After a couple years of protest, it looks as though those who detest The Sun's Page 3 might finally have a reason to celebrate: The Guardian reports that the British paper has quietly stopped publishing fully naked women in the section.
Though The Sun would not comment, The Guardian writes that "a series of insiders" tell them that Page 3 (which has existed for 45 years) in its current iteration is no more. They report that "the paper will continue to feature partially clad women on Page 3, only now wearing a bra and pants," with one big caveat:
The change may be reversed, it is understood, if it results in a noticeable Sun sales decline.
Monday's issue of the Rupert Murdoch-owned paper included a spread with Victoria's Secret model Rosie Huntington-Whiteley who is indeed in her underwear but not revealing any truly NSFW bits, unlike Friday's considerably less famous model Lissy, 21, from Manchester, who appeared topless as per usual.
Since the campaign No More Page was launched, everyone from politicians to former topless models have spoken out about the inclusion of nude women in a "family" paper that isn't just a tabloid. In 2013, the Irish edition of the paper dropped the photos in order to "to cater for our own readers' needs and reflect the cultural differences in Ireland." Though nothing has been confirmed for sure, those behind No More Page 3 are hesitantly celebrating the news.