Page 3 Girls - What Happened?

[Deano!]

I was trying to think of a few names of current UK pin-up favorites and for the life of me the only names I could think of were Jordan and Keely Hazel. This set me wondering where all the page 3 hotties are these days. Or are the wifes and girlfriends of footballers the new pin up babes.

20 years ago I could have said Sam Fox, Maria Whittaker, Suzanne Mitzi, Donna Erwin, Debbie Ashby, Lu Varley, Charmaine Sinclair etc. But now, the page 3 girl phenomenon seems to have waned. Is this the case?

Not living in the UK means I must seek wisdom from Her Majesty's neighbours.

Whenever I think of page 3 girls, I can't help but be reminded of an episode of 'Hot Metal' - a comedy about tabloid newspapers in the late 80's. The fictitious paper invented 'wobble vision'. Each paper came with a set of plastic specs just like 3-D specs except that you moved a sliding panel in them back and forth which made the page 3 model's tits appear to jiggle. All through the episode you notice men in background scenes looking at the paper while wriggling the special specs.

[Bob Singleton]

20 or so years ago a "Page 3" girl was a model who appeared topless on Page 3 of The Sun. The number of girls featured at any particular period in time was actually quite small, so the same faces were seen time and time again and became well known.

Today, a "Page 3" girl is anyone who will appear topless in any newspaper or magazine, and with the proliferation of "lads mags" where dozens of unknown girls who all want to become famous models by showing us their tits appear, the sheer number of girls involved has led to such a dilution of the genre that it's pretty impossible for a small number to stand out and become well known. Add to that the number of "reality TV stars" (and I use the term "star" in the loosest sense of the word) such as Chantelle Hayes and her ilk, mean that to become a tenth well known as Sam Fox or Maria Whittaker etc, a girl not only has to hint at showing her tits off on national TV but then follow up and actually do it in a lads mag once the TV series is over.

20 years ago there were probably 30 to 40 "Page 3" girls of whom a dozen rose to the very top in the public's consciousness. Today there are probably about 5000 girls a year who are published topless in the various mags and newspapers... to rise to the top in the public's consciousness needs the help of Big Brother or being seen on the arm of a Premiership footballer, so it's not her tits but the tit she's with that actually makes her famous!

[max_tranmere]

Sam Cooke is one who comes to mind. Have a look at her on Google Images. She's a babe!

[Deano!]

max_tranmere wrote:

> Sam Cooke is one who comes to mind. Have a look at her on
> Google Images. She's a babe!

I would say that the Sam Cooke (the one with the tits, not Sam Cooke the male, black American R and B singer) is well worth a spot on page 3. And isn't it refreshing to see a girl who looks sweet, friendly, healthy and inviting. Well done.

[Deano!]

Bob - I was surprised when you said the total number of models was really quite small but I believe you're right come to think of it. I think the standard was higher though.

It's similar to having dozens of extra TV channels now. Sure you get more choice, but that doesn't mean the total number of good shows increases.

[spunkie]

Only one Joanne Guest! Surely the last of the page 3 legends, before the internet ruined porn! Sad to hear she has ME and is very sick at the mo. !sad!

[Deano!]

porn historian wrote:

> I think that the draw of page 3 is long gone.When i was a kid i
> remember the thrill of a sneaky peak at the sun.Now porn Is
> everywhere.I can't imagine todays boys getting the same thrill
> as i did back then by looking at P3

Totally agree. But I also think that, while the simple thrill of seeing 'naughty pictures' no longer applies to today's kids, the appeal of certain models that 'hit the spot' will never die. I would imagine that the average teenage boy is every bit as besotted with some chick band's singer as I was with Anna from ABBA a hundred years ago.

[Deano!]

spunkie wrote:

> Only one Joanne Guest! Surely the last of the page 3 legends,
> before the internet ruined porn! Sad to hear she has ME and is
> very sick at the mo. !sad!

Sorry to hear she is sick. Yes she was one of the very best. BTW, did you mean MS (Multiple Sclerosis) rather than ME which I don't think I've heard of.

[JamesW]

ME = Myalgic Encephalomyelitis.