of supporting Ukip last week, especially if you are a woman. She said it tolerated appalling anti female remarks and offered a policy platform which is bad for women, while some 90% of its PPC candidates are men.

Scrap Page Three – ‘it’s so last century’

Labour Party

Earlier this week Rupert Murdoch’s gave the most significant indication that he might replace the Sun’s Page Three with a half-way house of ‘glamorous fashionistas.’

Murdoch was responding on twitter to a tweet which said Page Three is so last century. Murdoch replied: “You may be right, don’t know but considering.”

This is the first serious hint he has given that he may well do something to end this antiquated, sexist feature.

The campaign to end Page Three really took off after an organised group called No More Page Three was formed. It has actively campaigned for companies to boycott The Sun, refusing to advertise in the paper until the Page Three girls are removed.

Lucy Holmes, the campaign’s founder, tweeted that campaigners were “really pleased” by the hint dropped by Murdoch.

I said in my own statement on the issue that images of semi naked women are in no way acceptable in the 21st century.

It’s not just sexist, but is a complete objectification of women. It’s also offensive.

In addition this is a daily newspaper not a top shelf magazine, something that children and teenagers read. It’s not acceptable for them to view such images yet they are subjected to them on a daily basis.

Essentially Page Three is sexist, out dated and offensive to women so I sincerely hope Murdoch ends this so called ‘institution’. But a halfway house is not acceptable. Just end it all together.”

During questioning at the Leveson Inquiry, The Sun editor Dominic Mohan said the photographs had become an established part of British society.

He added that “the ultimate sanction lies with the reader” and that he felt the pages were “tolerated by the majority of British society” and that the paper’s support of “women’s issues” such as cervical cancer screening illustrated it was not “sexist”.

Such images have only become an established part of British society precisely because little has been done to challenges it. There are very many people who find them offensive and so it’s the right time to stop printing them.”

Survey claims young women would rather be attractive than intelligent

Labour Party

If true, this is a very depressing story.

A survey of 1,142 women by the discount website http://www.MyVoucherCodes.co.uk has found that almost half of young women age 18 – 20 would prefer to have large breasts than high intelligence.

These young women apparently believe that bigger breasts would attract more men. Only 43 per cent felt that men would be ‘more interested’ in them if they had a higher IQ.

The researchers also found around 40 per cent of respondents would prefer to have a ‘slim figure’ than high intelligence, with many stating that it would make them feel ‘more confident’.

Almost the same percentage of people said they would swap their IQ in order to be their ‘ideal dress size’.

If borne out in practice, these findings are deeply worrying, showing as they do that today’s young women are far from happy. And it’s themselves they’re unhappy with.

As Kat Banyard from women’s group UK Feminista said in the Mail Online: ‘Women face unprecedented pressures to focus on their body.

‘Industries that focus on the way women look are flourishing – and that means that from a very early age, women are taught that the way they look matters more than what they do. 

‘The consequences of this can manifest in eating disorders or extreme measures such as plastic surgery.

‘These figures show that women still loathe their bodies on an industrial scale.’

It’s the same story when it comes to relationships. Most of those surveyed felt men ‘valued’ intelligence in women, although two thirds said they felt appearance was more important when attracting a partner.

The same was true in the workplace, with almost half believing that being ‘attractive’ would also further a woman in her career.

Almost 80 per cent also felt they were judged more on their appearance than their intelligence.

There is a view that young women’s lack of ease with their bodies and themselves results from celebrity culture. Also in the Mail Online, Mamta Saha, psychologist, said: ‘Celebrity culture is much more accessible than it ever was before. We are bombarded with images of beautiful women with enhanced features such as full lips and large chests.

‘It’s easy to look at these women and make the connection between the way they look and success – but this can turn into an unhealthy fixation.”

I am sure the fashion and beauty industries, our celebrity culture and images of women such as those on Page 3 of the Sun and the Ryanair calendar have all played a part in this appalling reduction of young women’s self esteem.

We live in a world where almost all available forms of communication massively encourage us to achieve physical perfection. While the fashion and beauty industries are obviously a large part of this, it is also true there is an all-pervasive social and physical ideal which allows little room for individuality unless you are very brave or determined not to go with the flow.

The result is a generation of unhappy young people seeking to reach a goal only a few can attain.

Commercial imperatives have to shoulder much of the blame for this. In order to continue to sell beauty products, fashion clothes, “diet” food and many quasi-medical items (to name but a few) people have to actually want to buy them. Making them feel bad about themselves is a successful advertising tactic.

I am minded to ask what kind of world do we live in when we deliberately depress people’s self worth in order to sell throw away goods?

Murdoch’s Sunday Sun continues to degrade women on Page Three

Labour Party

The new Sunday Sun has tragically continued with the usual offensive Page 3 female image.

Evidently Rupert Murdoch, along with his counterpart in the airline industry Michael O’Leary of Ryanair, thinks it is acceptable to publish pictures of naked, or nearly naked, women. While Murdoch does it in a family newspaper, O’Leary’s choice is a charity calendar.

Messrs Murdoch and O’Leary, let me, on behalf of very many other women, tell you that it is not acceptable to degrade and objectify women in this way. My recent blogpost on attitudes to women current at the Sun shows two interesting things – an apparent culture of bullying women at the newspaper and public dislike of Page Three. A survey conducted by Platform 51, previously called the Young Women’s Christian Association, demonstrated that a majority of women and a significant number of men do not like Page 3 pictures.

