Why No More Page 3 Is Important To Me
I grew up with The Sun in my household. My parents and grandparents were Sun readers, they still are. Growing up, I didn't have a choice but to see Page 3. At the time it just seemed normal to me.
But when I was 12, a boy brought The Sun into school, and he was using Page 3 to intimidate some of the girls in my class. "I bet your t*ts are nothing on this." They didn't have a choice either. I got into an argument with this boy, and suddenly I was enraged by something I'd never thought twice about before.
Page 3 was a source of so much subconscious insecurity to me, about my body and my mind. And it is a disgrace to all people, suggesting that it is okay for little boys to ridicule little girls in classrooms, because it's okay for big boys to publish women's breasts in the paper. In Britain's biggest-selling family newspaper, the Page 3 image is bigger than pictures of women politicians and sportswomen. It was bigger than Jessica Ennis when she won Olympic Gold.
Page 3 basically says that women make the news for what they look like, men for what they do. It caused me to believe that I would never make the news unless I took my top off. That I would never have any value unless I took my top off, and looked "like that". That's not the kind of society I want to be living in. I want a society where we have choice.
Yas Necati is an 18-year-old feminist activist and campaigner. She's a team member at No More Page 3 HQ, campaigns for better Sex and Relationships Education and is writing a book about teen feminism. She also really, really likes cats. Read more about Yas www.yasnecati.com
The #PAGE3TAKEDOWN has started! Youth Media Agency is proud to support @nomorepage3 to stop The Sun publishing Page 3. Topless models have no place in a family newspaper and we are calling together the strength of over 7 million young people in the UK to join!
It's simple: first please sign the petition then make your own creative content by using #PAGE3TAKEDOWN @NOMOREPAGE3 answering the question: "WHY WOULD YOU TAKE DOWN PAGE 3?"
Write a blog | Make a Vine | Tweet your support | Make a film | Create some art
Watch our film made by young people (above) to find out how you can get involved!
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Links:
Info >> Law & Rights >> Discrimination >> Equal Opportunities
