"YES - they were right to ban Page 3"
Closer's Kayleigh Dray says they were right to ban Page 3 - but not for the reasons you may expect...
I don't have a problem with women getting their boobs out. Women absolutely should have full control over their bodies, they should be allowed to sexualise themselves exactly how they want to, and, yes, they should challenge the idea that we all need to follow the same conservative moral code.
And, while moral conservatives would have you think that bare boobs and nipples corrupt our children and wreck families, they, in fact, do not. Breasts are a natural part of life, as any pro-breastfeeding campaigner will tell you, and, to be honest, children need to see more women feeling confident and in control of their bodies.
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But children coming across Page 3 wasn’t the same as them seeing general nudity – parents or family naked, people on the beach or in changing rooms, a woman breastfeeding in a coffee shop. Because Page 3 wasn't there to celebrate the human body, it's there to objectify breasts. Period.
Studies have shown that young girls who see these heavily airbrushed and perfected pictures are more likely to grow up worrying about their bodies - not to mention grow up seeing themselves as sex objects. Young boys are less likely to treat women and girls with respect and more likely to think of and to treat them as less than human.
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The problem isn't the boobs; the problem is the fact that every pair of naked breasts on Page 3 looked the same, expressed the same opinions, and existed in a context where the owners of naked breasts were casually belittled and dehumanised.
We need boobs of every size, shape and colour - not just your standard airbrushed white girl under 30. We need these women to have a voice and, more importantly, for their bodies to be put into context.
Page 3 ‘normalised’ the idea that women are there primarily for men’s sexual pleasure, transforming them into a 'that' instead of a 'she'. Which, unsurprisingly, completely ruins the impact any story The Sun runs on rape, sexual abuse and domestic violence.
READ: 'WHY DID THEY HAVE NAKED PHOTOS ANYWAY?' - WHY VICTIM-BLAMING COMMENTS LIKE THIS HAVE TO STOP
And, sure, the tabloid may have thrown in their breast cancer campaign - but, as Page 3's target audience was primarily men, the point was completely lost in translation.
In short, it's hard to stand up for women when you're calling for them to get their tits out on the next page, isn't it?
"NO - Page 3 should not have been banned"
Closer's Jack White says nobody was forcing the girls to strip and Page 3 should NOT have been abolished...
Anyone who campaigned to kill off Page 3 was one of those people who just loves to complain.
If a woman has a great body – natural or enhanced – and wants to use it to make money, then why shouldn't there be a platform for this?
Nobody is forcing these girls to pose naked in national newspapers and, as controversial as some find it, some females actually aspire to be glamour models and there is absolutely nothing wrong with this.
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There are some opinions that page 3 and other 'lad' mags objectify women but these women know the industry they are getting into, and know the stigma attached to being a glamour girl (stigma which, ironically, usually comes from other women).
As well as making the dreams of these aspiring models come true, launching the careers of some of the most famous women in the country and making up part of a multi-million pound industry, page 3 also saves lives.
The Sun launched it's CoppaFeel! campaign to encourage women to get to know their breasts and to increase early defection of cancer.
Girls who featured on page 3 are daily the most famous boobs in the country, and readers flicking through their morning newspaper cannot miss them.
Therefore, using page 3 as an awareness for breast cancer was not only a great idea, it also showed that it wasn't not just a page for white van men to to get a quick lump in their trousers during their morning tea break.
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On the other hand, when men pose naked in magazines nobody thinks they are being objectified.
Pick up any of the gay monthlies and you will usually find at least one male celebrity in the buff.
Again, this is not only something nice for the readers to look at, but most of the time they are raising awareness for diseases.
And, as with the women, nobody is forcing these men to take their clothes off and get paid for it.
Page 3, lad mags, gay mags, striptease shows: these are all just ways of people with great bodies who love to show them off making money – and a way for those of us who aren't as confident to enjoy them.