I recently received a long and heartfelt email from a young woman constituent called Tashelle Roberts. She is not a political activist or professional campaigner. She is quite simply a woman who is angry and upset at Page 3.

This is an slightly edited version of what she had to say.       

“I am writing to you to bring to your attention some of the extreme sexist publications, namely The Sun, The Daily Star and The Sport that allow features that degrade women in many ways – but these publications have been available to the general public – men women and children alike for 40 years and nothing has been done about it.

“Like all women in the United Kingdom I am offended and constantly humiliated by extreme sexist nature of British media.

“MP Clare Short tried to speak up against the way women are portrayed in the media 25 years ago – and was greeted by a room of male MPs who simply giggled at the mention of breasts and dismissed her views simply because she was a woman – She was called ‘fat, old, ugly and whiny’ by these papers which published humiliating pictures and articles of her.

“Please, don’t let history repeat itself!

“Page 3 portrays being a ‘page 3 girl’ or ‘page 3 idol’ as the most glamorous thing in the world – it plays on young girls minds and all young girls in the UK are exposed to page 3 from the time they are toddlers.
Then they reach puberty and everyone knows that being 11 or 12 is not the easiest. These girls experience what we all experience – being rejected by a crush, being told they are fat/short, loosing friends to other friends, parents getting divorced, being bullied/humiliated in front of a boy they may like – we have all experienced this and at the time it is seems like these are the biggest problems in the world – and while all these changes are taking place – these girls are still being exposed to Page 3. They pick up the paper and read how the Sun glamorises this profession and makes selling your body or showing your breasts seem like the easiest way to be a celebrity – and at that moment – the little girl thinks in need of attention thinks yes, this is what I am going to be when I grow up.

“So yes – these girls – some barely 18 years old, so choose to do this on their own accord – but the Sun, The Daily Star and The Sport – being so public and easily accessible – prepares them and builds up this state of mind in children so that they know nothing else. So when these children could have become doctors, lawyers, teachers or anything else they want to be – they have so much potential – daily access to this degrading media builds them up to believe this is all they are worth and although being 18 is considered legal – we all know what being a care free 18 year old was – Do they ever consider the consequences?

“The Sun promotes an idea of – nothing else working for you?? Well we pay you money to show your breasts and you’ll get tons of attention.

“These young girls of 11,12 think “yea I’ve got the boobs so I guess this is my way to fame and fortune”

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=i0LGW8urTOs
“The above link is to an advertisement posted by the Sun on youtube advertising ‘Page 3’ – this video shows the disrespect the Sun gives normal ‘non-page-3’ women. These newspapers rate women simply by the size of their breasts and their waists and insult REAL women – the ones who have to do 3 jobs – look after their kids – make sure their husbands and family are happy.

“‘Legend has it that Murdoch was incandescent with rage when he saw the first bare breasts to grace his title. But the subsequent rise in paper sales – 1.5 million to 2.1 million in a year – rather soothed him.’ – BBC

“In other words the newspaper justifies using a young woman’s naked breasts to increase sales.”

Murdoch’s Sun ate women’s dignity

Labour Party

Congratulations to campaigning MP (and fellow blogger) Tom Watson for exposing the bullying of women members of staff at the tabloid Sun.

According to Watson, Sun editor Dominic Mohan, told the Leveson enquiry “it is wrong to suggest that the Sun trivialises offences against women.”

Not so, says Watson, and I know who I believe. Watson tells us on his blog he has inside knowledge that at least five female journalists on the paper have been sacked in the last eight years. At least two of the sacked women went on to win compensation after challenging their dismissals. Two out of five strikes me as a high percentage and provides strong evidence of serious discrimination against female employees.

More recently, Whitehall editor at the Sun Clodagh Hartley had a complaint of bullying against her upheld by an independent adjudicator. This will, of course, be of great concern the beleaguered Mohan, who has a lot on his plate after the recent arrests of Mike Sullivan, the paper’s crime editor; the former managing editor, Graham Dudman; executive editor, Fergus Shanahan; and Chris Pharo, a news desk executive.

Appalling though this is, unfortunately it’s not the whole story. The Sun still publishes topless and virtually naked women on page three – a practice deeply disrespectful to women, which I believe should immediately be consigned to the scrapheap.  

The Sun is not just a newspaper, it’s theUK’s largest selling national daily with a circulation of 7,774,000. It’s our most popular newspaper and it behaves in a totally unacceptable way towards its female staff. It also publishes demeaning images of women.

I wholeheartedly agree with the four women’s groups – End Violence Against Women, Equality Now, Object and Eaves – who appeared before the Leveson inquiry arguing that the Sun should ban sexualised images which would not be shown on television before the 9.00pm watershed. As Former Labour MP Clare Short, who has campaigned against page three, said in the Guardian “The bottom line is that pictures that would not be permissible in the workplace or on broadcast media before the watershed can still be published in a daily newspaper.”

What is more, the newspaper reading public do not want page three, perhaps understanding how degrading it is to women. According to the Huffington Post, Platform 51, formerly the Young Women’s Christian Association, commissioned a nationally representative poll which showed that twice as many women would support a ban on pictures of topless women appearing in daily newspapers as would oppose it. And it’s not just women. Almost a third of the men questioned also supported a ban.

So it’s actually the Sun “wot ‘as got it wrong”.

Disrespect to women and actions such as bullying at work and publishing pictures of undressed women are no longer acceptable. Thankfully the world has moved on from the 1970s when the Sun introduced page three. It’s about time the Sun itself caught up with the modern world.