No More Page 3

I hadn't intended this blog to be a political soap box but I guess it is inevitable to happen every now and then...

I've been vaguely aware that Girlguiding have been backing a campaign to put an end to the pictures of young women naked from the waist up appearing in national newspapers.  It is just the sort of thing I think Girlguiding should be involved in as representatives of the largest youth organisation for girls in the UK, but it wasn't something I felt overly passionate about.

Growing up I was only vaguely aware of these newspapers, they weren't the 'sort of newspaper we had in our house' and I'd always assumed it was 'other types' of people who read them.  I was shocked at aged 10 that my friend's dad did read 'those' papers - he was a Christian, went to church every week and yet he would buy newspapers with topless young girls in it.  It didn't make sense to me then, and it still doesn't now.

As a uni student on a male dominated course, lads mags were more common place than ladies, although I remember coming across a couple of copies of Marie Clare and Cosmopolitan at a Youth Hostel and being surprised how skinny the girls were compared to those in Loaded. Personally I thought the lads mags were giving us a better deal. I never felt I was being compared, why would I when those girls were all in their bikinis and I was in the virtually compulsory uniform of a geology student most recognised by fleeces and hiking books. However, I did received a great amount of attention one field trip when I announced that I had gone to school with Miss July!

A few weeks ago I found myself standing alone in a Chinese takeaway waiting for my dinner to be cooked.  On the counter there was a few newspapers and I started to read the front pages.  Wills and Kate had just named baby George, I knew this from Facebook but hadn't seen any actual news about it so continue to read, turned over the first page and couldn't avoid seeing Nicole, aged 20 from Bournemouth wearing a yellow thong and stood in such a way that her right breast was on full display.  I didn't want to see Nicole's bum or breast, I wanted to know about baby George.

I don't know why but I felt moved by this image of Nicole.  Possibly as I'm now a mother to a daughter of my own, this image would not be one I would like to see of her.  I think more than that though, I have taught girls who are now Nicole's age.  I have busted a gut to get them through their GCSEs with the hope of a bright future. I see many of them now, they work in the hospital, at children's centres, in shops and soft play centres, many are mothers themselves. I don't want to see these children naked even if they are technically adults now, 20 is still so young.

For this reason, and so many others, I have signed the petition.  Will you?