Page 3 Girls: Am I a Prude? (and a few of my photos from the last few weeks)

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Warning: Rant in Progress

Maybe I'm a prude, maybe I'm a snob, but I still feel uncomfortable when I see someone staring at a page three lovely. For those of you not familiar with this concept, many of the tabloids in the UK provide for your reading pleasure a full page photo of a woman in just undies. Turn to page 3 of The Sun and you'll ecounter Sarah, 19, from Bristol (and her boobs), who says she thinks war is sad and that George Bush should pull out the troops. To pull up a photo on your computer like that seen on page three while at work could probably get you sacked but to pay your 70p and read it on the train is no problem. Not only is The Sun is the biggest selling newspaper in the UK, it apparently has the highest circulation of any English-language newspaper in the world!

I might be sounding a bit soap boxy here, and I apologise because it's not really my intention. I'm not sure yet why I'm not OK with something that seems to have either support or at least reluctant acceptance of the majority of the community - methinks maybe I am the one with the problem? I'm just curious about this issue and thought I'd blog it out to see if I could get my head around it. I don't think it would ever be acceptable in Australia. Maybe I'm wrong? Funnily enough The Sun is part of the (Australian) Rupert Murdoch empire - although I did read that the Page 3 concept started when he was on holiday or something... but I guess he didn't can it. Actually come to think of it I recall a paper called The Sport or something like that that contains nudity to delight but it's the kind of publication that is found rolled up and stashed in a corner of a grimey bachelor pad loo and is considered a low brow less glossy version of the plastic bound 18+ mags. I've never seen it read in public.

The Sun is the grandfather of a generation of similar papers: The Daily Mail, The Daily Sport and the Sun's Sunday companion The News of the World (a misnomer if I ever saw one). Political bias is blatant, boobs are OK and Brad and Angelina in Namibia counts as world news. I think for me confusion for me lies in the word newspaper. In Australia there are newspapers and there are magazines. Here the lines are blurred - a lot of the newspapers focus more on the love lives of Big Brother contestants whereas some of the most astute reporting comes from magazine format sources.

There is an upside to the wide circulation of The Sun and such other tabloids; I think that compared to my home country of Australia the general population is much more aware of what is going on in national politics. Perhaps I'm underestimating the political interest of the Australian electorate, and I hope I am, but I doubt that as many people there could name as many of the movers and shakers in the world of politics as people can here. That's not to say that everyone here has a deep understanding or that their knowledge necessarily extends beyond soundbites, headlines and commentary on the latest scandalous affair. At least however, politcs makes news and news that people pay attention to.


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Don't get confused: there is no relationship between Page 3 women and the lovely friends of mine pictured here. Sorry girls, timing is unfortunate! In lieu of naked ladies I've attached pics of some clothed ones from a few things from the last few weeks: Dana's birthday and a reunion with the little fat one who made a surprise visit back for a week courtesy of her work. :-)

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Photos

Dana's Cake Bearers
Laura, Julie, Petra (all Canadians)and Moi

Reunited
Camel, Fatgirl, Me

Comments

[Disco stu2]

nudity with content
Being on the other side of the swap, a Londoner in Sydney, I'd die for some British press. I'm constantly reading stuff over here and having to consult an impartial, non-sensationalised British newspaper website to find out what is actually happening in the world!!!! Nudity or not I actually rather have The Sun over any Australian publication which says more about the press here than The Sun. Luckily The Economist is world wide or I’d simply have to move back!

[Jess]

quality british media
I realise now I failed to mention the quality reportage that exist in the UK. Although not without seemingly unavoidable political bents that seep into newspapers everywhere, I think that the reporting in the broadsheets, the Times, Independent and Guardian in particular, is exceptional.... and of course the Economist (which I subscribe to). In fairness to the Aussie press, while the little papers tend to be a bit 'colour over content', the big ones do alright I think (noting too that a lot of the international news comes from UK sources). Thanks for the comments!