SU Sun-der fire

UoN Feminists are set to meet with the SU council next week to present their petition to remove The Sun from all SU shops.

According to UoN Feminists, “Page 3 endorses a culture of sexual objectification of women, as well as projecting rigid body image ideals which are harmful to all members of our university.” If the motion passes in its current form, all SU outlets will be required to “stop stocking ‘Page 3’ publications, namely The Sun and the Daily Star.”

Their campaign is part of a national feminist effort to get editors of The Sun and other red-tops such as The Daily Star to remove topless women from their papers. Founder of No More Page 3, Lucy Anne Holmes,  started the campaign because she was upset that the most prominent photograph of a woman in the widest circulation British newspaper is of a young woman in just her knickers.

market square saw protests last year as part of NoMorePage3

Other SUs including Leeds, Essex and Sheffield have already acted to ban the publication and over 150 MPs have signed a letter to The Sun’s chief editor.

But support for the movement has not been universal, with many taking issue with the SU’s potential censorship. Ben, a second year management student, told The Tab: “Last time I checked we lived in a free country, and that means being able to buy the paper I want. It’s ridiculous to think that Page 3 is somehow linked to sexual assault.”

3rd year glamour model Emma, calls Page 3 “empowering”

The petition, despite being online for since early February, has currently attracted the support of less than 1% of students.

The SU Council, comprised of representatives from residential and subject groups is one of the most powerful bodies of the SU, with direct control over an wide range of SU policies.